Find the expertise to take you to the next level by building collaborative relationships, says Dr Debbie Buckley-Golder, director of the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Programme
There is increasing emphasis, both within the United Kingdom and across the European Union, on the need for a culture of innovation within the business commu- nity, in order to sustain levels of economic growth in the face of increasing competi- tion from developing economies across the world. There is also much talk of the
‘knowledge driven’ economy and a need for the exertion of ‘business pull’ on the research undertaken within our academic institutions. This is not to say that UK busi- nesses lack the drive for innovation and the acquisition of new knowledge, far from it, but rather that, within a country rich in academic research and among the world leaders in many disciplines, the opportunity for businesses to work in true collabora- tion with academia, in order to influence the direction of future research and teach- ing, as well as to tackle current and emerging commercial, cultural and social challenges, should be grasped wholeheartedly.
Innovation is the adoption and conversion of ideas into economic and social bene- fits. The ideas may be new to the user but, in many cases, will be common elsewhere, in other situations or applications. A key component of innovation is the knowledge, technology or skill required to identify the new idea and exploit it for the develop- ment or improvement of a business’s products, services, markets or processes. This expertise can be found in abundance within the UK knowledge base, its universities, colleges, public and private sector research and technology organizations, and can be accessed by potential users (business, public and ‘third’ sectors) through a process commonly known as ‘knowledge transfer’.
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Knowledge transfer is often interpreted very narrowly as the exploitation of intel- lectual property through joint ventures, licence agreements, patents, spin-outs, spin- offs etc. However, this overlooks the substantial opportunity for knowledge transfer through the development of strategic, collaborative relationships between organiza- tions and the individuals within them. Knowledge transfer is essentially about people and communication – whether through written material, collaborative working or structured dialogue – and the process can be considered at two levels. One is the strategic level, at which the right environment must be created, and means of commu- nication established for effective engagement and dialogue between the knowledge base and user communities, so that the current and future needs of individual user groups can be understood and appropriately met by the knowledge base. The second level is that of the ‘individual’, at which the specific needs of a business, or enterprise, are analysed, understood and acted upon. It is at this level that knowledge transfer actually occurs, whether through collaborative research and development, individual structured knowledge transfer projects, consultancy, the exchange of staff, collabora- tive training or even the simple exchange of written material. To quote Dr Graham Spittle, chairman of the government’s Technology Strategy Board, ‘knowledge trans- fer is a contact sport’.
Within the United Kingdom, businesses of all sizes and sectors can access Europe’s leading knowledge transfer programme, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP), which is led by the Technology Strategy Board with 17 other public sector funding organizations.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is Europe’s leading programme helping businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base.
KTP aims to:
ᔡ facilitate the transfer of knowledge through projects undertaken by high calibre, recently qualified people under joint supervision from a company and an academic institution;
ᔡ provide company-based training for recently qualified people to enhance their business and specialist skills;
ᔡ stimulate and enhance business-relevant training and research undertaken by the academic institutions;
ᔡ increase the interaction between businesses and academic institutions, and awareness of the contribution academia can make to business development and growth.
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The Technology Strategy Board is a business-focused organization dedicated to promoting technology-enabled innovation across the United Kingdom.
Its vision is for the United Kingdom to be seen as a global leader in innova- tion and a magnet for technology-intensive companies, where new technology is applied rapidly and effectively to create wealth.
Established as an executive body at arm’s length from government in July 2007, the organization is sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
The Technology Strategy Board invests in research and development; builds partnerships between business, research and government to address major soci- etal challenges; and runs a wide range of knowledge exchange programmes to help innovation flourish.
KTP has operated for over 30 years, providing grant support to collaborative projects between individual companies and academia, addressing issues of strategic impor- tance to the business in order to improve their productivity, performance and competitive position. In 2006/07 KTP supported a portfolio of 1,157 individual proj- ects, of which 78 per cent involved SMEs and, as a result of the government money committed during the year, UK companies stand to benefit from an overall increase in annual profit before tax of around £100m, over 1,400 new jobs created and over 6,200 company staff trained.
One of the key strengths of KTP is that projects are driven by the needs of the participating business, and proposals are supported by a commercially structured business case. In 2006 the EEF in their report entitled New Light on Innovation (http://www.eef.org.uk) highlighted seven barriers to collaboration for the purposes of innovation, which were identified by individual businesses:
ᔡ finding the right partner;
ᔡ understanding our business;
ᔡ managing costs;
ᔡ relationship management;
ᔡ keeping control of ideas;
ᔡ legal form of the relationship;
ᔡ intellectual property rights.
KTP is a dynamic model and has been developed and honed, over the years, to explic- itly address each one of these perceived barriers. This has, surely, contributed to the sustained success and increasing demand for the Programme from business and academia alike.
One company that has grown significantly as a direct result of the knowledge trans- fer achieved through their KTP project is Caledonian Aerotech Ltd. The company has carved a lucrative niche in the multi-billion-dollar global aerospace market by recycling the special alloys used in the production of aircraft engines, land-based
turbines and in the petrochemical industries. A core process is recovering the metal left after machining, which is then cleaned, graded and prepared to be returned to specialist melters for reuse.
Through the KTP project, Caledonian Aerotech Ltd was able to identify and imple- ment a means of reducing the environmental impact of this cleaning process, while improving the effectiveness of the process and realizing large cost savings. The KTP also led to the company’s enhanced credibility among large multinational companies and opened opportunities in a previously closed market in the United States.
Following the success of the KTP project, 19 new staff have been employed.
Hugh Stewart, Chairman of the company, commented, ‘The KTP provided the company with a focus for research, development and innovation... we got clarity and projects started to happen. Getting involved with KTP... had the effect of broadening our horizons and I have no doubt it will help us enter new markets.’
In the autumn of 2007 the government accepted in full the recommendations of a review undertaken by Lord Sainsbury of Turville of the UK science and innovation system, in which he acknowledged the sustained and measurable impact of KTP by recommending a doubling in the number of KTP projects over the three-year period to 2011, as well as the development of flexible, shorter-term projects which might be of particular interest to smaller businesses with little previous experience of working with the academic community.
If you would like to take advantage of the expertise and funding available through KTP please visit www.ktponline.org.uk or call the KTP helpline on 0870 190 2829.
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