Enterprise Strategy 2013

8/10/2019 Enterprise Strategy 2013

1/16

The University of Leicester is a leading UK

university committed to international excellence

through the creation of world changing research

and high quality, inspirational teaching within

an inclusive academic culture.

Enterprise Strategy to

2015

www.le.ac.uk

The Enterprising University


2/16

2 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER ENTERPRISE STRATEGY TO 2015

VisionOur over-riding vision is to be recognised as one of the leading UK universities for innovation and

enterprise development and supportive enterprise culture. Enhancing our reputation and progressing key

performance metrics will be central to realising this vision.

Enterprise at Leicester

We take a wide-ranging holistic approach in defining

enterprise at Leicester. To us, enterprise covers our

portfolio of outward facing activities that draw on and, in

turn, enrich our core mission of research and teaching.

While some of these activities generate income (especially those audited underthe Higher Education Innovation Fund HEIF), there are a number ofknowledge exchange activities that do not yield direct economic returns but arenevertheless as critical, helping to develop relationships and deliver sustainablebenefits to the wider society what might be termed social enterprise.

Consequently, enterprise activities are diverse, ranging from knowledgeexchange, knowledge transfer and the commercialisation of research, to skillsenhancement and community engagement more broadly. These varied strandsare linked in their ability to catalyse the flows of knowledge between theuniversity, businesses, society and policy makers.

Enterprise at the University of Leicester capitalises on both our high quality,world-changing research and inspirational learning and teaching, in orderto deliver economic and social benefits to our graduates, the University, ourexternal partners and beyond. Equally, it not only draws upon our research andteaching, but also serves to support them through the generation of importantnew streams of research funding and by improving the employability ofgraduates. Thus, the impact of enterprise activities is circular and reciprocal.

In recent years, the importance of enterprise and innovation has significantlyincreased internally, with growing acknowledgement of the pivotal role it playsin legitimising and growing higher education, and delivering impact. Externaldrivers, such as the Research Excellence Framework, have equally addedimpetus to our efforts to reap greater benefits from our knowledge exchange andenterprise activities.

Leicesters unique combination of excellence with accessibility and respectfor individual endeavour has gained it widespread recognition, nationallyand internationally. A key element of our strategy is the development andsustainability of an internal culture that encourages, supports and builds

Leicesters unique combination of

excellence with accessibility and

respect for individual endeavour has

gained it widespread recognition,

nationally and internationally.


3/16

UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER ENTERPRISE STRATEGY TO 2015 3

Professor Sir Robert Burgess

Vice-Chancellor

The External EnvironmentEnterprise is outward looking, and depends on strong reciprocal relationships,so the external environment, at local, regional, national and international levels,is vital. The national level is the most important, with the Higher EducationFunding Council for England (HEFCE) systems and funding (HEIF andHEBCIS the Higher Education Business and Community InteractionSurvey) now a key feature in our environment. The increasing strength ofthe Technology Strategy Board and the developing enterprise agenda of the

Research Councils are also important trends. The Impact element of theResearch Excellence Framework is an important influence on all our researchdepartments and the European Union, and its alignment with nationalagendas, as a source of support, is of increasing importance. The new Horizon2020, replacing Framework 7, will be larger and more targeted, with a strongemphasis on R&D as a driver for economic success and job creation. It isimportant that we are responsive to these changes and work positively andconstructively in collaboration to take full advantage of new opportunities asthey emerge, and where possible, help inform strategic thinking and direction.

further the capacity for our staff and students to be entrepreneurial and innovativein a variety of contexts. Indeed, our ability to nurture and develop such a culture

underpins the very success of our enterprise strategy. Essential to its success isstaff commitment to take forward the enterprise agenda. We also have a moralresponsibility to prepare our students effectively by instilling a spirit of enterpriseand related key competencies to enhance their entrepreneurship skills andemployability.

Enterprise at the University of Leicester capitalises on both our high quality, world-changing research and

inspirational learning and teaching, in order to deliver economic and social benefits to our graduates, the University,

our external partners and beyond.

