Universities play a key role in driving innovation in the UK by helping businesses access skills, expertise and to bring ideas to market. Kent’s Enterprise and Commercialisation Team have seen this first hand as facilitators of Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). With a 100% success rate in securing funding via the KTP scheme, they are experts in listening to business needs and helping them achieve their innovation goals. Here, they address some of the top misconceptions businesses have about interacting with universities.
Where do I start?
‘When it comes to research and innovation, there are a whole plethora of ways to interact and work with us. You may be seeking to consult an expert, commission a piece of research, collaborate on a grant application, access business funding, draw on student talent, or access existing technologies and training programmes. We have a team dedicated to helping businesses to identify an approach which suits their needs, so please just reach out and contact us. We are always keen to speak to businesses of all sizes to discuss how they can work with us.’
Do universities really want to work with us?
‘Yes! We have pledged to be a leading civic university by 2025 and collaborating with businesses on research and innovation is a part of that. Business collaborations often lead to sector-relevant course content and placement opportunities which enhance the experience of our students and equip them with the skills they need for future careers. It is also becoming more important that we demonstrate the impact and real-world value of our research. To achieve this, we need to engage with businesses such as yours to understand the challenges you face.’
Innovation is too expensive
‘There are a variety of ways to work with the University of Kent, each with their own price tag and many of them free! When a business connects with us, we work with them to understand their needs and what they are hoping to achieve within their budget. There are also a wide range of government funding mechanisms to support business/university collaborations and we are experts at securing this type of funding.
‘Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme is one example. KTPs bring together forward-thinking businesses with university academics to deliver innovation projects led by skilled graduates. We hold a 100% success rate in securing KTP funding and are supporting a wide portfolio of projects, each lasting between 24-30 months. As an SME, not only would the scheme cover 67% of your project costs, but you would also receive support to hire and train the Associate who would lead the project, and access expert advice from Kent academics and an experienced Innovate UK KTP Advisor.
‘Other schemes, such Business Innovation Vouchers or Kent’s Impact Acceleration Accounts, can provide more flexible funding for projects supported by Kent academics. These cost-effective solutions are often used by businesses to test ideas or take technology emerging from Kent research and explore ways to scale it up or bring it to market.’
Research and innovation isn’t for us
‘Research and innovation is something that should be on the radar of all businesses regardless of the sector or size. To maintain or gain a competitive advantage businesses should be horizon scanning and looking for the ‘next big thing’ – where better to find this than cutting-edge research at the University of Kent!
Even if you are currently unsure what would benefit your business please do reach out as we can help identify possible solutions to a wide range of challenges your business may be facing.’
We work on different timescales
‘We are very much business led and will work with you to establish a time scale that works. With such a wide range of ways to work together there is always a time-appropriate way of collaborating.’
We’ll lose ownership of the intellectual property
‘At Kent, we understand that intellectual property (IP) is very important to businesses and industry and will always aim to address your needs and concerns. As a charity committed to the transformative power of education and research, our research outcomes are charitable assets. The costing of any interaction will be aligned to this as it often influences the ownership and access terms of any IP we create. In many instances, our team of experts will have an upfront discussion with prospective partners to understand their priorities, with a view to reaching an agreement which is beneficial to all parties.’
Businesses looking to find out more about how they can innovate with Kent can visit our Business and Partnerships webpage or contact the Enterprise and Commercialisation team at businessrelationships@kent.ac.uk.