As well as creating positive change and enhancing teaching and learning, engaging with businesses can generate income. This can be directly through activities such as contract research and consultancy income. Indirectly, knowledge exchange activity carried out by the University contributes to the Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey (HE-BCI survey), which in turn determines the Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) funding.
There are different stages to working with businesses and other organisations. These are simply put below:
Understand your stakeholder
What are their values and goals?
Ask questions and be curious to find out and understand the motivation of your stakeholder.
Identify your currencies
What can you provide to the stakeholder that will be of value to them?
The most common currency that the University can offer is the knowledge and expertise of an academic/research. This may be arranged through a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP), research consultancy, or a research contract, for example. More details of each of these is below.
Match to the stakeholders need
You need to retain an open mind and be adaptive to your stakeholder. Relationships can take a long time to build up, initially you may start working together on a small initiative allowing you to build up trust, which can lead to further opportunities.
Consultancy
Consultancy is the provision of expert advice based on existing knowledge; it is a great way to create impact. Unlike research, the purpose of undertaking consultancy is not to create new original knowledge, although new information based on the application of expertise to an organisation's challenge or problem may result.
The University provides a managed service for consultancy, supporting pricing, negotiating, contracting and invoicing. This takes care of the contracting arrangements for you, so that you can focus on the delivery of the work.
Contact consultancy@lancaster.ac.uk to discuss your opportunity and seek advice or clarify pricing.
ConsultancySteve Young, Professor of Accounting discusses how he has used consultancy to apply his expertise into organisations and help to address their challenges. He talks about the benefits of undertaking consultancy work - how the money has allowed him to fund research - and the support he has received from the consultancy team.
Contract research
Contract research is commissioned and paid for by an external organisation.
Research can be commissioned that is directly related to organisational challenges or problems, benefiting from Lancaster’s state-of-the-art facilities and research power.
Research contracts are set up with confidentiality and intellectual property provisions as appropriate to the project.
Contact Mark Bowen, Business Gateway Manager m.bowen1@lancaster.ac.uk for more information.
Collaborative research projects
Research collaboration can be an effective way to ensure research impact, providing an opportunity for academics to engage with others affected by and interested in the proposed research. It provides real world context and application for the research.
Collaborative ResearchKnowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs)
KTPs are a UK programme to help businesses innovate for growth through collaborative partnerships with higher education institutions and other knowledge organisations. A graduate is employed on a project with a business that lasts between 12-36 months. The graduate receives expert guidance from an academic. The project will aim to help solve a specific challenge or problem faced by the organisation. Up to 67% of the project costs are funded by the government.
LU Engineering department set up a KTP with Atkinson Vos, a specialist in all-terrain vehicles. The case study illustrates how the KTP benefited the business, the graduate and academics. A series of case study videos, involving KTPs with Lake District Farmers, Atkinson VOS and ICT Reverse have been put together showcasing the benefits of these programmes.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Student placements and internships
Building up relationships with external organisations can help identify student placements and internships that can benefit the employer and the students. The students can help deliver solutions as well as gain experience and skills valuable for their future careers. In some cases, student placements and internships can lead to more permanent employment.
- LUMS Placements Team: lumsplacements@lancaster.ac.uk
- FST Student Employability Team: scitech.futures@lancaster.ac.uk
Senior Leader Apprenticeship
The Senior Leader Apprenticeship is one of a suite of programmes delivered by the Professional and Executive Management Learning team (PEML). It enhances the strategic leadership capabilities of senior managers through a combination of academic study and work-based practice. This programme has immediate impact on individuals and their employers. Individuals benefit from personal, professional and academic advancement, while organisations benefit from talent building and succession planning. In addition, the development of cross-organisational communities of practice enhances industry development and collaboration, resulting in positive and sustained cross-sector impact.
Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) programme
The Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) is amongst the oldest and largest EIR networks globally, producing thousands of student interactions and hundreds of annual contact hours. A LUMS EIR is an entrepreneur experienced in building, leading and growing organisations. They can provide unique insights on start-up, funding models, family succession, mergers and acquisition and digital models of business forged from real-life experience which is complementary to the taught theories and models of business.
Launched in 2008 the programme has now grown to over 90 EIRs based on four continents supporting not only students of entrepreneurship but also faculty seeking to enliven teaching with practitioner input and require access to research materials as well as helping to maintain links with alumni business owner-managers.
The network has proven longevity, diversity and resilience which impacts positively on the Lancaster student experience, strengthens national and international business networks and enhances the reputation of LUMS as a business school directly engaged with business. Find out more https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/business/entrepreneurs-in-residence , follow EiRs on LinkedIn or email eir@lancaster.ac.uk