What is Knowledge Transfer: a cornerstone of university life or an irritating distraction from research and teaching? Dr. Graeme Reid
Jan 03, 2016
What is Knowledge Transfer:
a cornerstone of university life or an irritating distraction from research and teaching?
Dr. Graeme Reid
Knowledge exchange income 2001-2008
Sources: HEBCI surveys, PACEC/CBR analysis
Total
Contract research
Collaborative researchCoursesConsultancy
Facilities and equipmentIP revenues
Income stream
2,039
632
470404251
7351
2008 income
(£m)
100
31
232012
42
2008share of total (%)
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Year
Kno
wle
dge
exch
ange
inco
me
(£ m
illio
ns, c
onst
ant 2
003
pric
es)
11
15
41516
1320
CAGR01-08
(%)
Regeneration 158 8 6
2
96
14
163029
613
Growth07-08
(£million)
-12
Source: Thomas Estermann, EUDIS Seminar, European University Association
Number of knowledge exchange staff 2003-2008
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Num
ber o
f sta
ff in
a d
edic
ated
bu
sine
ss a
nd c
omm
unity
role
Year
Number of staff, 2008
CAGR, 2003-2008 (%)
Average number of staff per HEI,
2008
1,334 15 10
3,561 13 28
1,920 18 15
Commercial sector
Public sector
Social / community
Source: HEBCI, PACEC/CBR analysis
“This time next year we'll be millionaires!”Source: Delboy Trotter, Nelson Mandela House, Peckham (BBC).
Why do academics do Knowledge Transfer?
4
21
8
17
27
70
10
23
24
26
49
75
0 20 40 60 80
% academics assigning score of 4 or 5 to criteria (0:low; 5:high)
2008
2001
Research/Publications
Generating Commercial Income for the University
Faculty/Departmental Administration
Work with Business/Industry
Teaching Ability/Workload
Work with the Local Community
Promotion criteria Perceived importance
Source: PACEC/CBR survey of academics 2008; PACEC/CBR analysis
Academic participation rate in knowledge exchange by discipline (based on academics engaging in at least one mechanism at least three times in the past three years)
75 7772 67
8781
73
52
72
All academics
Medical Science Technical Engineering Social Sciences
Humanities Language Other
Parti
cipa
tion
rate
(%)
Source: PACEC/CBR survey of academics 2008, PACEC/CBR analysis
Creating new businesses
• In the period 2003-2010, thirty seven university spin outs were floated on stock exchange with an IPO value of £1.7 billion.
• Twenty four university spin out companies were acquired by other business for a total value of £2.4 billion in the same period.
• Cambridge spin-outs ARM Holdings and Autonomy Corporation are now in the FTSE 100.
[Source: UNICO]
• Wolfson was spun out of Edinburgh University in 1984, and went public in 2002
Wolfson Microelectronics
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (Now part of Pfizer) invested £50m in the Scottish Translation Medicine Research Centre
Collaboration between Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow
• Extensive collaborations with the oil and gas industry:
Developing alongside Abertay University
350 creative industry companies in and around Dundee.
3,400 employees~£185m p.a. turnover
Rapid growth from 1999 to 2007.
Interactive Tayside estimate that between 70-80% of employment in the sector are based in Dundee
Computer Games in Abertay
Rolls Royce University Technology Centre on Electrical Power Systems.
Five ways to generate economic impact from research
Delivering highly skilled people to the labour market
Improving the performance of existing businesses
Improving public policy and public services
Attracting R&D investment from global business
Creating new businesses
Economic Impact
Economic Impact
Attracting R&D investment from global business
SOURCE: The implications of R&D off-shoring on the innovation capacity of EU firms (2007)Report by LTT for PRO INNO EUROPE – an EU Commission initiative (DG Enterprise & Industry)
Un
ited
Kin
gd
om
Fra
nce
Ger
man
y
Irel
and
Sp
ain
Sw
eden
Fin
lan
d
Net
her
lan
ds
Number of R&D FDI Projects by EU Destination Country (2002-2006)
The Research Base Matters
Leg
al
Sp
in
Co
sts
Res
tric
tio
ns
Tax
Bre
aks
Su
p E
xpo
rt
IP O
wn
er
Su
p S
ales
Gro
wth
Co
llab
Un
ivs
Un
iv F
acu
lty
IP
Pro
tect
R&
D T
alen
t
R&D Site Selection Factors for Developed Economy
Agree Importance
• In developed economies the most important factors are:
quality of R&D personnel strength of IPR
• R&D costs are not a deterrent
"Recent Trends in the Internationalisation of R&D in the Enterprise Sector", OECD Working Party on Statistics 2008
Attracting R&D investment from global business
Issues
• Can recent growth rates continue?
• Wider spread of disciplines?
• Should every university manage its own IP?
• Knowledge Transfer on an equal footing with teaching and research?