Ross Burns, Project Manager Funding For Scottish Local Authorities.
Scottish Funding Council evidence, Single Knowledge Exchange Office Working Group 24.04.2012
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Transcript of Scottish Funding Council evidence, Single Knowledge Exchange Office Working Group 24.04.2012
Single Knowledge Exchange Office
Working Group
24th April 2012
Dr David Bembo
Vice-Chair, Association for University Research &
Industry Links (AURIL)
AURIL
Company Limited by Guarantee; 11 Elected Members form Council; Executive Director (Dr Alasdair Cameron) and administration team.
Advocacy & influencing, networking events, identifying & disseminating best practice, CPD framework
Institutional membership, around 100 HEIs, PSROs
>1,500 people on electronic mailbase; alsoAURIL Social network – ‘My AURIL’ - KT 2.0 ! Plus Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
Annual conference; workshops & discussion fora e.g. Directors Cut; guidance and policy documents; consultation with Govt & other KE stakeholders, UUK, CBI, Funding Councils & Research Councils, IPO, etc.
European links via ProTon Europe, the EU KT ‘Network of Networks’
KE and the Impact Agenda Impact: Increasing emphasis on demonstrating the economic, societal and health benefits of the UK research base. Knowledge Exchange is a very broad swathe of activities. Nomenclature is important here, e.g. general acceptance that Technology Transfer is about ‘hard edged’ activities (e.g. patenting, licensing, spin-outs). Remit of SKEOWG: Business engagement – collaborative & research, consultancy, training & skills Technology Transfer activities European Research Funding, European Economic Development Funding (ERDF) An ambitious scope - some larger, research intensive HEIs already deliver such a broad group of functions via 2 or 3 separate units
Govt CSR2010 UK science funding
A relatively good outcome, but a
significant reduction in real terms
Wakeham Review 2010
Focuses on TRAC rates and Full
Economic Costs FEC base of HE
research activities ; driving down HEI
overheads (indirect costs rates) and
increasing efficiency
Knowledge Exchange is an indirect
cost! Does regionalisation of
activities lead to cheaper or better
or both?
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/reviews/fec/fECReviewReport.pdf
Diversity in UK HE Sector UK HEIs, huge diversity in size and mission: 24 HEIs with income <£20 million 22 HEIs with income £20-50 million 48 HEIs with income £50-150 million 71 HEIs with income >£150 million From highly active in research and KE (e.g. 24 Russell Group members) to highly teaching focused. Funding Council QR funding based on RAE research quality * volume * subject weighting. In Wales alone (circa 10 universities) QR ranges £139K - £39.9 million for 2011-12 (280x) With so much variation in research capacity & quality, clearly KE resources and priorities will differ hugely also.
0
20
40
60
80
<£20M £20-50M £50-150M >£150M
2011 update to original 2003 IP
Guide for Universities
UK Intellectual Property Office
Universities UK
PraxisUnico
AURIL
Available at:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/pres
s/press-release/press-release-
2011/press-release-
20110519.htm
Managing Intellectual Property for HEIs – in 2011
Original 2003 Guide – more of a how to guide or ‘recipe book’ for IP
assessment and protection.
2011 Guide – encourages HEIs to consider their strategic focus and
formulate & adopt IP policies which support this. One size doesn’t fit all.
“The issue is not simply one of protection in order to encourage
commercial investment. University researchers require continuing access
to the results of their research for use in future (research) projects and
teaching. (These may be more important than IP exploitation income.)
Effective IP management is required to ensure that this is the case…….
Negotiations and agreements therefore need to be structured so that
future needs of the university can be accommodated.”
“There is undoubted potential for universities to generate surpluses
from their IP management function, although there is a need for
realism over the scale of returns.”
The Easy Access IP initiative recognises that universities can and
should protect IP for reasons other than income to the institution.
Important to consider that it doesn’t represent free access to all
unfettered IP generated by a HEI.
Tried and tested? Not many deals completed to date.
Shared resources and regionalisation in KE
In a hub & spoke model, don’t forget the spokes! Integration with the
research base – and researchers - is key. This takes manpower to walk
the corridors and build relationships.
Sharing of best practice and industry networking is not a virtual activity.
Web sites can play a part, but only a part. And content need to be current!
Look at successes in e.g. Research Pooling in Scotland, an opportunity to
align KE with research coordination. TIC models would seem appropriate.
Not all activities can be centralised successfully. Separate legal entities
need autonomy and local solutions, e.g. in legal support.
Differences in local IP policy and operational approaches between HEIs
are not insurmountable (e.g. French model & incentives).
‘Network of National Networks’ in KE/KT. Best practice a
key element. Support for establishing new national
networks. UK among the leaders.
Shared resources and regionalisation in France (Philippe Gorry CNRS, ProTon 2011)
Disappointing Shanghai University league table ranking of French
institutions drove government thinking towards a critical mass solution
Successive legislation paved the way, e.g. 2007 laws increasing
university autonomy, 2009-10 stimulus package
French Government stimulus package “Grand Emprunt” (big loan)
€35 billion package to boost the country's long-term competitiveness, inc:
€2 billion to set-up 4-5 technological institutes with industry (open
innovation model) ; €1 billion to support university TTOs ; €100 million for
a national patent fund
Different approach to USA 2009 Stimulus Package (USA more focused
on university research capacity or industrial R&D, versus KE).
© Gorry,CNRS 2011 (representing Reseau CURIE)
Riccardo Barberi, University of Calabria and NetVal
NetVal, 47 university tech transfer offices, plus PSROs.
NetVal’s role includes best practice, policy deveopment and shared IP
management.
Calabria one of the less well developed regions of Italy in terms of industry,
commerce and technological innovation.
“If it is today possible to have a serious technology transfer program in a
region such as Calabria, this is due to NetVal.”
ProTon Annual Conference, Rome 2011
Final thoughts...
BIS Innovation Strategy 2011 advocated: i) More open sharing of
knowledge and IP, while incentivising creators; ii) A more coherent and
integrated innovation infrastructure – universities, R&D institutes,
information infrastructure - improved coordination; leverage existing
investments more effectively. Catapults!
BIS also recognised that businesses need to better understand and
access research (the ‘pull’ could be stronger.)
The UK HE sector has reacted to Government requirements to
demonstrate the value (Impact) of its research. Current economic
conditions are further influencing this. Well documented Impacts will
secure the future of the research base.
A mature approach to the SKEO needs to recognise
existing strengths, promulgate best practice and
better resource those areas where shared services
would enhance support for economic growth.