Dr Cliff Li

Dr Cliff Li is a Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Director of Strategic Education Portfolio for the Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (ITE) sub-department at the University of Exeter Business School. He is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA) and an experienced academic leader in inclusive, innovative, and scalable entrepreneurship education.

In his new role, Cliff provides strategic direction for the development of the ITE education portfolio, with a focus on supporting colleagues to deliver executive education. He also incorporates responsibilities from the Advanced Teaching Practitioner and Senior Tutor roles, enabling him to champion excellence in pedagogy, student experience, and staff development.

Previously serving as Director of Education for ITE, Cliff led on curriculum transformation, quality assurance, and academic mentoring for over 30 academic colleagues, 55 adjunct/PTAs, and approximately 4,500 students. He has supported initiatives such as the creation of the With Proficiency in Innovation and Entrepreneurship pathways at UG level, the roll-out of ELE2 and the Curriculum Management System, and the integration of interdisciplinary entrepreneurship into programmes across departments.

A strong advocate for pedagogical innovation, Cliff has pioneered the use of gamification, simulation-based learning (SimVenture Evolution), and generative AI in assessment design. He leads the Shared Wisdom writing project on teaching efficiency at scale, featured in a series of eight Exeter’s EduExe blogs. His module leadership has consistently yielded high student satisfaction (e.g., 4.6/5 for Business Simulation), and his scalable teaching innovations have supported both efficiency and engagement in large cohorts (900+ students).

Cliff also plays a central role in academic mentoring, supporting colleagues in achieving FHEA, SFHEA, and PFHEA recognition, and preparing for leadership roles (e.g., DoE for ITE). Beyond Exeter, he contributes to sector-wide conversations as Teaching and Learning Lead for the British Academy of Management (BAM) Entrepreneurship SIG.

His research spans responsible innovation in non-Western contexts, entrepreneurial resilience, and entrepreneurship education, with publications in journals such as Small Business Economics, Journal of Responsible Innovation, Simulation & Gaming, and Journal of Family Business Management.

Cliff holds a PhD and MSc (Distinction) in Management from the University of Exeter and has been active in teaching, research, and widening participation activities since 2011.