Inventor Trevor Baylis to give the 'Aziz Corporation annual enterprise lecture'
Trevor Baylis OBE inventor of the wind-up radio, will give The Aziz Corporation Annual Enterprise Lecture 2003 at the University of Southampton during Enterprise Week (October 13-17). The lecture, entitled 'The loneliness of the long distance inventor', is designed to encourage entrepreneurship amongst staff and students.
Khalid Aziz, Chairman of The Aziz Corporation, commented: "Trevor Baylis is a seasoned public speaker, with a great sense of humour and a fantastic story to tell. He is the perfect person to kick off what we hope will be a long running series of lectures. I hope that they will stimulate and encourage budding entrepreneurs to excel in communications as a vital skill required for ultimate success."
The University's Centre for Enterprise and Innovation (CEI) is organizing the event on Tuesday 14 October at 7.00pm.
CEI Director Tony Raven said: "Trevor is an inspirational speaker and I'm sure it will be an evening to remember. Members of Fish on Toast, our student entrepreneurs group are particularly looking forward to hearing about Trevor's experiences and getting tips on developing their own enterprises."
The University already has a long and successful history of enterprise and innovation from its first spin out company in 1969, through Southampton Photonics with its £55 million first round investment in 2000, to the six new companies created in 2002/3. It has embarked on a pioneering 25-year partnership with specialist intellectual property commercialisation company IP2IPO, a subsidiary of The Evolution Group plc.
Trevor Baylis came up with the idea of the clockwork radio after seeing a television programme about the spread of AIDS in Africa. His invention brought radio to millions of people who could not hear broadcasts of vital information because they had no access to electricity or batteries. Yet, his early attempts to interest manufacturers in his invention came to nothing until the pioneering radio was featured on the BBC TV science programme Tomorrow's World.
Notes for editors
- The Centre for Enterprise and Innovation
The Centre for Enterprise and Innovation is the focus of entrepreneurial activity within the University of Southampton. Formed in September 2000, the office now employs around 20 people, focusing on the commercialisation of University intellectual property through the creation of start-up companies and opportunities for license. It provides business and funding advice, IP protection and management, commercial legal advice and contract negotiation. - The Aziz Corporation
The Aziz Corporation is the UK's leading independent executive communications consultancy. Its mission is to add value to businesses by ensuring their people are effective communicators. Consultancy services offered by the Aziz Corporation include presentation skills, media training, crisis management, image consultancy and voice development. www.azizcorp.com - The University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a leading teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship. The University, which celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2002, has 20,000 students and over 4,500 staff and plays an important role in the City of Southampton. Its annual turnover is in the region of £235 million. www.soton.ac.uk - IP2IPO
IP2IPO is a specialist technology transfer investment company owned by Evolution Group plc, the investment bank quoted on the London Stock Exchange. IP2IPO's business is the formation of long term partnerships with universities and its first such partnership was with the University of Oxford, under which IP2IPO acquired a 15-year interest in intellectual property, commercialised from the University's Chemistry department. In March 2002, IP2IPO entered into partnership with the University of Southampton. www.ip2ipo.com