1. Research & Innovation:
The Roles of Industry & Academia within Mobile VCE
Dr Walter Tuttlebee
Chief Executive, Mobile VCE

2. Remit: Strategic, long-term, world-class, shared-cost research
which is defined & steered by the world’s leading companies
Observer
Members
Undertaken by the UK’s leading mobile research Universities

3. Some Background… Mobile VCE Personal
Not-for-profit company, established in 1996
Governed by its members through an Annual General Meeting
AGM appoints a Board of Directors who oversee operation on behalf of the members throughout the year
Day to day management is delegated to a full time Chief Executive, reporting to the Executive Committee
Personal
20 years industry R&D experience prior to joining Mobile VCE some 3 years after it was first established
Prior Experience of Industry-Academic Collaboration
Defining EU Collaborative Programmes (3G)
UK LINK PCP Management Committee
(Mis-)Matching Industry and Academic Expectations
My early perspectives of Mobile VCE, from outside

4. ‘Adjacent’ Industries Industry Steering Groups
The Functional Model
‘Adjacent’ Industries
Handset Mfrs
Shared Future
Visions
Telecom Operators
VCE
Industry Steering Groups
Strategic
Research
Univ Research Teams
Infrastructure Mfrs
Industry
Growth
Component, Software, …

5. The Financial Model: High Gearing & Win-Win
- - - Members’ Subscriptions - - -
Government
Funds
Members’ Core Fund
Core Programme Fund
Win - Very high financial gearing of Industry funding
allows industry to accommodate long-term research perspective
Win - High gearing of public, Government, funding
Win - Strengthening of the research base & the people base to support the industry and economy

6. Two Types of Research Core Programmes – All Industrial Members
Strategic, long-term, research funded by member subscriptions
All industry members define, participate, share the benefits & have royalty-free access to IPR. Attracts additional UK government funding
Core 1 Mar Mar 2000, ~50 manyears
Core 2 Oct 1999 – Sep 2003, ~100 manyears
Core 3 April 2002 – Sep 2005, ~75 manyears
Core /06 – 2008/09, ~140 manyears
Elective Programmes – Those that Choose
Research projects commissioned by one or more industrial members
Programmes are initiated and defined by an industry member
Mobile VCE helps link industrial members with common research needs
Industry players select the most appropriate university team assisted, if needed, by Mobile VCE
The subset of members share the cost of an elective programme
Rapid, low hassle, efficient way to conduct pre-competitive research

7. Intellectual Property
Effective & Fair Mechanisms
Win-win - a fair arrangement for creators and funders
Incentive mechanisms encourage good research and IPR
Our Industrial Members decide whether a patent should be filed
IPR is available royalty-free to Industrial Members (relating to period of membership), and on commercial terms to non-members
New Members sign a Deed of Adherence to the IPR Agreement
New Members can purchase access to prior IPR for a fee – used to fund further research, benefiting all members
A portfolio of 50 filings, 14 grants, over 10 years

8. Creating the Research Programme
Industry
Defines research requirements
Visions Days & Programme Development Process
global perspective on requirements, ‘ahead of the curve’
Strategic priority areas where …
research needed, but not yet being undertaken
Mobile VCE can make a real difference
high potential industry benefit exists
Example – the scope of Core 3
mobile-broadcast Interworking
today’s hot topic, defined in 2001

9. Creating the Research Programme
Universities
Propose leading edge technical approaches
Recruit top quality researchers from around the world
Work effectively together across organisational boundaries
Jointly
Joint industry-academic teams established to develop detailed programme description … mutate into …
Industry Steering Groups that direct and oversee the research once it begins to ramp up
Relationships & trust are a key asset that Mobile VCE has developed over the past decade – a major factor in delivery

10. Undertaking the Research Programme
Industrial Steering Groups
All research is managed by Industrial Steering Groups
Industrial Chairman leads each work area
Academic Coordinator supports the Industry Chairman
Steering Groups meet ~3-4 months for presentations & review
Interim workshops – to address scenarios, business models etc
Industrials provide feedback, direction to the research teams and decisions on patents, publications, etc
Industry ‘Mentors’
‘Mentor’ is the wrong word – personal relationships that deliver tangible mutual benefits for both the Industrials & Researchers
One-on-one & technical meetings with researchers
A means to assess and develop potential recruits – many excellent eamples

11. Undertaking the Research Programme
University Research Teams
University participation invited against objective criteria
Selected to match skills to requirements
Teams drawn from across multiple Universities
Universities assessed periodically by Industry against…
technical contribution, staff quality, supervision, collaboration, communication, management & scheduling …
Mechanisms drive excellence, mitigate against mediocrity
Output Quality – Independently Assessed
‘Internationally Leading’ (top score) for both Research Quality and Programme Management
‘Outstanding’ (top score) for Supply of Researchers, many later recruited by our Industrial Members
Industry continues to value Mobile VCE (by funding it !)

12. Introducing Core 4… Development Industrial ‘Future Visions’ Day
Global Contributions, Plenary Debate, Breakout Groups
Synthesis of Priority Themes
Visions Group
White Papers – refined through member consultation
Four, then Three key themes emerged
Programme Development
Three joint industry-academic teams established
Embryonic Steering Groups
In-depth understanding and development of approach, and relationship building, well before programme start
Funding Support
(Competitive) Bids for (additional) Government funding

13. Core 4’s Three Strategic Themes
Ubiquitous Services – Creating New Revenues
Primary goal - to overcome barriers to the deployment of ubiquitous services in three key domains – user, network & service/content
Delivery Efficiency – Reducing Costs
Primary goal - the development of efficient mechanisms for wireless communications within a context of future wireless architectures to permit reductions in the cost-per-bit
Device & Service Security – Securing the Future
Primary goal - to address the growing security issues for increasingly-open mobile devices & services in increasingly-open, interconnected, heterogeneous networks

14. Dates & Details Status, May 2006
Ubiquitous Services – New Revenue Streams
October 2005 – January 2008
~45 manyears
Supported by the DTI Technology Programme
Delivery Efficiency – Reducing ‘Cost-per-Bit’
January 2006 – December 2008
~72 manyears
Supported by EPSRC
Device & Service Security – Protecting the ‘Golden Egg’
Late 2006
~24 manyears
Likely support from both EPSRC and DTI