What is it?
Bringing together researchers from more than one university/business. Research goals are defined by all partners. To develop new knowledge or to significantly advance existing areas of expertise. Base on which other, closer to the market, new processes, applications or technologies are developed.
Specifics
Partners contribute intellectually, financially and materially towards increasing understanding of an area which interests them all - albeit for different reasons.
Timelines
Medium – long, 24+ months, may be up to 5 years. Business needs the commitment to engage in the research partnership over a long period of time. Will findings still remain relevant to their markets?
Costs
Grants from Research Councils UK, Innovate UK and others. Business may be required to contribute directly through time/finance or indirectly in an advisory capacity or access to facilities/personnel.
Benefits
Businesses shape platform and enabling technologies upon which they subsequently build their own competitive advantage. Focus on ‘pre-competitive’ areas: research that is sufficiently removed from the final customer offering for each company involved to feel comfortable working openly with other companies, yet the research is of real potential benefit to each in their own field. Will provide businesses with knowledge of technological advances and anticipate changing technology or market risks and opportunities.
Suitable for which Businesses?
Larger businesses with existing research relationships with Universities. But also possible for smaller businesses, it requiring considerable expertise possibly investment in the research. Businesses who are engaged in developing new or next-generation products and/or services.
How do you engage?
Identifying an academic partner and a core research idea/question to explore. Research Centre’s in a University specialize in specific research and technology areas. All Universities have “Working with Business” sites identifying Centre’s or individual academics, contacting them to find out more about what they are doing and the relevance to your firm. It will then be possible to find out about and access existing knowledge and develop new research areas.