Your Role

With their scientific knowledge, researchers are increasingly at the basis of social innovations in the fields of Secure and inclusive society, Human centric AI, Human Health and wellbeing, Renewable and sustainable society. At the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam these profile themes are closely linked to our identity and refer to the social domains in which we work toward a better world through education, research and valorisation & knowledge transfer. At the VU Amsterdam we want the knowledge generated by our research and education to have a social and/or economic impact. As a result, collaboration with external public and private parties often takes place.

You will be responsible for identifying and pursuing new business opportunities, building relationships with key stakeholders, and fostering complex collaborative partnerships, within academia and with societal partners. As an Impact/Business Developer, you explore the opportunities for co-creation and exchange of knowledge in research with researchers from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences. Thanks to your experience, you know better than anyone how to assess the opportunities of a research project and how to guide the researchers in their steps towards creating impact with their research. Business Development is not a 'one size fits all' approach. This means that, depending on the situation, you will work together with a team to create a strong business case or introduce the researcher to the right network where the innovation can be taken forward and become of value to society. The BD/ID will participate in the Impact team in the relevant faculties as they aim to bring their research product to market & society to diversify and increase external funding of the research and impact portfolio.

Your duties

• Support researchers in the process of creating societal and/or economic impact by:
  
  • Screening & Scouting of new ideas and inventions within the relevant faculties
  • Developing Business Plans
  • Advising researchers in the process of acquiring initial funding for impact projects
• Facilitate external collaboration of researchers and support in involving nonacademic partners in consortia and help professionalizing stakeholder management
• Liaise with the Research Offices and relevant institutes in the domain of Social and Behavioural Sciences concerning e.g. the Valorisation and Societal Impact Strategy of the Faculties
• Stay up to date with relevant developments in the fields of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Social Entrepreneurship, Impact, public engagement and society
• Help to create and implement organisational procedures to further facilitate interdisciplinary research, co-creation and citizen science