This time, our regular spotlight series focuses on Begbroke Engagement Manager Dr Siobhan Dennis. Siobhan joined the Directorate team earlier this year to help support our entrepreneurial community and build connections within the wider ecosystem.
Welcome to Begbroke! Can you tell us a little about your background and what brought you here?
I’ve spent around 20 years working across the medical and life sciences sector, starting with a fairly traditional PhD and postdoctoral background in neuroscience and drug discovery. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to experience the sector from lots of different perspectives, including academic research, pharma, CROs, charities and health tech, and to work with some very large global organisations.
Over time, I realised that I was increasingly drawn to the business of science: how you build the right partnerships around great research and innovation to help it progress and ultimately have impact. That led me out of the lab and into alliance and partnership management and, most recently, that included roles as Head of Strategic Partnerships at Cancer Research UK and VP of Alliance Management at Evotec. When I was thinking about my next move, I wanted something where I could bring that experience and credibility, but which would also challenge me and provide opportunities to learn.
Having spent my career predominantly in medical and life sciences, I’m fascinated by other scientific areas such as AI, quantum technologies and astrophysics. One of the things that really appealed to me about Begbroke was the extraordinary diversity of science and technology here, and the opportunity to work alongside people commercialising cutting-edge research across very different disciplines.
So Begbroke felt like a very natural next step: somewhere I could bring together my scientific background and partnership experience, contribute something meaningful from day one, but also step into new areas, keep learning and be part of an ecosystem I was genuinely excited to return to.
For people who haven’t worked with an Engagement Manager before, what does your role entail and how do you support the tenants and research groups on site?
I sometimes describe my role as needing to know three things: what you’re trying to achieve, what’s happening across the innovation ecosystem and who might be able to help.
The breadth of innovation at Begbroke is enormous, from early academic ideas and pre-seed companies through to more established businesses, across a huge range of science and technology. Their needs are equally varied, so my role has to be flexible and individual to them.
Importantly, I’m not here to be the expert in everything. I can have that initial conversation and help understand the challenge, but there is an extraordinary amount of specialist expertise already within the University and the wider Oxfordshire ecosystem. My role is to connect people to it, not duplicate it, and also to identify where there may be gaps in the support available.
In practice, that might mean connecting someone to funding or investment opportunities, academic expertise, facilities, recruitment support, events or specialist advice. It can also mean bringing experts onto site, creating useful connections between people or helping raise the profile of the fantastic science and innovation happening here.
Those individual conversations also help me understand where several people may be facing similar challenges, which can inform the support and expertise we bring into Begbroke. And you don’t need to know exactly what support you need before speaking to me. “This is what I’m trying to achieve” or “this is the problem I’m facing” is a perfectly good place to start.
I’d also really encourage people across the wider innovation ecosystem to reach out. If you support science, technology or innovation, I want to know who you are and what you do. The stronger those connections are, the more effectively we can help the people and ideas at Begbroke thrive.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
What I enjoy most is meeting people who are passionate about what they do. Begbroke and the innovation across Oxfordshire is full of people with incredible expertise, whether they’re building a company, developing a technology or progressing academic research, and I really enjoy understanding what they’re trying to achieve and finding ways I can help.
I also love that no two conversations or challenges here are quite the same. Different organisations and academics need very different things, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. That combination of people, problem-solving and constantly learning something new is what keeps me motivated.
Begbroke is part of a wider innovation ecosystem across Oxfordshire and beyond. How does your role interact with that wider community?
Begbroke is part of an incredibly rich Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem, and collaboration across that ecosystem is essential. Different places and organisations bring different expertise, networks and types of support, helping innovators from that very first idea through to becoming established and thriving businesses.
I’m already building relationships with organisations and initiatives such as Oxford University Innovation, Equinox, EnSpire and many local supporters of innovation, and you’ll hopefully see me out and about meeting many more. My aim is to understand who does what, where the expertise sits and how we can work together effectively.
In simple terms, I want to get to know the ecosystem so that the people at Begbroke don’t have to know everyone themselves. If I know the right person, programme or organisation, I can help make that connection.
Finally, if someone – either based at Begbroke or beyond – has an idea they want to explore or simply wants to make a useful connection, what’s the best way to reach you?
Please just reach out! You can email me or connect with me on LinkedIn, and if you’re on site, come and find me in the CIE café. I try to spend a few hours there at least once a week specifically so that people can drop by and have a chat.
You’ll also see me out and about at events across Begbroke and the wider Oxfordshire ecosystem, so please come and say hello. You don’t need to have a specific ask or a fully formed idea. I’m equally happy to hear about a challenge, explore a connection or simply learn more about what you do.
