The commercial exploitation of new ideas is vital to the survival and prosperity of Northern Ireland businesses. If you can get new products to the market faster than your rivals, you will become more competitive. Academic research can often help businesses develop new ideas or enhance existing ones.
One way that businesses can develop new ideas is to form relationships with universities and other research institutions. Your business can benefit commercially from research into processes and technologies relevant to your activities, while universities and colleges gain new sources of funding, and researchers achieve a better understanding of industry needs.
This guide looks at the different ways you can work with universities or colleges. It also looks at key government-sponsored schemes and funding competitions supporting partnership projects.
Innovate UK, previously known as the Technology Strategy Board, provides ways for your business to drive innovation through networking and collaboration. It can help your business through a variety of tools and mechanisms that include the following:
There are seven research councils in the UK. Their role is to fund academic research and training in areas of importance to business, the public sector and government. They aim to help make the UK more competitive, create more effective public services and policy, and to improve quality of life.
Each research council has its own procedure for awarding research and development (R&D) grants. While most funding supports specific research projects based in universities, research councils also aim to promote knowledge transfer between businesses and universities and to turn academic or business ideas into commercial processes and products.
The research councils which may be able to help your business are:
Innovate UK, previously known as the Technology Strategy Board, also has a leading role in promoting knowledge transfer to increase technology-led innovation, through a number of national schemes. See the pages in this guide on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships [4] and Knowledge Transfer Networks [3]. Also, see our guide on the Innovate UK [16].
If you run a business in Northern Ireland, you can find information on R&D support on the Invest Northern Ireland website [17].
SBRI provides funding for innovative products that could help address a specific problem a government department or public sector organisation wants to solve.
Successful applicants receive a development contract for the full cost of demonstrating the feasibility of their technology and the opportunity for subsequent funding for prototype development, whilst retaining the intellectual property.
See the page on SBRI [18] in our guide on Innovate UK [16].
Innovate UK part funds a network of facilities that provide a broad range of services in micro and nanotechnologies.
Read information about micro and nanotechnology facilities on the Innovate UK website [19].
The Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme operates throughout the UK. It is a three-way partnership between:
KTPs usually last between six months and three years.
KTPs aim to:
The KTP process allows you to:
Businesses of all sizes in most industries and commercial sectors can take part, although some limitations may apply. Find out more about the KTPs in Northern Ireland [7] and read about the support available from the NI regional colleges [21].
You can also read GOV.UK's guidance on KTPs - what they are and how to apply [22].
Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) are national networks set up for specific areas of technology or business. They bring people together from various organisations, businesses and universities to promote innovation in research and development (R&D) and knowledge sharing. They also offer invaluable opportunities to make contacts and exchange information with organisations in completely different sectors where ideas can be reapplied. There are 15 KTNs covering a wide range of technology areas - find a list of KTNs on the Innovate UK website [24].
KTNs are hosted on a powerful collaboration platform known as '_connect'. Networking, the exchange of ideas and research collaboration all take place within _connect.
Through _connect, KTNs offer business advantages that include:
Find out about joining _connect on the Innovate UK website [25].
The Step Programme is a scheme designed to help small businesses develop their potential by using the skills of recent graduates and undergraduates to work on specific business projects. Businesses benefit from fresh ideas and the chance to address problems or opportunities for which time and resources are normally lacking.
Through the programme's fully managed service, businesses can:
All placement students receive a weekly training allowance, which is tax and NI exempt. The host organisation pays Step who then pays the students, removing the cost and hassle for the host.
Your organisation can take part if:
You can find out about the Step Programme on the Step Programme website [26].
Links
[1] http://accessulster.com/
[2] https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content-category/innovation-and-rd
[3] https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/knowledge-transfer-networks
[4] https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/knowledge-transfer-partnerships
[5] https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/node/5148
[6] https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/research-councils-and-government-help
[7] http://www.investni.com/support-for-business/products-and-services/knowledge-transfer.html
[8] http://www.investni.com/support-for-business/products-and-services/follow-on-research-and-development/r-and-d-escalator.html
[9] http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/
[10] http://www.esrc.ac.uk/
[11] http://www.epsrc.ac.uk
[12] http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index.htm
[13] http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
[14] http://www.stfc.ac.uk/Home.aspx
[15] http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/Pages/default.aspx
[16] https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/innovate-uk-funding-competitions
[17] http://www.investni.com/support-for-business/products-and-services/first-time-research-and-development.html
[18] https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/small-business-research-initiative-sbri
[19] https://www.innovateuk.org/-/micro-and-nanotechnology-centres
[20] https://sbri.innovateuk.org/
[21] http://www.spiceni.com/FundingOpportunities/Pages/Knowledge-Transfer-Partnerships-(KTP).aspx
[22] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/knowledge-transfer-partnerships-what-they-are-and-how-to-apply
[23] http://ktp.innovateuk.org/what-is-a-knowledge-transfer-partnership
[24] https://connect.innovateuk.org/knowledge-transfer-networks
[25] https://connect.innovateuk.org/home/-/registration/register
[26] http://www.step.org.uk