Professor Sir Robert Burgess meets with Professor Andy Abbott

who is involved in a joint venture company (Scionix Ltd.)

between the Department of Chemistry and Genacys Ltd.p


4/16


This three-year strategy thus has the following key

objectives:

1. Firmly establish ourselves as one of the leading UK universities inenterprise and innovation within a supportive enterprise culture.This will match our position as a leader in teaching and research;

2. Create a culture in which staff and students understand and activelyembrace enterprise in the broadest sense;

3. Build and enhance strategic and delivery relationships with otherleading universities, industry and public sector organisations,including governmental agencies and other stakeholders, to generateincome and create collaborative long term partnerships;

4. Fully harness the potential of knowledge transfer (KT) andknowledge exchange (KE) to maximise the social, cultural andeconomic impact of our world-class research;

5. Continue to grow enterprise awareness and competencies in ourstudent community to enhance its entrepreneurship skills andemployability;

6. Enhance the skills and capabilities of our partners through provisionof accessible and excellent continuing professional developmenttraining for business, responding to regional demands and aligningour provision to developing workforce needs;

7. Effectively promote our achievements and capabilities in enterpriseto enhance our reputation as a centre of innovation and excellenceand a trusted part of the local, regional, national and internationallandscapes.

Our Strategy

It is within this context that we develop and finesse our enterprise strategy. Through this strategy, we seek

to consolidate our efforts so far, provide a clear focus for the future, and firmly embed an enterprising

culture amongst our staff and student community so as to maximise our potential to exploit emerging

opportunities in the new landscape.


5/16


On the major measures of excellence inteaching and research, Leicester is clearlyone of the top twenty universities in the

UK. This is a position that the Universityintends to maintain and improve upon.

We now aspire to be equally excellentat enterprise. We have identified somechallenging initial goals, and some metricsagainst which achievement and progress canbe measured. An important task will be toagree across the University on the aspectsof enterprise on which we can and willbecome excellent. Obviously, the guidanceof local, regional, national and internationalstakeholders will strongly influence the

direction we choose to take.Building long-term infrastructure on thebasis of our current strengths will be thegreatest priority. We have great strengths ina number of areas, including space research,medicine and bio-informatics, and furthergrowth in these will bring disproportionatebenefits. We also need to build the physicalinfrastructure of enterprise, potentiallythrough an innovation centre, a businessgerminator and a science park, and we aimto assist in the planning, to encourage their

final implementation. Finally we mustdevelop our enterprise personnel, in theColleges and centrally in the Enterprise andBusiness Development Office. While notignoring shorter-term opportunities, it ispersistence in growing these major strengthsthat will bring the greatest benefits.

Firmly establish ourselves as one of the leading UK universities in

enterprise and innovation within a supportive enterprise culture. Thiswill match our position as a leader in teaching and research.

1

In this document, we set out in detail our ambitions and plans against each of our objectives

David Simms (Leicester Mercury Business Section) speaking

at a recent Enterprise and Business Development Innovation

Partnerships Showcase event.u


6/16


Integral to the outward-facing ambitions of this strategy is the infusion of anenterprising culture within the University a culture that builds capacity andsupports researchers to actively assess opportunities for the commercial and socialapplications of knowledge, and to engage more broadly with the public. To draw themost out of our high-impact research, enterprise must establish a higher profile andgreater visibility internally, and staff members need to be supported with practicaladvice and guidance, as well as reward and recognition.

In recent years the University has moved towards a more devolved academic structure,with the new college structure creating greater opportunities for interdisciplinary andmultidisciplinary research and teaching. Academics have further been encouraged toorganise into research themes to strengthen cohesion and build critical mass in areasof particular strength. Such cross-cutting themes encourage the interdisciplinary

working that our public and private sector partners so value. The Enterprise andBusiness Development Office have responded by aligning enterprise professionalsclosely with the college structure in order to be more responsive to emerging needs,respecting the diversity of requirements while playing a key role in developing andpromoting wider collaborations and innovative ways of working.

A number of recent efforts have yielded promising results. For instance, an increasein the return of consultancy revenue to academics resulted in a significant increasein consultancy activity. Enterprise activity is to be a criterion to be recognised bypromotion panels, alongside research and teaching. We will improve communicationto staff of the recognition and compensation opportunities available to enterprisingstaff. We will also step up our awareness-raising and training efforts to bring to staffa flavour of what being enterprising looks like in different contexts and disciplines,and develop skills, capabilities and capacities in line with requirements.

While the enterprise agenda has steadily gained more ground with the academic

and support community at Leicester, there is still work to be done to embed it inthe thinking and culture of this University. The following potential activities wouldcontribute towards this:

Raise the profile of enterprise by holding enterprise events, drawing on currentpartners and stakeholders, and opening the doors more widely to targetedpotential partners and collaborators;

Showcase successful enterprise activities and enterprising individuals so staff andstudents have a clearer idea of what can be achieved. This will be done throughproduction and dissemination of case histories, demonstrations, awards andevents;

Create a culture in which staff and students understand and actively

embrace enterprise in the broadest sense.2


7/16


The University helped Jim Willis, Bulb MD, Bulb Studios

develop the mobile app CrowdLab.t

The Universitys archaeology unit, ULAS, at work.t

Acknowledge, celebrate and rewardsuccess in enterprise throughamending promotions criteria, andoffering more staff incentive schemes;

