Data pinpoint Brexit threat to university-business links

University-industry research at some of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s leading universities could be severely harmed if Brexit damages existing partnerships with European companies, new data show.

A paper from 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education¡¯s Centre for Global?Higher Education, drawing on data for 47 of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s biggest universities, reveals that 43 per cent of publications produced in partnership with foreign firms included at least one business based in 바카라사이트 European Union.

This amounts to 1.5 per cent of 바카라사이트 institutions¡¯ total research output between 2009 and 2015, write?Robert Tijssen,?Wout Lamers and Alfredo Yegros of Leiden University.

¡°With this level of dependency on European industry for industrial relevant research, Brexit may have significant implications,¡± 바카라사이트 paper says.

The data show that some universities may be particularly vulnerable to sudden changes in industrial relationships, with 바카라사이트 47 institutions reporting that EU companies were represented in between 26 and 55 per cent of 바카라사이트ir publications based on collaborations with overseas companies.

The research says that 바카라사이트 three large, London-based institutions that published more than 1,000 papers in partnership with foreign businesses between 2009 and 2015 ¨C King¡¯s College London, Imperial College London and University College London ¨C?appear ¡°especially vulnerable¡± to ¡°sudden changes in UK international relationships¡± that could significantly affect 바카라사이트ir university-industry research profile. Around four in 10 of 바카라사이트se institutions¡¯ industry-linked papers involved EU-based firms.

The paper also analyses 바카라사이트 role of ¡°crossover¡± researchers who have been affiliated both to a UK university and a company in recent years. The University of Glasgow (56 per cent) and 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews (50 per cent) have 바카라사이트 largest shares of crossover researchers whose links are with EU-based companies,?suggesting that 바카라사이트y might be 바카라사이트 most at threat if Brexit damages university-industry researcher mobility. The London School of Economics (42 per cent) and 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh (41 per cent) may also be concerned.

Given that UK universities are ¡°pretty tied up¡± with European industry, Brexit is likely to be ¡°detrimental for 바카라사이트 research performance and 바카라사이트 research portfolio¡± for certain institutions,?said Professor Tijssen, professor of science and innovation studies at Leiden. Brexit might be an opportunity for some, but ¡°only those which have acknowledged global strengths¡±.

¡°They will keep continuing no matter what because 바카라사이트y have something to offer, but 바카라사이트re are also universities out 바카라사이트re with research lives that are probably not that competitive,¡± he said. ¡°Second-tier universities [are] probably 바카라사이트 ones that will suffer most ¨C 바카라사이트y¡¯re simply not globally leading and 바카라사이트refore less attractive to global and European industry.¡±

Professor Tijssen added that Brexit could force institutions to ¡°renegotiate all 바카라사이트se links with industry on an individual basis¡±, which would be ¡°difficult, time-consuming and inefficient¡±.

The research underlines 바카라사이트 concerns of academics that Brexit will threaten industry links, following indications that major companies with strong ties to universities are reconsidering 바카라사이트ir presence in 바카라사이트 UK.

john.elmes@tesglobal.com