Guest Blog

How do R&D teams evaluate new opportunities?

GUEST BLOG by IN-PART

Written by Daniel Judd. Edited by Alex Stockham. Originally published on the IN-PART website

 

Presenting the right information

When an R&D professional reviews an opportunity to collaborate with a university, the decision to pass or to learn more ultimately comes down to whether they have all the relevant information to hand. If a project summary doesn’t have the right information, the perfect company will often pass or lose interest. 

HEIF, KEF and now KEC: welcoming the KE Concordat

Recently there have been multiple discussions about the relationships between multiple different acronyms. The latest 'kid on the block' is KEC - the Knowledge Exchange Concordat - which is published today. This has been developed by a group led by Professor Trevor McMillan, Vice-Chancellor of Keele University, supported by Universities UK and Research England and with contributions from several members of PraxisAuril. 

Research England and Universities delivering the Industrial Strategy

Today Research England is publishing report summarising how universities are working to deliver the Government's Industrial Strategy. This focusses on use of the additional funds provided by Government for Research England to allocate for knowledge exchange through Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF).

Building on Success: Mark Jefferies and Kate Barnard talk about why Rolls-Royce funds UK-based University Technology Centres



About Mark Jefferies, Chief of University Research Liaison at Rolls-Royce

Mark Jefferies is a chartered engineer and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society with responsibility for the worldwide academic research partnerships for the Rolls-Royce group.  This includes 31 University Technology Centres (UTCs), engaging hundreds of researchers and more than 500 PhD students. 

 

 

 

Ed Krause talks about Ford’s open partnership processes and why a US company would choose UK Academic collaborators

 

About Ed Krause, Global Manager, External Alliances of Ford Motor Company

Ed Krause has been working in R&D for Ford for nearly 20 years.  He has global responsibility for developing technology and competitive advantage for Ford via collaborative research and development project portfolios involving universities and partner companies.

Steven Harris of BAE Systems talks about why the defence sector chooses to partner with UK universities


 
About Dr Steven Harris, Head of External Partnerships and Brokering at BAE Systems

Dr Harris has spent his career at BAE Systems (currently 30 years and counting), and there he began managing external partnerships in 2012. He is responsible for developing strategic relationships in academic and government institutions, as well as developing collaborative engagement with SMEs.