Launch of Selected Works and Selected Start-Ups 2011
On 18 November 2010, more than 80 students and recent graduates attended the first of two James Dyson Intellectual Property (IP) Rights Seminars for 2011. It was held at the Royal College of Art and hosted by FuelRCA. Also launched at this event was the Selected Works and Selected Start-Ups Programmes and the James Dyson Innovation Fellowship for 2011.

Nadia Danhash, Co-Director, InnovationRCA, announced that in the 2010-2011 academic year, the Selected Works programme would, for the first time, run twice, giving students two opportunities to receive financial support in patenting their inventions or registering designs before the Summer Show and receive commercialisation advice and assistance from the InnovationRCA team. 

The James Dyson Innovation Fellowship will be awarded to one entrepreneurial graduating student plus a six-month part-time employment contract at InnovationRCA to progress the development and commercialisation of their work.

Both Selected Works programmes would give students with a business idea the chance to apply for Selected Start-Ups where they will receive training in presentation skills and business planning and have the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a private gathering of investors at the College. This event will be held on 26 May 2011.

In the second part of the launch evening, Nadia Danhash introduced guest speakers from international law firm Linklaters LLP with Yohan Liyanage (pictured speaking above right), Intellectual Property expert explaining the fundamentals of design rights, copyright, trademarks and patents followed by a lively Q&A session.