As we approach the University of Kent closure for the festive period (from the 21 December – 2 January), we would like to share with you some of our best knowledge exchange moments from the past year. After all, ’tis the season to be jolly – and we’re jolly proud of what Kent has achieved this year.
i-Teams 2022
We kicked off the year by bringing together 34 students and 3 businesses for i-Teams 2022; an 8 week student knowledge exchange programme through which students teams had the chance to solve challenges set by their business sponsors. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with one representative from SAGA having said, “I really could not recommend i-Teams enough, it has been a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the students’ academic learning, building relationships and challenge our internal biases and status quo.”
We are currently recruiting students to i-Teams 2023 – more information about the programme can be found on our website.
Kent and Medway Business Summit
Led by Kent Business School, the Kent and Medway Business Summit returned to campus on Wednesday 27 April 2022 welcoming crowds of local delegates, keynote speakers and a plethora of presentations, workshops and debates.
Following the success of the event in 2022, Kent Business School are hosting the Summit in 2023 at an earlier time of Friday 13 January. Find out about the event and how to book your place here.
Net Zero Pathways to Change
We are delighted to have been able to work with the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce with funding from the UK Community Renewal Fund to offer a series of deep dive training workshops led by 8 Kent academics to help local businesses on the path to net zero. Following a free net zero audit, 5 businesses from Swale, Canterbury, Thanet and Gravesham were given £55,000 in total to work with our academic colleagues to overcome their sustainability challenges. Keep an eye out for the outcomes of these projects in the new year!
Kent R&D Tech Conference
Hosted by the Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, this conference will brought together academic and industry experts for an exciting speaker programme focused on future challenges and innovations in the fields of Healthcare Technologies, Security and Environmental Sustainability.
Kent Natural Sciences Showcase
This showcase, organised by the Division of Natural Sciences, brought academics, business and industry together for a tour of our cutting-edge facilities and an introduction to our world-leading expertise ranging from physics, chemistry and biology, through to the more applied field of sports science, forensic science, health and pharmacy.
Launch of the MRC Impact Acceleration Account
Earlier this year, the Medical Research Council (MRC) awarded the University of Kent with a £300,000 Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) to flexibly support a wide range of translational research projects that must involve external stakeholders such as industrial partners, and the clinical sector. Ahead of the first funding round, a launch event brought together academic, industry and clinical colleagues to exchange ideas and inspiration for projects for which the funding could be used.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of this funding opportunity you can find out more about the MRC IAA on our website.
Kent HR Conference
The 8th Kent HR Conference, hosted by the Kent HR Network, brought together over 50 academics, guest speakers and delegates to share academic insight, discuss industry challenges and provide tips and tools which HR professionals could take away to apply in the workplace.
The Kent HR Network will be hosting more events throughout 2023 so make sure to join the network if you would like to be involved.
Bring on 2023…
This is just a taste of some of the fantastic events and activities that we’ve engaged in this year to enable academic ideas and insights to be shared outside of the University, and external perspectives and experiences to be brought in to academia. In addition, we have been:
- Collaborating with business and industry on research and consultancy projects
- Supporting existing and embarking on new Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
- Commercialising our innovative technology
- Arranging student placements
- Providing external organisations with access to our facilities
And that’s not all! Watch this short video for a summary of the University of Kent’s wider achievements this year.
If you are an academic or external organisation looking to benefit from the support and funding we have on offer, contact our Business Relationships team at businessrelationships@kent.ac.uk to discuss opportunities for collaboration.