Wherever possible, align enterpriseactivities so they contribute toand enhance the impact plans ofacademics and units of assessment inthe Research Excellence Frameworkexercise;

Create incentives for academics tocollaborate in research with otherresearch establishments as wellas industry, including academic

secondments into industry;

Build capacity so that staff andstudents have the opportunity toengage with enterprise throughactivities designed to create, addvalue and promote innovation;

Create opportunities for students tolearn about business and enterprise,and improve their employability;

Develop a pool of enterprise mentorsspecialising in particular areas (spin-outs, consultancy, the myriad formsof knowledge exchange, knowledgetransfer, public engagement etc.).Experts in these areas can be hard tofind, so our initial target is a panel of20 who are capable and enthusiasticto help.

The University of Leicester is a world leader in research

to safeguard bananas one of the most important crops

in the developing world from an army of deadly

viruses, bacteria, insects and fungi.Professor Heslop-

Harrison works closely with the Global Musa Genomics

Consortium (GMGC) and receives regular funding from

various international agencies.u


8/16


Build and enhance strategic and delivery relationships with other

leading universities, industry and public sector organisations, includinggovernmental agencies and other stakeholders, to generate income and

create collaborative long term partnerships.

As a part publicly-funded university, we have a responsibility to make our research,expertise and facilities available to business and external organisations. Our priorityhere is to move from transactional to more strategic, well-embedded relationshipsthat are closely aligned with our research strengths and values. These relationships

will draw on the strengths of the different colleges and the different thematic researchgroupings. However, we recognise the challenge this poses in the current economicenvironment, and our aim will be to put in place extra resources to better manage andnegotiate these partnerships.

We are building a portfolio of industry partners across the range of our researchstrengths. To further consolidate and grow our successful partnerships, the Universityneeds to be engaged with and recognised, validated and championed by criticalorganisations and partners including the UK government, the Technology StrategyBoard, regional and national industry trade bodies, respected multinational businesses,UK Trade and Investment, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and

Local Enterprise Partnerships.Ongoing projects such as Innovation Partnerships have shown how modest levelsof investment and incentives can engage both academics and ambitious Small toMedium Enterprises (SMEs) to work together for mutual benefit while growingstrategic partners of the future. We will continue to support existing and developnew SME engagement schemes and explore new routes to reach this customer base(e.g. through business intermediaries and social media). Even more importantly,as a leading national university, rather than just a regional or local player, we placegreat emphasis on developing our relationships with major international companies,especially in the pharmaceutical, aerospace and IT sectors.

Services to external organisations fulfil a valuable role in generating income but alsointroduce these organisations to our expertise and the value that the University and

its members can deliver. We will continue to grow our established consultancy andpromote our analytical services.

Our priority will be to have a variety of flexible and bespoke offerings which may takemultiple forms ranging from student projects and internships, skill development foremployers and research-led activities, all of which will be made available through aone-stop shop. Key steps which would strengthen our collaborative and partnershiparrangements are:

Identify areas for targeted development through discussion and wide consultationwith internal and external stakeholders, including the potential users andbeneficiaries of research;

3

A Scanning Electron Microscopy image of a needle

and thread at x65 magnification.

Peter Bond / Science Photo Library


9/16


Enhance the communication andpromotion of our strengths andachievements to ensure that areas ofalignment with external partners prioritiesare highlighted and opportunities exploited;

Outline the universitys strategic prioritiesfor partnerships and group membership,informed by robust information on local,regional, national and internationalactivities;

Build a portfolio of strategic partnershipswith a range of ambitious businessenterprises, significant internationalorganisations, and other local and global

institutions;

Provide professional support for sustainingand leading strategic relationships andalliances with key national and internationalpartners business and industry, the publicsector, user communities, sponsors ofresearch and policy-makers;

Play a leading role in defining the contoursof enterprise, knowledge exchange andeconomic and social impact agendas, and beheld up as an example of good practice and

a leader of innovation;

Create and maintain accessibility forbusinesses, both large and small;

Build on successful projects and initiativesin consultancy, Knowledge TransferPartnerships and Innovation Partnershipsand look to develop other spin-outcompany formation where these fit withUniversity expertise or an identifiedstrategic gap.

The University of Leicester has vast experience in utilising state

of the art instrumentation to develop novel analytical solutions

for a range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, coatings,

construction, conservation, electronics, environment, food,

pharmaceuticals and power.u

As a part publicly-funded university, we have a responsibility to

make our research, expertise and facilities available to business

and external organisations.

