Coventry University’s Paul Fairburn appointed to key European business role

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Paul Fairburn, Director of Innovation at Coventry University, has been appointed as the UK’s representative at the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN), influential business support and networking organisation.

Paul Fairburn will join the EBN Board, whose members support more than 26,000 start-up businesses across the continent. Coventry University has a long-standing relationship with EBN.

Paul said:

“I am delighted and privileged to have been appointed as the representative of the UK members on EBN’s Board. I very much look forward to working with President Cristina Fanjul, Vice President Diego De Biasio, as well as the other board members, and with EBN`s CEO Laura Lecci and the EBN secretariat.

“I would like to thank the UK members for nominating me and will endeavour to build on the work of my predecessor David Gill, ensuring a strong voice and participation by the UK members in the network.

“Coventry University has a long-standing, excellent and multi-faceted relationship with the EBN secretariat and the network members. We place high value on EBN’s European and international work, which aligns closely with our 2030 Strategy: a global university, with a global presence, a trusted and dynamic education and economic development collaborator embedded within the innovation ecosystems in the regions where we are present.”

Paul’s appointment was formally announced around the EBN Congress in Brussels on the 24th May, where he also moderated a panel entitled: ‘Scaling European Innovation: How to bridge innovation ecosystems in Europe and beyond’.

Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of Creating Better Futures. It was founded by entrepreneurs and industrialists in 1843 as the Coventry School of Design and continue to have strong links with the public and private sector, providing job-ready graduates with the skills and creative thinking to improve their communities.

With a proud tradition of innovative teaching and learning, Coventry University has world-class campus facilities, the UK’s first standalone 5G network and a digital community of learning. Its students are part of a global network that has 50,000 learners studying Coventry University degrees in more than 40 different countries and partnerships with 150 higher education providers worldwide.