Engaging with business: innovative industry partnerships supporting

research at the University of Nottingham

Neil Smyth: DART June 2012

The shape of things to come

1. Introduction: Re-skilling for Research

2. Group exercise

3. Engaging with Business

4. Group exercise

5. Digital transformations

6. Questions and answers

Wider context

Retooling

“We can all suffer from the inertia which finds plausible ways of not having to go through yet another learning process.”

“all librarians must be prepared to retool if they do not have the necessary expertise”

“many problems coping with the pace of change”

1990 British Library Colin Campbell

Re-Skilling For Research

1. Conceptualising new research, developing proposals, identifying funding opportunities;

2. seeking new information;3. information management;4. research data collection;5. research data discovery, management and curation;6. sharing, discussion, online collaboration;7. analysing and reflecting on information and data;8. writing up and dissemination;9. compliance, intellectual property, copyright and other statutory

requirements;10. preservation;11. quality assessment and measuring impact;12. commercialisation;13. emerging technology.

Re-Skilling For Research

Re-Skilling For Research

“Our jobs are shifting from doing what we’ve always done very well to always being on the

lookout for new opportunities to advance teaching, learning, service, and research”

Brian Matthews

Why is Engaging with business important?

1. University strategy

2. Research councils (AHRC)

3. Research bids (AHRC)

Engaging with Business

Engaging with BusinessMutually beneficial relations with business and industry were part of

our founding and remain a key priority.

We will maintain a positive, customer-focused, facilitating

dialogue with commercial partners.

Recognising and developing opportunities for business

engagement on behalf of the University is increasingly part

of the role of the modern academic.

Government policy statements and publications increasingly stress

engagement between industry and higher education

Industry partnerships will play an increasingly important role in

Research Council grant awards,

cash support from commercial partners is often a prerequisite for

the award of large research and commercial development centres.

Engaging with Business

Build mutually beneficial partnerships with like-minded

organisations

Invite businesses to work with us, at all our locations and

across the full range of our activities, with a coordinated

and coherent entry point for both proactive and reactive discussions.

Increase engagement with business by all parts of the

University and across all aspects of our core activities.

Engaging with Business

AHRC

What about the Arts and Humanities?

Industry partnerships play an increasingly important role in

Research Council grant awards

It adds to the economic success of the UK, through its

contributions to the knowledge economy and

innovation agenda

AHRC

Supporting research in this environment means engaging with

business.

Librarians supporting research must engage with business.

Many different ways and levels of interaction.

Support for Research workspace

Research Support Framework

AHRC – Highlight notices

Being in at the start of the process

One type of start: Highlight Notice

Highlight notices are intended to stimulate proposals under specified themes or initiatives in order to rapidly advance thinking in these areas.

Digital transformation

Conceptualising new research

Identifying funding

opportunities

Developing research

proposals

Digital transformations

Identifying fundi

ng opportunities

Conceptualisin

g new research

Developin

g research proposals

Identifying funding opportunities

There are many people identifying funding opportunities at universities.

Librarians need to be, too.

Support

Be meaningfullyinvolved in related processes.

Conceptualising new researchConceptualising new research

Different hearts of University

Innovative industry partnerships

Research and commercialisation starts with industry partnerships

“Probing these research issues will engage a broad range of partners in

creative and cultural industries”

Examples:Theatre companies;National institutions;Galleries;Publishing;Law;Media companies.

Innovative industry partnershipsBalance

People who can work together

Knowledge of organisations with a history of working together

successfully

Commercial partners same sector

collaborating and competing

• individual histories

• organisational histories

Innovative industry partnerships

ECCO/EEBO cross searchability

Informal interactions

Formal interactions

Informal moves to formal

(letters/agreements)

Personal moves to project or

network

Project or network moves to Corporate

Letter of support

AHRC

Level of commitment of the proposed

partner

Added value to the project of the involvement.

Nature of the contribution

Letter of support

Letter of support

Personal relationships

Informal interactions

Future activities

Welcome event July 2012

Imperial War Museum

Broadway

The National Archives

British Library

ProQuest

Cengage

References

1. No Brief Candle: Reconceiving Research Libraries for the 21st Century. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub142/pub142.pdf

2. Research Library Issues. A Special Issue on Liaison Librarian Roles. http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/rli-265.pdf

3. The Value of Academic Libraries: a Comprehensive Research Review and Report. http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/value/val_report.pdf

4. Redefining the Academic Library: Managing the Migration to Digital Information Services. http://www.educationadvisoryboard.com/pdf/23634-EAB-Redefining-the-Academic-Library.pdf

5. Re-skilling for Research. http://www.rluk.ac.uk/files/RLUK%20Re-skilling.pdf

6. Think Like A Startup: a white paper to inspire library entrepreneurialism. http://tinyurl.com/75orp9p

References

7. Connect, Collaborate, and Communicate: A Report from the Value of Academic Libraries Summits.http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/value/val_summit.pdf

8. Working together: evolving value for academic libraries. http://libraryvalue.wordpress.com/report/

9. Scholarly communication and serials prices: proceedings of a conference sponsored by the Standing Conference of National and University Libraries and the British Library Research and Development Department 11-13 June 1990. Edited by Karen Brookfield. Bowker Saur, 1991.

10. The University of Nottingham Strategic Plan 2010-2015.http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/documents/universityofnottinghamstrategicplan2010-15.pdf

11. The Quiet Revolution: how strategic partnerships and alliances are reshaping the higher education system. PA Consulting. (Available on request from the company)

Images

1. Microsoft Clip Art and Sample Art is Used with permission from Microsoft:http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/en/us/IntellectualProperty/Copyright/Default.aspx

2. University of Nottingham images supplied courtesy of the University of Nottingham © 2012.

3. Other images used Copyright © Neil Smyth 2012.

Engaging with business: innovative industry partnerships supporting

research at the University of Nottingham

Neil Smyth: DART June 2012