Neuroscientists at the University of Leicester, in collaboration withresearchers from Poland and Japan, announced the discovery of a

critical and previously unknown pathway in the brain that is linked

to our response to stress. (An illustration of the structures of the

limbic system of the brain, John Bavosi/Science Photo Library). t

Sam Ogden / Science Photo Library


10/16


Fully harness the potential of knowledge transfer (KT) and knowledge

exchange (KE) to maximise the social, cultural and economic impact ofour world-class research.

Knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer encompass all the myriad ways inwhich tangible and intellectual property, expertise, learning and skills are exchangedand transferred between academia and the non-academic community. It is the

visible evidence of the return on public investment in research, and is recognisedby government and funders as a significant driving force for enhancing economicgrowth and societal well-being. KE and KT work through several channels. The roleof students in the process and the role of collaborative researchers are discussed underObjectives 3 and 5 respectively. Other key areas include:

Dissemination of research outputs, outreach and more sustained engagement activitiesincluding the co-production of knowledge with critical community and otherpartners;

Influence social or other policy making at a national or international level, throughprovision of research results and expertise;

Consultancy, providing expert advice and training to external clients, who rangefrom small local businesses, household name multinational companies and publicsector bodies;

Licensingof the right to use specific research outputs. Successful and longer-termlicensing arrangements can lead to research collaborations, and we will keep thisobjective in mind;

New enterprises:we have a number of successful business-facing activities andcentres including ULAS (University of Leicester Archaeological Services); G-STEP;Innovation Partnerships; RAFT (Real-time Air Fingerprinting Technology)Demonstrator and the Space IDEAS Hub. Some of these business enterprises mayhave strong social objects, which are as important, or more important, than theirfinancial returns.

Spin-outs:We have a growing portfolio of spin-out companies based on IPgenerated from our world-class research. We will continue to spin out whereappropriate and actively manage the current portfolio to enhance its value.

To stimulate Leicester academics to engage with business, there is an attractivecompensation scheme in place.

Some of our key priorities under this objective will be to:

Bridge the gap between research/enterprise and the public through effective andactive public engagement, encouraging and supporting dialogue throughout the

4


11/16


research process and ensuring appropriatepublic dissemination of the outcomes ofresearch, via a range of media and through

the use of new technologies;

Establish additional business-facingknowledge transfer centres/Centres ofExcellence and activities, where these form astrategic fit to University research activities;

Identify, incubate and nurture ideas. Toidentify ideas or research nuggets forcommercialisation, engage with academicsin a sustained way, evaluating potential andexercising due diligence;

Provide practical, timely and active support

to enterprising researchers at an institutionallevel, encouraging a culture of open accessand open innovation;

Maintain, communicate and enforce IPprotection policies across the University andgrow our capacity to commercially exploitnew inventions through licensing andspin-outs;

Establish a proof of concept scheme toaccelerate exploitation opportunities, andprovide incubation and mentoring supportfor spin-out businesses. Remove barriers

to progress and provide support to theadministration of new companies;

Maximise the use of enterprise activitiesand competencies to build research impactdemonstrations;

Build on expertise from project/researchwork in developing countries to identifythose where Leicester can make a realdifference through the transfer oftechnologies and/or knowledge.

RAFT are helping companies identify the volatile organic

compounds given off by their products to avoid emission hazards.

The technology can be used to fingerprint anything from

automative emissions to the ripeness of mangos. Dr Robert Blake

fingerprints mangos using a RAFT demonstrator.u

It is the visible evidence of the return on public investment in

research, and is recognised by government and funders as a

significant driving force for enhancing economic growth and

societal well-being.


12/16


Continue to grow enterprise awareness and competencies in our

student community to enhance its entrepreneurship skills andemployability.

Student and graduate enterprise is an exciting opportunity that taps the enthusiasmand creativity of our students/graduates and delivers the skills and characteristicsthat employers value, while creating the entrepreneurs of the future. We have a

responsibility to equip our graduates with the capabilities to think innovatively andapply their knowledge to changing circumstances and environments. The UniversitysCareers Service offers a range of training, mentoring and funded support schemes forstudents and recent graduates. Initiatives such as PULSE and Enterprise Inc. supportgraduate business creation. A growing number of student enterprise societies providea focus for entrepreneurship to flourish, while internship schemes provide valuableopportunities for work and project management experience. We will build on recentsuccesses in student enterprise (such as winning the Young Entrepreneur of the Yearat the 2012 Midlands Business Awards) and strive for increased participation andcommercial success amongst our students. We will also seek to provide more links forstudents with volunteer mentors from the business community, such as through theEast Midlands Incubation Network (EMIN).

