Second Year Engineering Module - ENGR205 Business Development Project

Lancaster University’s Second Year Engineering Module (ENGR205 Business Development Project) covers a range of material on student entrepreneurship, innovation, idea generation, business planning, marketing, presenting and pitching, using tools such as the Business Model Canvas, and various external and industrial speakers to supplement and reinforce the taught theory.  In groups, students work on weekly tasks and feedback to the full class each week. The module is assessed, in groups, through the submission of a Business Plan and the subsequent pitching of their business idea to a panel comprising members from academia, industry and other areas. A total of 158 engineering undergraduates were registered for the module in the academic year. By the completion of the module, fourteen business concepts emerged for assessment and pitching at the final session. A panel of judges consisting of representatives from academia, student innovation and enterprise and industry was convened to assess the business concepts that were presented in the final session.

Winner: Moddies

Project:

The Moddies team was led by Stephanie Humphreys, BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering and her team members were Sean Henley, MEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering; Luis Smith, MEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering; Peggy Ackwerh, BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering; Joseph Lantos, MEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering; Mischelle Thomas, BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering; Danielle Asantewaa Forjour, BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering; Nathan Lister, MEng (Hons) Mechatronic Engineering; Matthew McShane, MEng (Hons) Electronic and Electrical Engineering Flaviu Cojan, General Engineering (International Exchange) – £3,000 Engineers in Business prize.

The team was awarded the £3,000 Engineers in Business prize for its innovation, Moddies, a range of collectable, customisable and programmable robot STEM toys, designed to spark passion and enthusiasm about coding. This will allow children to make their toys come to life, whilst developing highly sought-after skills in critical thinking, technology, and innovation. Moddies are based on a modular design, allowing for easy attachment and removal of both aesthetic and controllable parts, letting children decide not just how their Moddies looks, but what it does. Most features of the Moddie can be coded using an intuitive, python-based interface, designed to help take the frustration out of coding – without taking the real coding out of coding. The Moddies team is aiming to help children reach their coding potential with curiosity, intuition, and fun, and enable them to develop careers in STEM.

Having just completed the ‘ENGR205 Business Development Project’ module in mid-June 2022, the students were enthused to continue with the development and work towards a submission for the Engineers in Business, Champion of Champions Grand Final in October 2022. They achieved this and were successfully shortlisted to present their innovation at the Engineers in Business Champion of Champions Final at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London, as one of the top 10 entries.  Team Moddies put in a very credible performance, especially given the short amount of time available at each stage of the module, and the corresponding deadlines to adhere to over the course of the summer period.

With so much positivity surrounding their concept, the encouraging feedback received at the Champion of Champions  Final, and the entrepreneurial spirit that has been engendered over these recent months, the group is still meeting regularly, with the module convener, Professor Allan Rennie, and receiving support from the Student Enterprise Office at Lancaster University, in order to continue the development of the Moddies concept and to realise the opportunities that this may bring in the future.

Pictured left to right are team members Lucas Palmer, Nathan Lister, Mischelle Thomas, Joseph Lantos, Stephanie Humphreys and Sean Henley.

Awarded: £3,000

Positive feedback

Incorporating the Engineers in Business Fellowship competition into the ‘Engineering Business Development’ module in the 2nd Year of engineering programmes at Lancaster University provides the best opportunity for the students to not only learn and develop during the module but to practice and perfect several skills associated with idea generation, pitching and presenting. With so many students involved, the camaraderie developed within the groups was clear to see and generated an increasingly competitive (yet supportive) atmosphere as the weeks passed. The Engineers in Business Prize funding is a bonus, which allows some of the groups to move beyond a theoretical academic exercise, and to really consider the possibilities that lie within their business ideas and concepts – it is a true motivator.

Professor Allan E.W. Rennie
Professor in Manufacturing Engineering and Director of Engagement
School of Engineering
Lancaster University