Careers enterprise and employability 

Durham research students go on to a wide range of destinations, including academic posts, industry and consultancy, government and policy roles, the charity sector, publishing and media, and founder or freelance paths.  

Wherever your skills and experience take you, career planning works best when it starts early rather than in your final year. There are a range of specialist support available to you as a postgraduate researcher. 

Based in the Palatine Centre, Durham's Careers and Enterprise Centre supports postgraduate researchers with one-to-one careers appointments, regular careers workshops and training sessions (often run in partnership with academic departments and tailored to disciplinary need).

Enterprise and Innovation 

Based in the Mathematical Sciences and Computer Science Building on the Upper Mountjoy site, the Enterprise team can support you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, discover and build your innovation skills, and translate your ideas and research into real-world impact.  

Venture Lab 

Through the Hazan Venture Lab, Durham University’s first purpose-built space for entrepreneurship, you can access opportunities including innovation challenges, support developing startups, mentoring, coaching networking events, funding opportunities, and dedicated working space. Since 2019, Venture Lab has supported the creation of over 140 purpose-driven startups, helping students and graduates to develop solutions to major societal and environmental challenges. 

Current students can find more information on the support and opportunities you can access through Venture Lab via the Careers and Enterprise Hub on SharePoint. 

EDAPT: Reflect, Explore, Act 

For postgraduate researchers who want to enhance leadership and innovation capabilities, Venture Lab delivers EDAPT.  

EDAPT encourages participants to develop a growth mindset by integrating Sarasvathy's effectuation principles. Through the 2 day programme, learn to approach your research and challenges with creativity and confidence, leveraging available resources to navigate funding, career, impact and reach linked to your values and interests.. 

The programme enhances key skills essential for academic and professional success, including communication, problem-solving, and time management. By fostering creativity and innovation within research domains, EDAPT enables participants to explore new ideas, methodologies, and interdisciplinary perspectives. 

Participants apply their learning through self directed collaborative challenges, strengthening their critical thinking and project management skills. The programme culminates in academic-style poster presentations, refining their ability to communicate findings effectively to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. 

Current students can find more information about EDAPT via the Careers and Enterprise Hub on SharePoint