1. Strategic Partnerships David Bott 18 December 2014

3. Strategic Partnership? A strategy is a long-term goal and a plan to achieve it A partnership is where you work with another person or organisation to achieve a common goal, sharing risks and rewards A strategic partnership therefore must satisfy the long-term goals of both partners Partnership covers a spectrum of interaction

4. Classic Partnership Analysis Financial Commitment High Low Process Integration LowHigh Merger /Acquisition Supply Agreement Co- Development Joint Venture

5. Usual goals – do they apply? Revenue Growth – Access to “content” – Access to customers Sharing Costs – Production – Distribution Sharing Risks – Experience

6. Who are we thinking about? Research Funders (RCs, EU, Charities, etc.) – What’s in it for them? Why a partnership? Teaching Funders (HEFCE, Government, etc.?) – What do they gain and what do they do? Employers of the human output (Businesses?) – Must also involve students Local Government – What do they bring? What do they want?

7. To be decided Other universities – Are they competitors or potential collaborators? – If they are competitors, how do we neutralise their threat? – If they are collaborators, is it time-bound? Companies – What do they want from a university? – Why should they choose you? And you alone? – Will they ask you to collaborate with a competitor?

8. Don’t know Overseas governments? – How would they measure success? – How long would it last? Lobby and Pressure Groups – Messaging may be too narrow – Possibly useful for campaigns, but is that strategic?

9. Delusion is seductive Partnerships are not the only way of interacting with others… …there are a whole range of ways to work together for mutual benefit which don’t tie us to someone else's view of the future… …is it really a partnership, or are we (both) fooling ourselves?

10. Why partnership? Often partnerships are enforced with a contract and are legally binding. – Is that what we want? At best they are morally binding, or widely known – Getting a reputation for breaking partnerships will make new ones more difficult

11. Checklist What do you want to achieve? What do they want to achieve? Is it really easier together?