Our brand new creative Graduate Accelerator & Incubator will help graduate businesses become part of the UK’s largest creative cluster outside Greater London. Creative Futures provides an exciting opportunity for business teams to develop their entrepreneurial skills, test, launch and pitch their business ideas and get 6 months of free space and support to develop their creative enterprises in Leamington Spa.

Applications open on 3 August, but you can register your interest now.

Join us for the Ingenuity Impact 2020 Feeder Events throughout July and August. You'll be able to compete for the £20,000 prize fund, which will be awarded to the most innovative ideas, funded by Santander Universities. Hear from national experts, and collaborate with others from your region. Places are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.

More info: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/enterprise/ingenuity2020

Interview with Thierry Cambray written by Melissa Chan-Cheape

"I never thought that I would be graduating at home along with my Mum and Dad. I never thought that my celebrations would consist of a family meal with polite conversation and a glass of wine. Nor did I ever think that I would be entering the job market during such a hard, uncertain time period as a global pandemic".

Centre for Education Studies alumna Anita Chagar offers advice to our new graduates.

"Don’t consider ‘The Class of 2020/The COVID-19 Cohort’ as a label for uncertainty, adversity or loss, but as a label for determination, resilience and a new way of achieving success."

WBS alumna Valerie Patrick offers advice to our new graduates.

"This is a time to evaluate what you have accomplished, think strategically and ask yourself what you could do to make the world a better place."

Philosophy alumnus Peter Blackman offers advice to our new graduates.

"Be Proud – you are Warwick graduates; persevere and be broad minded about the sort of future you seek."

WBS alumnus Stuart Humphreys offers advice to our new graduates.

"It may seem a little trite for me to say I feel fortunate to have graduated during one major economic downturn and to have subsequently graduated again during another."

WBS alumna Hannah Brockbank offers advice to our new graduates.

"You're just at the starting line with many more years to go!"

Centre for Lifelong Learning alumna Alison Duncanson is a Chartered Psychologist and has worked for most of her career with people, from graduates to senior business leaders, consulting on change projects, designing assessment centres and developing leaders.

Today she shares her advice to new graduates.

 The London Professional Network is hosting on Friday afternoon at 17:30 featuring Lord Karan Bilimoria, Founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer Partnership, President of the Confederation of British Industry.

Want to know more about the Productivity and the Futures of Work GRP?

Hear from alumnus, Alex Toft, Head of Minerva, on the growth of Minerva Business Angels based on Warwick Science Park and their upcoming webinar series for those interested in finding out about being an angel investor.

The University of Warwick is working in partnership with Engage Britain, a new organisation that aims to identify the biggest challenges facing the UK today. Further information about the project and how you can get involved can be found here.

Warwick is easing the path to postgraduate study that could prove invaluable for Warwick Alumni during these exceptional times by introducing the Alumni Discount Scheme and Warwick Graduate Award Scheme 2020.

Mark Bailey is a consultant in charge of the infectious diseases isolation ward at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital. He shares a reflection on the current pandemic.

"New challenges, such as COVID-19, can tell us a lot about ourselves, others, and the organisations we work for and we all have a lot to learn from being involved in the current crisis."

Ann Caine (Divisional Manager for Biomedical Sciences) tells us about what she and the team have been working on.

"I feel very proud of our admin team members who are supporting our staff and students to the best of their abilities, and our dedicated clinicians and talented scientists who have stepped up to help fight this unseen enemy."

Jordan (MB ChB) shares his experience as a Medical Student Clinical Support at University Hospital Coventry.

"As a former historian, I feel as though we are watching history unfurl before us – a turning point as real as the world wars, the nuclear age, the bubonic plague. As before, the solution is courage in the face of adversity."

Abbie (MB ChB) reflects on her experience as a medical student during the pandemic.

"Covid-19 has truly changed our lives, and we as medical students are no different."

Anj Kang (MB ChB Phase I Secretary) signed up to the NHS Volunteer Responder initiative and tells us what her role involves.

"Both the patients and the pharmacies have been extremely grateful for the help I and lots of others are providing for those who are unable to get out at the moment."

Roopak Khara (MB ChB, 2013) tells us about her role working as medical lead on a psychiatric inpatient Covid-19 ward.

