ESRC NW REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER HEI NETWORK MEETING Thursday 4 th December 2008 Sponsored by

Welcome Professor Tim Wheeler, Vice Chancellor

Introduction to the NW KT HEI Network NW Regional Co-ordinator: Professor Neville Ford, Dean of Research

Overview Background to the Network Historical dates What have we undertaken to do Progress so far Next steps HEI Network Members

Background to the Network April alongside the call for Business Priority Sector Events, the ESRC also offered a grant of up to £2000 to develop and maintain the HEI North West Knowledge Transfer Regional Forum/Network. Other Regional Networks NetworkRegional Co-ordinator South WestBournemouth University ScotlandInterface North EastNorthumbria University Regional Co-ordinator appointments to be announced in December 2008: East of England, Yorkshire and Humberside, London, South East England, East Midlands, West Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Background to the Network continued: Objectives –Establish a network between HEI Knowledge Transfer and Business Development Managers/Professionals within the North West HEIs (all North West based HEIs) to promote new KT opportunities, especially those of the ESRC, share best practice and discuss common issues –The network must promote social science impacts and demonstrate effective knowledge exchange Funding The small amount of funding does not cover the local expenses for the network meetings. The costs of the first meeting have been covered by the University of Chester. There is an expectation that subsequent meetings will be co-funded by HEIs in the region.

Historical dates 14 th April 2008 – Call for proposals 30 th April Closing date 2 nd June 2008 – Notification of award 11 th August 2008 – Draft contract received 8 th October 2008 – ESRC contacts database received 4 th December 2008 – 1 st Network Meeting

What have we undertaken to do Task/ActivityDeadline Organisation of the first regional meeting15 December 2008 Development of the website and online exchanges 31st January 2009 Organisation of the second regional meeting and on-line message board (dedicated website, blog facility and ‘dating agency’ board) 30th April 2009 Organisation of the third regional meeting and delivery of all activities related to develop the North West Regional KT HEI Network/Forum 25th August 2009 Submission of the impact evaluation report28th September 2009

Progress so far Liaison with ESRC and NWDA to create the NW network database and issue invitations for the first meeting Setting up of the Network’s JISC mailing list Attended briefing session at the Regional Managers and Network Co-ordinators meeting on 25 th September Agreed to share experiences and expertise with the other regional networks via a KT Network Managers network

Next steps Update and enhance the JISC mailing list Agree on how the website can best be used to fulfil the network objectives Identify the main point of contact at each participating HEI Clarify the relationship of this network with other existing NW KT networks

HEI Network Members University of Chester Edge Hill University Lancaster University Liverpool Hope University Liverpool John Moores University Manchester Metropolitan University University of Bolton UCLan University of Cumbria University of Liverpool University of Manchester (including Manchester Business School & UMIP) University of Salford Royal Northern College of Music ESRC NWDA NWUA KTP Organisation Are there any other HE institutions not included on this list (and the ESRC’s database) but who should be?

Thank you Professor Neville Ford Dean of Research University of Chester Parkgate Road Chester CH1 4BJ

ESRC Knowledge Exchange - Addressing Stakeholder Needs Sheila Deighton Knowledge Transfer Manager NWDA/ESRC

Knowledge Transfer: The UK Context Knowledge Transfer: The UK Context Drive for international competitiveness Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration Biggest challenge, boosting demand for research from business Innovation Report – “Competing in the Global Economy” Vision: “be a key global economy” Science and innovation investment framework Imperatives for research councils: Increase rate of knowledge transfer Increase interaction with business Increase collaborative research Science and Technology Committee (H of C) Review of Knowledge Transfer Warry Report – Economic impact

ESRC Knowledge Transfer and Impact Strategy Purpose Achieve and demonstrate a step change in the economic impact of the Science Budget Knowledge transfer to take centre stage for the research councils To take forward with the other research councils, with the social science community and with its user communities Specific emphasis on engagement with the business sector

ESRC Knowledge Transfer and Impact Strategy Aims The ESRC will create and support increased impact through research people transfer infrastructure, data, information resources and methodologies the ESRC will play a leadership role by raising awareness within the wider social science community the ESRC will communicate the impact of the social sciences, specifically developing measures and analytical tools to identify the impact of its investments

