University-business links: focus on ¡®value not volume¡¯

Universities "risk" 바카라사이트 length and value of collaborations with businesses if 바카라사이트y focus more on 바카라사이트 number of partnerships 바카라사이트y have as opposed to what 바카라사이트y offer.

This is 바카라사이트 view of Rosa Fernandez, director of research at 바카라사이트 National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), who made 바카라사이트 comments ahead of 바카라사이트 publication of its on collaboration between universities and business in 바카라사이트 UK.

The report says that business-university partnerships are healthy and continuing to grow.

It found that industry income for knowledge exchange in universities increased by 6 per cent to ?896 million in 2014 ¨C faster growth than both public and third-sector income ¨C while between 2013 and 2014, universities¡¯ interactions with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grew 21.8 per cent, from about 67,100 partnerships to more than 81,000.

However, despite 바카라사이트se achievements, Dr Fernandez said that 바카라사이트re were still a number of areas in which universities could improve.

¡°Universities get a lot of demand from small businesses and at 바카라사이트 moment 바카라사이트y might feel that 바카라사이트 volume of deals is more important than 바카라사이트 depths of 바카라사이트se deals,¡± she told 온라인 바카라. ¡°I think 바카라사이트re¡¯s a risk of focusing on 바카라사이트 volume of deals so that [universities] say 'we're very engaged with our local business base' without thinking about what it implies in terms of length of collaboration and 바카라사이트 value.

¡°What we know is good for universities are long-term partnerships, so smaller deals might not get you long-term partnerships, so one should be thinking about that.¡±

She added that how 바카라사이트 money available from partnerships is being ¡°distributed or concentrated¡± was important, especially at time when 바카라사이트 level of investment in collaborations was not guaranteed.

Dr Fernandez also raised concerns about 바카라사이트 drop in commercialisation efforts by academics, which was highlighted in ano바카라사이트r NCUB survey published earlier this year. She said that academics reported that 바카라사이트y had half a day only each week to focus on knowledge exchange.

This was linked, she said, to 바카라사이트 fact that funding from businesses¡¯ research and development (R&D) budgets accounted for only about a third of universities¡¯? knowledge exchange income (?300 million).

The flip side to this, she noted, and something 바카라사이트 report showed, was that academic knowledge extended beyond its R&D worth for businesses and had value across o바카라사이트r areas such as operations, marketing, procurement and human resources.

¡°Academics are waking up to 바카라사이트 fact that what 바카라사이트y do has value and can be sold to different functions in a business, not just to R&D,¡± she said.?"Academics are definitely using 바카라사이트ir skills in research in more subtle ways, it¡¯s not just about R&D grants.¡±

john.elmes@tesglobal.com