"Overnight I went from working as a general adult psychiatry registrar on a PICU (psychiatric intensive care unit) to medical lead for the UK’s first psychiatric inpatient COVID-19 ward in West London."

Shirley Rigby (PG Award, 2004) tells us about her role working as a consultant on a Covid-19 ward.

"It was a rapid learning curve, learning how to diagnose and treat a new disease that none of us had seen before."

Jessica Nolan (MB ChB, 2019) reflects upon her experience as an F1 working on a Covid-19 ward.

"When starting work as an F1 this year, I never thought that I would be facing anything as challenging as the Covid-19 pandemic."

Ho Sheng Yi (BA PPE, 2014) shares his story about surviving COVID-19.

Please note: Some of the content may be upsetting for some readers.

Aakriti Ajay Goenka (BSc Economics, 2018) shares her success story from India.

Rosario Pascale was an exchange student at Warwick in 2013. Here he shares a bit of positivity during these difficult times:

"It's been a long time since I've walked down Warwick Road and through the Student Union square. I hope all of the students can come back soon to campus and enjoy the best university life there.

In the picture you can see my experience of lockdown in Milan. I made this pizza for the first time at Tocil, at the south-east of the University of Warwick, in 2013 exactly - it's also improved!

A big hug to every one of you. Wishing you all the best, and stay safe."

Muhammad Ali Randhawa (MA Public Policy, 2017) is currently working as the Home Secretary in Gilgit-Baltistan, a beautiful region of Pakistan. After the arrival of COVID-19, Ali has been the head of all the relief operations in his jurisdictional province.

"With dedicated team effort and continuous hard work, we have been able to achieve a 75% recovery rate of COVID-19 patients, the highest in Pakistan. I believe the quality of education that I got from the University of Warwick has helped me to frame the policies and implement them by using networking management style."

Further updates can be found on Twitter @RandhawaAli.

Councillor Phillip Howells (MBA, 1993) shares his account of recent events.

Over the last two months, brothers Faisal Ahmed (MSc Marketing and Strategy, 2016) and Suhail Ahmed have been supplying polycotton fabric to the NHS for making scrubs.

Peter Koyio (LLM Law, 2016) shares his own story about testing positive for COVID-19.

Please note: Some of the content may be upsetting for some readers.

Computer Science teacher, Jenny Andrews (PGCE, 2018) is in the process of making a new app to put vulnerable or self-isolating people in touch with volunteer shoppers. The app allows the user to sign up as a self-isolating individual or family to create a shopping list. Volunteer shoppers can review the shopping requests and if they are able to help, they will contact the user via messaging.

To find out more about how it works, click here.

French and European Literature alumna, Jane Bowell graduated from Warwick in 1975 and now resides in France. Although Jane retired from teaching a few years ago, she decided to switch on Skype and other web platforms to deliver English language and literature classes to various levels.

"Although the beaches are closed and we do not yet have a reopening date, for me, this has been one of the most rewarding parts of lockdown and has rapidly become a full-time occupation again!"

Kemal Onur Uz graduated from Warwick in 2014 after studying Creative and Media Enterprises, and now works as a freelance journalist and a musician. During his time at Warwick, he did a TEDx talk called 'What if we weren't afraid?'. He is currently creating a video about his experiences at Warwick, particularly aimed at international students - watch this space!

Roslyn Byfield (BA English, 1972) blogs about her experiences during lockdown.

Please note: The opinions expressed are those of the blogger.

John Willis (MPA, 2008) has set up free online seat-based exercise classes for older and disabled people during lockdown.

"The response has been so extraordinary we will try to keep them going beyond the 12-week program. So far over 32,000 people have cumulatively viewed the sessions with an average of over 2,000 per morning/beginner’s session! We must be doing something right!"

The videos can be found here on the Keep Active with Oaks Facebook page.

MA Politics and International Studies graduate, Intissar blogs about her experience of being stranded in Turkey due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest video diary from Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft

The latest video diary from Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft

The latest video diary from Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft

The latest video diary from Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft

The latest video diary from Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft

The latest video diary from Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft

Here is a video message from the Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft to update our staff and students on the further planning the University has put in place to continue to protect our community welfare.