Aim 1: Research The ESRC will create and support economic impact through knowledge exchange and the dissemination of social science knowledge and ideas, generated through its research: provide a high quality social science knowledge and evidence base to inform policy and practice in the public, private and other sectors use a variety of mechanisms to create economic impact from its funded research projects and to support its researchers in doing so

Aim 2: People The ESRC will create and support economic impact through people transfer, providing opportunities for the movement of people between sectors. provision of trained social scientists including schemes to support placements with user organisations, such as CASE studentships support for the development of skills for social scientists to engage with their user communities exchanges between the academic and the user communities through a variety of schemes such as the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

Aim 3: Data Resources The ESRC will create and support economic impact through data resources: the sharing and provision of data, information resources and methodologies to facilitate informed decision-making by user communities. support for the creation and re-use of datasets methodological training and research initiatives access to a broad spectrum of information resources

Aim 4: Awareness The ESRC will play a leadership role by raising awareness in the wider social science community of the importance of knowledge transfer activities and generating economic impact from research as a valued and recognised part of the research process. active participation within Research Councils UK engaging with other key deliverers of knowledge transfer activities, such as academics and universities targeted engagement with user communities

Aim 5: Communication and Identification The ESRC will communicate the economic impact of the social sciences, specifically developing measures and analytical tools to identify the economic impact of its investments and to inform the development of more effective knowledge transfer mechanisms in the future. identification, capture and assessment of impact through e.g. post-project appraisals and the ongoing identification of outputs from projects up to five years after the end of funding dissemination of examples and case studies of economic impact reviews, evaluations, and case studies to identify lessons and best practice

Output 2: Exploitation of knowledge Research councils’ knowledge transfer activities reported: interaction with business and public services collaborative research commercialisation of research cooperative training people exchanges Each of the above activities is measured by: ─scale ─quality

Knowledge Exchange Mechanisms & Opportunities Seminars and Workshops Knowledge & People Exchange Mechanisms  Some ESRC-run; others part of national schemes run by government or other bodies  Range of opportunities across academic lifecycle Package of Opportunities/Scheme to increase rate of knowledge transfer and build a critical mass of expertise/knowledge Knowledge Transfer Training and Development Opportunities

Seminar and Workshops Public Policy Seminars User Engagement Events Business Engagement Seminars for key priorities – o Energy; o Financial Services; o Health Technologies ; o Retailing; o Creative Industries; o Sports, Leisure and Tourism; o Consultants/Intermediaries

Knowledge & People Exchange Opportunities Progression route Student SME Placements CASE Departmental Collaborative Studentships Parliamentary & Government Postgraduate Placements Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Government Placement Fellowships Business Placement Fellowships Impact Grants/Follow- on-Fund Business Engagement Opportunities

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Social Science Work Experience Programme (SSWEP) Managed through STEP Enterprise Ltd For social science under-graduates and ESRC funded post-graduate students Eight week placements during the summer within a SME, social enterprise The SME define the placement projects which focus on supporting businesses with their research, strategy or business development requirements i.e. website design

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) One of ESRC’s largest knowledge transfer schemes Partnerships between a company/organisation and staff within a HEI. The academic staff apply their expertise to a project central to the development of the collaborative partner Projects of carried out by a associate (recent graduate or postgraduate) – usually two year projects The ESRC supports partnerships with private businesses; public and third sector organisations

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Joint ESRC and Departmental Collaborative Studentships Encourages greater interaction between academic research and Government and Devolved Administrations Postgraduate students based in UK academic institutions (ESRC recognised) carry out high quality policy relevant research in conjunction with the host organisation - The PhD topic is defined by the host organisation The studentship is jointly funded by the ESRC and host organisation The studentships are jointly supervised by the academic department and host organisation

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Collaborative Awards for Science and Engineering Studentship (CASE) Is the biggest of the collaborative training schemes funded by the ESRC Encourages greater interaction between businesses/organisations and academic research Postgraduate students based in UK academic institutions (ESRC recognised) carry out high quality policy relevant research in conjunction with the host organisation (private, public or third sector organisations) The studentship is jointly defined by the academic department and host organisation The studentship is funded by the ESRC and a financial contribution is provided by the host organisation

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Parliamentary and Government Postgraduate Placements ESRC funded students in their 2 nd /3 rd year spend three months in a Government Department or Parliamentary Office, where they work as part of a team involved with particular public policy issues The placement project is defined by the host department/organisation and informs policy makers on the economics and social implications The placement projects may not be of direct relevance to the students PhD The student receive a 3 month fully funded extension to their PhD award.

