Staffordshire tech- entrepreneur Darren Kirby has gone back to his old university to take part in an innovative project designed to help businesses and students.

The Entrepreneurs in Residence programme at Lancaster University’s Management School allows companies to challenge business students to devise new growth strategies for their businesses while giving students the benefits of their own experiences.

“The programme offers major opportunities for both the student and the entrepreneur,” said Darren. “Working with an entrepreneur allows students to gain real life business skills and, in turn, the entrepreneur can benefit hugely from the students’ ideas and research.

“We have tasked the students to work on how to transform Sytech IT from a solely project base company, to a larger business providing on-going contracted services and have challenged them to think innovatively and to explore new types of service which may not already be in the market place.

“There are added benefits from being part of the Entrepreneurs in Residence group as, with around 50 companies involved, it provides a tremendous resource of knowledge from a network of successful, forward thinking business people.”

Ricardo Zozimo, of the Lancaster University Management School, said: “The Entrepreneurs in Residence programme is one of a kind among the UK top business schools.

“Now in its eighth year, the programme is comprised of a network of 50 entrepreneurs that donate time to our students and faculty. Spending time with Entrepreneurs in Residence allows us to acquire a deep knowledge of entrepreneurial activity that is then reflected in our research, teaching and knowledge exchange activities.

In this case, collaborating with Sytech and Darren gave our students critical insights into how tech businesses are started and developed over time.”

Darren, of Biddulph Moor, studied for an Executive MBA as a Post Graduate student at the Lancaster University Management School after completing a computer science degree at Staffordshire University.

An experienced tech entrepreneur, Darren worked at director level to help grow a £3 million-plus turnover business. before launching SyTech IT at the end of 2015.

The business is on track for growth and has plans to employ up to two technical members of staff, in 2017, to help Darren with project delivery.

SyTech IT’s growth forecasts will be given further focus by the research being carried-out at Lancaster.

A successful first year saw SyTech IT take on contracts across the UK, building IT based solutions to support business growth and efficiency.

To find out more about SyTech IT please go online to www.sytech-uk.com.