Posted on 13 April 2010
From left to right: Baz Dhaliwal; Gerald Davies; Professor Dylan Jones-Evans and Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach (photo: Richard Bosworth)
Bridging the gap between Cardiff and Cambridge (Massachusetts), Baz Dhaliwal, a University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) graduate will be flying to the US to brainstorm business ideas with America’s academic elite thanks to a new initiative funded by the University of Wales’s Global Academy in partnership with Cardiff Business Club.
The University of Wales travelling innovation scholarship will enable a graduate of the University of Wales to visit MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to meet leading world experts and learn how they can develop their entrepreneurial ideas into world class products or services back here in Wales.
The aim of the scheme is to enlighten and nurture Welsh graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge so that they are better equipped to maximise their business potential. It is hoped that the beneficiary of the scheme will then be able to contribute to developing a more entrepreneurial Welsh economy.
The first winner of the University of Wales travelling scholarship is Baz Dhaliwal, a former product design student from UWIC. Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach presented Baz with the award at a special dinner in Cardiff Business Club on Monday, April 13. Baz’s start-up business, Rikoset Ltd, is developing new and innovative products to prevent injuries in sport, help rehabilitation and improve the performance of professional athletes.
The company is currently developing its first product which is an advanced shin guard aimed at professional footballers, a product which was originally conceived as an undergraduate product design project.
Upon receiving the award, Baz was confident of the positive effect visiting MIT would have on his business:
"I am absolutely ecstatic about winning the scholarship and I see it as an excellent opportunity to meet some of the worlds leading experts on business and technology. As a budding entrepreneur I feel this experience will be hugely beneficial as I am hoping to gain some valuable knowledge and experience that will help push my business to the next stage."
Baz also commented that Rikoset are in the process of developing other products that have been conceived as a direct result of research conducted for the shin guard . The visit to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and accessing the knowledge and expertise at this world leading entrepreneurial and technical university will help the development of these products.
Huw Thomas, Chair of the University of Wales congratulated Baz Dhaliwal:
“I am delighted to award Baz with the first University of Wales Travelling Scholarship. This award encapsulates our ethos perfectly, which is bringing the best of the world to Wales, and taking the best of Wales to the world. Through initiatives such as our Prince of Wales Innovation Scholarships (POWIS) and this scholarship, we are supporting talented people in a pro-active and practical way and using our close links to MIT to benefit our graduates. It’s a fantastic opportunity for a young person to broaden their horizons and to come back to Wales with some exciting and viable business ideas which will, we hope, also provide a welcome boost to the economy.”
Chair for Cardiff Business Club and Welsh rugby legend, Gerald Davies, added:
“Cardiff Business Club is delighted to work with the University of Wales to develop this opportunity for young Welsh graduates . Scholarships such as these that send our fledgling entrepreneurs on reconnaissance missions abroad create a win-win situation for both businesses and graduates and we wish Baz every success with his company in the future”.
MIT’s entrepreneurship programmes are amongst the best in the world, resulting in 25,800 active companies that have been founded by MIT alumni. These currently employ about 3.3 million people and generate annual world sales of £1.5 trillion, producing the equivalent of the 11th-largest economy in the world.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
For more information about the University of Wales’s Global Academy please visit:
www.globalacademy.org.uk
For press and media information, please contact Tom Barrett, Communications Officer, University of Wales: t.barrett@wales.ac.uk Tel: 02920 376991