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Business Placement Fellowships Enables business to access the research knowledge and expertise of the researcher and the research institution Social Science Researchers spend time (between 1 – 12 months) in a business to undertake practice-relevant research and work on specific projects. It also provides opportunities for an employee of a business to work on a project in a setting where they have access to academic resources ESRC actively seek to support business placements in the following sectors - Energy, Financial Services, Consultants/Intermediaries, Health Technologies, Retails, Creative Industries, Leisure and Tourism, and Sport* Placements are jointly funded by the ESRC and the Business

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Government Placement Fellowships Social Science Researchers work within 'partner' organisations on projects put forward by that partner i.e. Government Department; Devolved Administrations; and other similar organisations - also provides opportunities for an employee of a partner organisation to work on a project in a setting where they have access to academic resources Provide Government Departments with research-informed evidence to develop and review policy Enable all parties, including ESRC, to develop their understanding of research and policymaking processes and the interactions between them Fellowships last from between three and 12 months - the cost of the Fellowship is shared equally between the ESRC and the partner

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Follow on Fund Expansion of the ESRC Impact Grants Purpose: to undertake additional and new knowledge transfer and impact generation activities that demonstrate the potential for significant economic, social, policy and/or practice impact(s) – this includes the commercialisation of social science research Grants will be available of up to £100k for a maximum of 12 months (FEC is eligible) Eligibility - The Fund will be open to all social scientists employed in a UK Higher Education Institution. The applicants will be required to indicate: research excellence, as well as previous networks and matching support or co-funding from user communities (e.g. previous grants form other funding bodies)

Knowledge Exchange Opportunities Business Engagement Opportunities Scheme The Scheme focuses on business engagement – with ESRC business priority sectors Provides the opportunity for social science researchers to engage with specific sectors of business and professional groups or organisations to encourage knowledge transfer and exchange to assist business sustainability The ESRC encourages engagement with business through a tailored package of new and additional activity: Impact Grants Placements Seminars Funding of up to £100k per application is available for a combination of activities, ideally with co-funding partners General Call and Creative Industries Call

Knowledge Transfer Training and Development Opportunities Engaging with Business Workshop Two day interactive training workshop For ESRC and social science researchers undertaking research of potential relevance to business users Encourages researcher to engage more effectively with the private sector One day taster sessions are held exclusively for NW HEIs

Knowledge Transfer Training and Development Opportunities Getting Research into Policy/Practice Workshop Two day interactive workshop For ESRC funded researchers undertaking research of potential relevance to policy and practice Encourages researchers to create a knowledge transfer strategy Facilitated by external consultants and include input from policy-makers and practitioners Enterprisers Four day residential entrepreneurial programme – January 2008 For ESRC funded students to equip them with entrepreneurial and transferable skills that can be transferred and applied to their research Managed by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL), University of Cambridge, and includes sponsorship from a range of companies and organisations

Further information ESRC Knowledge Transfer Guide: ESRC Knowledge Transfer Opportunities: Capacity Building Clusters & Business Engagement Opportunities Scheme: ies/index.aspx

Thank you For further information: Publications Guidelines Case studies Amanda Williams

Discussion on future developments of the regional KT network

HEI Network Co-operation How should the North West HEIs co-operate to achieve greater success with KT opportunities in the social sciences?

Points for discussion Website content Case study material Creative champions Forum/ blog facility Volunteer hosts, small charge per meeting or small annual HEI subscription? Further meeting dates: 2 nd – March; 3 rd - June/July? Topics to be covered in future meetings Speakers to invite to future meetings

Feedback and Conclusions