uk knowledge exchange, technologieallianz, berlin 16.04.2013

Research & Knowledge Exchange in the UK

TechnologieAllianz, Berlin, 16-17th April 2013

Dr Dave BemboChair of Council, Association for University Research & Industry Links, UK

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

Tel: + 44 29 20 875159

Scope:

AURIL: structure and function, activities

The UK research base

Drivers of Knowledge Exchange KE activity

Knowledge Exchange KE in the UK: statistics and current trends

Proof of concept and securing early stage investment: latest information from the UK

A non-exclusive list!

AURIL Structure

AURIL is a Company Limited by Guarantee. We are an SME!

Chair of Council 2013-14: Dr Dave Bembo. Executive Director: Dr Alasdair Cameron. Offices & support staff based in University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

15 Members of Council (expanded in 2012), including Executive Director, arepresentative of universities in Eire and one co-opted member.

Institutions (not individuals) are members: Universities, Public Sector ResearchOrganisations, other public sector and companies .

Circa 1,600 people on electronic mailbase.

Membership is entirely optional. Around 90 subscribing members currently.

Prof Oisin MacNamara launches AURILs revised CPD Framework, 2012 Conference.

Annual conference a major activity, held in October each year.2011 in London, 2012 in Sheffield, 2013 in Cardiff.

150-200 delegates. Networking, talks from Governmentpolicymakers and funders, workshops, consultations.

In addition to Annual Conference, also workshops & discussion fora, e.g. Directors Cut; guidance and policy documents; consultation with Govt & other KE stakeholders, UUK, CBI, Funding Councils & Research Councils, etc.

Core focus for AURIL:* Advocacy, Influence, Promotion & Representation for KE Professionals;* Self-help and good practice sharing network for KE/KT/TT/ILO Professionals.

Of AURILs member organisations, >90% are universities.

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

Examples of AURIL activities in 2012-13:

Recruited new Executive Director, Dr Alasdair Cameron

Moved AURIL Office & assets from Belfast to Strathclyde

AURIL 2012 Conference, Sheffield

Launched CPD Framework for Business and Community Engagement

Scottish Government Single Knowledge Exchange Office SKEO consultation & Innovation Centres in Scotland

Contributing to evaluation of the impacts of Lambert Toolkit

2011 update to IP Guide for Universities

UK Intellectual Property OfficeUniversities UKAURILPraxisUnico

Available at:

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/press/press-release/press-release-2011/press-release-20110519.htm

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/press/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 doesnt fit all.

Staff resources for KE should be configured to match strategic and operational priorities... and budgets!

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 the IP management function, although there is a need for realism over the scale of returns.

Knowledge Exchange policies and their intersection with other university policies, e.g.:

Human resources (IP ownership; sharing of revenues on successful exploitation)

IP generated by students - balancing clean IP position versus duty of care

The 2011 Guide is intended to provoke debate within institutions in order to allow HEIs to make better informed judgements about how they manage IP and how they expect to benefit from this activity.

University Sector in the UK

115 universities inc post 1992 (+ 50 other Higher Education Institutions)

Over 180,000 academic staff

1.9 million undergraduate students; 578,000 postgraduates

Total sector income of 26.8 billion [see next slide]

Strong science base: 8% of publications on Web of Science, 12% citations, 14.4% of Worlds top cited publications.... especially given relatively low investment of circa 4% Gross Expenditure

HEIs are major contributors to UK economy (HEFCEs Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey)

Source: HESA, UUK, HEFCE, 2009-11; Evidence 2011

UK HEIs, huge diversity in size and mission:

24 HEIs with income 150 million

From highly active in research and KE (e.g. 20 Russell Group members) to highly teaching focused

e.g. Funding Council Quality Research QR funding is part of Dual Supportand is based on RAE research quality * volume * subject weighting. In Wales alone (10 universities) QR ranges 139K - 39.9 million for 2011-12 (280x) [QR]

With so much variation in research capacity & quality, clearly KE resources and priorities will differ hugely also.

0

20

40

60

80

150M

Evidence, 2010

The External Environment: Funding for research

Investments under pressure

Budgets under pressure

Govt CSR2010 UK science fundinga 10% reduction in real terms

Wakeham ReviewWarns of the need to maintain not grow the volume of research funded under Full Economic Costs FEC

Focuses on Full Economic Costs FEC base of HE research activities ; driving down overheads rates and increasing efficiency

Research Equipment and Asset Sharing; Grand Challenges, Big Projects & Consortia

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.

Research Excellence Framework REF2014

Government assessment of quality of research, every 6 years or so (2001, 2008, 2014). Managed by Higher Education Funding Council for England, HEFCE (also in devolved regions).

REF is a major influence on all aspects of research in UK universities. All-pervasive.

REF influences: recruitment, investment, reputation, financial sustainability.

Quality Research QR funding awarded by allocation on previous RAE and now REF results (plus volume measure & subject weighting).

KE and Research Funding: REF2014

REF scores Research on: i) The quality of research outputs (with citation information in some areas); ii) The vitality of the research environment; and for the first time iii) The wider Impact of research.

Increasing emphasis on demonstrating the economic, societal and health Impact of the UK research base. Case studies used, arising from quality research, with verifiable data.

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.

No Professorial Privilege exists

IP generated by academic staff (professors, lecturers) and researchers is primarily owned by the university as their employer (under the UKs Copyright, Designs & Patents Act, 1988)

Ownership of IP generated by postgraduate researchers such as PhD students can be less certain

UK Universities are generally free to determine appropriate commercialisation & dissemination routes

Universities usually (84+ %) have generous policies for royalty income sharing with inventors

Spin-out companies provide good opportunities for founding academics to take equity, often with buy-out of time / consultancy arrangements

Ownership of Intellectual Property generated by UK universities

Annual survey of KE in the UK. Managed by HEFCE.

.... examines the exchange of knowledge between universities and the wider world, and informs the strategic direction of 'third stream' activity that funding bodies and higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK undertake

Surveys collect financial and output data per academic year, i.e. to 31st July in the UK.

Annual reports include information on commercialisation of new knowledge, delivery of professional training, consultancy and services, to activities intended to have direct social benefits.

2010-11 data published by HEFCE in 2012, the 11th successive year.

Higher education-business and community interaction survey (HE-BCIS)

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/kes/measureke/hebci/

Collaborative research income up16% to 872M. Contract r