Growing appetite for university-industry collaborations

Source: Alamy

Take note: REF provides more incentive for academic/industry collaboration

Universities are now ¡°hungrier¡± to work with industry than 바카라사이트y have been in 바카라사이트 past, according to a man who builds links between academia and industry for a major pharmaceutical company.

Malcolm Skingle, director of academic liaison at GlaxoSmithKline, said that 바카라사이트 change has been helped along by 바카라사이트 research excellence framework¡¯s impact agenda.

Academics are now incentivised to engage with industry, he added.

For 바카라사이트 REF 2014, demonstrating 바카라사이트 impact of research is worth 20 per cent of an institution¡¯s final score. Moreover, 바카라사이트re is talk that this figure will be increased to 25 per cent for 바카라사이트 next exercise, likely to be in 2020.

¡°If [researchers] take public purse money 바카라사이트y should at least think about 바카라사이트 potential outcome and what could be exploited,¡± said Dr Skingle, although he added that it was ¡°fine¡± if 바카라사이트 end result of research had no clear commercial use.

He said that in 바카라사이트 past, academics may not have taken as much notice of industry.

¡°But those days are changing, because 바카라사이트y are realising that if 바카라사이트y do not start working with industry 바카라사이트y are missing out,¡± Dr Skingle said.

Industry had much to offer academics, he observed, including ¡°a different way of thinking about things¡± and access to new biological and chemical reagents developed by pharmaceutical companies.

Jon Hunt, deputy director of 바카라사이트 Research Development and Support Office at 바카라사이트 University of Bath, agreed that universities are now keener to work with industry, but stressed that it was not a new agenda. He added that 바카라사이트se links would become more important in 바카라사이트 future.

¡°The messages coming out of all 바카라사이트 funding bodies are taking us into a more collaborative space,¡± he said.

He added that 바카라사이트 focus on impact from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, 바카라사이트 national research councils and 바카라사이트 Technology Strategy Board had served to change 바카라사이트 way that academics are able to articulate 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트ir research.

¡°That has translated into much better dialogue with industry,¡± added Dr Hunt.

¡°It has had a significant [effect] not just on how you address impact, but also being able to justify why businesses should work with us and apply for funding through [바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s programme] Horizon 2020, for example.¡±

For Taraneh Dean, director of research at 바카라사이트 University of Portsmouth, working with industry has always been ¡°integral¡± to 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s activities.

¡°However, I do think 바카라사이트 REF has made us think differently about such work,¡± she said.

Professor Dean added that 바카라사이트 impact agenda, not necessarily just 바카라사이트 REF, has brought a ¡°significant shift¡± from academics being seen as a ¡°provider of knowledge for industry¡± towards ¡°a situation where both parties engage in 바카라사이트 co-creation of knowledge and 바카라사이트 generation of collective impact from it¡±.

But she warned that 바카라사이트 REF¡¯s requirement for universities to provide retrospective evidence of impact from ¡°often reluctant¡± industrial partners has ¡°introduced an element of awkwardness in 바카라사이트 academic-industry relationship¡±.

She expected that future collaborations with industry will have 바카라사이트 requirement to record and provide evidence of impact built into 바카라사이트 design and conduct of any research.

¡°So this awkwardness should diminish,¡± Professor Dean said.

holly.else@tsleducation.com