An update on Knowledge Exchange in the UK

Dr Dave BemboVice-Chair, Association for University Research & Industry Links AURIL, UK

Cardiff University, Research & Commercial Division; bembo@cardiff.ac.uk

Scope:

KE and research funding: the REF

The UK research funding base: Research Councils, Europe

Regional issues: England, Wales, Scotland

Research data: Open access issues

Research Infrastructure: Catapult Centres

A non-exclusive list!

AURIL Structure

Company Limited by Guarantee

Chair: Dr David McBeth; Executive Director: Dr Alasdair Cameron

11 Elected Members form Council

Institutional membership: Universities, Public Sector ResearchOrganisations, other public sector and companies

Circa 1,600 people on electronic mailbase

Annual conference; workshops & discussion fora e.g. Directors Cut;guidance and policy documents; consultation with Govt & other KEstakeholders, UUK, CBI, Funding Councils & Research Councils, etc.

AURIL and the UK Sector

115 universities inc ‘post 1992’ (+50 other HEIs) securing 5 Billion Euros in research grants & contracts, annually.

Over 180,000 academic staff; 1.9 million undergraduate students; around 600,000 postgraduates

HEIs recognised as major contributors to UK economy (HEFCE’s Higher Education – Business and Community Interaction Survey)

Of AURIL’s ~100 member organisations >90% are universities.

AURIL increasingly working in collaboration with other professional bodies such as PraxisUnico & ARMA.

KE and Research Funding: REF2014

Increasing emphasis on demonstrating the economic, societal and health Impacts of the UK research base.

Quality Research QR funding awarded by allocation on RAE or now REF results (plus volume measure & subject weighting). Now 20% of the REF ‘score’ is based on Impact Case Studies (previous research).

Change in focus of REF is achieving the intended aim: more current interest from researchers in engagement with e.g. private sector. Long term game.

Influencing demand for input from KE professionals.

Influencing roles? Creating new ones? ‘REF Impact Officers’.

UK Research Funding base: Research Councils and EU

Science budget protected in 2010 CSR, butpressure on Research Council budgets has resulted in ‘Demand Management’ measures.

‘Shaping Capability’ by the UK Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, EPSRC. Prioritising funding for specific areas of science, cutting the availability for others.

Huge interest in EU funding among UK HEIs. Opportunities in some regions to align EU Structural Funds and H2020.

H2020 represents a great opportunity for universities and private sector to build collaborative projects.

Regional issues: England, Scotland, Wales

England: Local Enterprise Partnerships, LEPs

LEPs replaced old Regional Development Agencies, RDAs. RDAs drove regional investment, inc infrastructure, incubators, etc. Far more LEPS, each with smaller footprint and less resources.

Voluntary, self-funded partnerships between businesses and local authorities.

Lack of continuity and fragmentation creates challenges in working with LEPs.

Recognising there re issues to address, UK Govt announced M30 Euros core funding for LEPs in Sept 2012.

Regional issues

Scotland: Single Knowledge Exchange Office, SKEO consultation with broad ranging function from technology transfer to European research support. Input invited from AURIL and PraxisUnico.

Diverse sector in Scotland; some HEIs very experienced at KE, successful and well structured. One size doesn’t fit all. Need clarity on precisely what problem a SKEO will fix.

Wales: Chief Science Adviser, Prof John Harries. New Science for Wales strategy, 3 Grand Challenge scientific themes. M24 Euros Ser Cymru scheme. 9 industry sector panels links essential.

Welsh Government interest in a common structure for TT.

Research data and open access

Broad agenda - demonstrate value for money for the UK Government’s continued investment in the university research base.

Encourage industry access to university data and better sharing & re-use of data among universities. Comes alongside the shift to open access publications.

UK Research Councils and other funders increasingly committed (EPSRC leadership); H2020 requirement also.

Information on available data should be appropriately catalogued and searchable so that potential external users can find out what is available & how to access it.

Early deadline for UK universities to comply with EPSRC Policy Framework – May 2015.

Research data and open access

Some serious issues for institutions & researchers to consider.

A major task to change current practice to ensure retention and archiving of data. Training and governance, IT infrastructure may actually be a secondary consideration.

Issues for KE around ensuring that valuable and confidential results and data can be protected:

* a grace period of exclusivity for researchers to publish papers * results capable of commercial exploitation need to be evaluated* some data need to remain confidential – e.g. randomised clinical trials, contract research for private sector* industry needs assurance that universities can deliver secure R&D results

Research Infrastructure: Catapult Centres

UK approach to, e.g. Fraunhofer Institutes. M250 Euros investment in “... centres of excellence that bridge the gap between business, academia, research and government.“

UK Govt’s Technology Strategy Board establishing 7 catapults, all with significant university involvement:1. high value manufacturing; 2. cell therapy; 3. offshore renewable energy; 4. satellite applications; 5. connected digital economy6. future cities, and; 7. transport systems

1. is ‘open for business’; all 7 are expected to be operational in 2013.

No single model structure has emerged. Universities welcoming of the initiative; need to work out a framework for collaboration and not competition with Catapults.

We hope to see many of you at AURIL2012!

Sheffield UK, October 10-12th 2012; www.auril.org.uk