We recognise that not all students will fully engage with entrepreneurial opportunitiesbut still need the enterprise skills and vocabulary to meet the needs of an increasinglycompetitive career market. Our aim is to move enterprise in its various guises morecentrally into our curriculum at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Our overallpriorities under this objective are to:

Resource and grow student and graduate enterprise and business start-ups;

Embed employability and enterprise as a fundamental component of academicprovision at all levels;

Offer opportunities for understanding and developing enterprising skills througha range of structured and supported opportunities, both within the University andoutside, including placements, internships and volunteering;

Present a single, coherent message about employability and enterprise to staff,students, parents or guardians, employers and other stakeholders;

Use strong relationships developed with employers through other enterprisechannels to maximise opportunities for graduate employment;

Market staff and student enterprise successes widely.

5

For hard boiled eggs manufacturer Just Egg (Chilled Foods) Ltd, using 1.3m eggs a week meant dumping 480 tonnes of

egg shells a year. Together we are turning this waste into a useful new material and saving the company 30,000 a year. u


13/16


Enhance the skills and capabilities of our partners through provision of

accessible and excellent continuing professional development trainingfor businesses, responding to regional demands and aligning our

provision to developing workforce needs.

Our focus here will be on developing aninnovative and flexible programme oflifelong learning that offers solutions to

business critical issues, or will be of interestand benefit to our local community andothers. These will include both genericprofessional courses, as well as moresector-specific solutions. High-level skillsdevelopment programmes often provide agood entry point into organisations that

we currently have no engagement with.New technology is already changing thelandscape for workplace learning and ourprominence in distance learning providesa major opportunity to benefit from the

new paradigm. We will adapt our deliveryof courses to the technological needs ofemployers and the lifestyle requirements ofemployees to make our business trainingaccessible to all commercial partners. Ourpriorities here will be to:

Develop a coherent programme ofcontinuing professional development forour partners in business and industry,public and voluntary sectors;

Fully exploit new learning technologiesto add value and produce flexiblecourses fulfilling the needs of employersand employees;

Identify opportunities to cross-sell otherenterprise services.

6

CityScans goal is to work towards improving urban

environments by improving the quality of the air we

breathe.The regional funding has enabled the University of

Leicester to promote the technology to numerous potential

partners and customers.u


14/16


Effectively promote our achievements and capabilities in enterprise

to enhance our reputation as a centre of innovation and excellenceand a trusted part of the local, regional, national and international

landscapes.

UK universities have an excellentreputation internationally, but webelieve that the University of Leicestersenterprise and research capabilitiescould be more prominently promotedto further raise its profile on thenational and international stage.Enterprise provides a unique andongoing opportunity to engage with theoutside world, drawing in new actorsoutside our traditional networks. Withthis strategy, we aim to put in place anumber of initiatives to actively marketour strengths and successes in orderto raise our profile and ensure that we

are able to influence and shape policydevelopment and delivery. Reputation isa powerful marketing tool to showcaseour breadth of expertise and buildfurther on our excellence in research,knowledge transfer and student andemployer satisfaction.

We will shift up a couple of notches inour communication and promotionalactivities. Internally, we will seek greatercoordination between the variousdepartments and central units delivering

on the enterprise strategy. Externally,we will develop a customer relationsstrategy to more effectively reach out topotential customers, share resources andprovide a single window entry point tothe varied offerings from this university.

7

Professor Kevin Schrer, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research

and Enterprise) promotes the collaboration between

University and Industry, speaking at a recent EBD

Innovation Partnerships Showcase event.}


15/16


Our priorities here are to:

Actively seek additional good

news stories and promotionalopportunities, based on the linkbetween excellent research andenterprise impact;

Raise university profile for enterpriseand entrepreneurship throughengagement with industry networksand sponsorship;

Allow for greater collaboration andfacilitation internally between centralunits and University colleges and

departments to share knowledge andresources to deliver to the ambitionsset out in the enterprise strategy;

Provide a smooth, efficient, one-stop-shop through the Enterpriseand Business Development Office forexternal customers;

Increase and strategise participationin local, regional and nationalenterprise structures;

Engage and lead on national and

international enterprise-relatedinitiatives.

Working with HealthSTATS International we developed

pioneering new technology that will revolutionise blood

pressure measurement for the first time in over 100 years

with huge commercial potential.}


16/16

This was printed by Print Services, University of Leicester,

using vegetable based inks on FSC certified stock

University of Leicester 2013

Leicester LE1 7RH

UK

www.le.ac.uk

Enterprise Strategy 2013

Documents

Transcript of Enterprise Strategy 2013