Paul Strzelecki appointed as Honorary Visiting Professor

Paul Strzelecki has been appointed Honorary Visiting Professor at The University of Manchester, at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Paul will have an enterprise focus to his role. This will include assisting the School with industrial contacts, helping researchers identify and commercialise intellectual property, through spin-out companies and licensing, and lecturing students in enterprise subjects relating to the electronics industry.

Paul is an alumnus of the School, a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Currently Managing Director of Yorkville Advisors UKLLP offering a fund investing in global public companies, Paul has had a successful corporate career in the world of semiconductor and electronics including a European Vice President at Motorola before becoming a successful internet and mobile communications entrepreneur and a venture capitalist. Paul has also been an adviser to Manchester United FC.

The School is one of the largest electrical engineering schools in the UK and highly rated for its “Research Power” and is headed by Professor Andy Gibson.

“The School has a good history of working with industry and I am delighted that Paul will be assisting with our goals and helping extend our international reach and collaborations across the spectrum of our innovative research activities,” said Prof Gibson.

Paul is enthusiastic about his role. “Electrical technology continues to change the world, at work and play at an ever increasing rate,” he said. “Yet there are still huge challenges to be met. Electrical engineering can provide solutions to climate change and reduction and changes in energy consumption.”

Paul says he is excited about one of the School’s expertise areas, where it leads the world: agri-electronics, which uses electrical and electronic technology to improve farming yields and to reduce waste in the food supply change. This links with another area where the University is taking a lead – sustainable consumption.

He added: “It’s an honour to be asked to contribute to the world class team in Manchester. If we can create new businesses that literally change the world from the research activity and contribute to the UK’s industrial future it will be a thrilling journey.”

Last year, Paul was appointed to the Strategy Advisory Board of the UMIP Premier Fund (UPF), a unique fund dedicated to assisting the financing of spin-out companies from the University.

Notes for editors

For further information contact: Alex Waddington, Media Relations Officer, The University of Manchester, Tel 0161 275 8387.

About UMIP

The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP) is the managing agent of The University of Manchester for intellectual property commercialisation. UMIP's role is to enhance the reputation of the University's intellectual property development through successful spin-out and licensing business activities.

UMIP consists of faculty oriented business management teams backed up by a central corporate office which provides company secretarial, marketing, legal and financial expertise.

Since its inception in October 2004, UMIP has set up sixteen spin-out companies, concluded over 80 licence deals and raised more than £130 million in investment capital. It currently has over 100 projects in its portfolio at various stages of development. A number of the spin-out companies have received national and regional enterprise awardsUMIP is wholly owned by The University of Manchester and has over a 20 year history of IP commercialisation and is a limited company of over 35 employees.

For more information visit www.umip.com