Uwe Derksen

As Assistant Director of Research and Enterprise, Uwe Derksen is responsible for the delivery and monitoring of the University's business and community strategies, income generation, corporate sponsorship and enterprise and bringing research to bear on knowledge transfer opportunities.

Uwe is from North Rhine Westphalia in Germany where he studied Social Sciences in Duisburg before moving to the UK to study Sociology at the University of Kent. He has over 15 years' experience in knowledge transfer, enterprise, innovation and CPD activities, which latterly he has applied specifically to the creative arts and creative economy. Much of his work has been developing specific initiatives (more than 30) to test and experiment with new types of knowledge transfer, CPD provision and innovation tools. He has secured significant funding, often in direct support of disadvantaged groups, for whom mainstream provision is often inappropriate. Other initiatives included the development of specific innovation guidance, assessment tools and project-based learning concepts for small and medium-sized enterprises. Uwe has worked with a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector institutions including: the Red Cross and National Trade Union in Germany; a range of universities; and research, technology and training centres across Europe. In recent years, he has worked with specialist art & design institutions and corporate companies such as Sony, Pfizer and the Post Office. In the past, Uwe was seconded to the Government Office for the South East to organise the launch of the 2000 ESF programme. He also headed up the South East HE ESF Technical Assistance Office for a number of years and acted as the Creative Industries Champion for the HEFCE/OST Knowledge Transfer Group.

Uwe sits on the Boards of SEEDA's Innovation and Growth Teams in Kent, West Surrey and North Hants. He is also a Board member of the Higher Education Entrepreneurship Group, the Research Strategy Partnership and the South East Local Partnership. He is a Director of British Design Innovation and sits on its South East Board.