University impact through knowledge and intellectual property
This project is examining how users engage with and access academic knowledge and intellectual property (IP). The research will draw on a number of scoping case studies and a large scale industry survey.
Universities are increasingly being called on to better engage with business, to better share their academic knowledge and to generally 'do more' to support innovation in our economy. Yet academic-industry relationship evolution and success factors remain poorly understood. To date research has focused on how universities try to work with businesses and how they push out their knowledge, without equivalent developments in our understanding of the business side of this relationship.
This project aims to better understand how business and other users engage with academic knowledge and intellectual property. With this understanding we can better learn from good practice and ensure that public policy effectively supports both sides of industry-academic relationships. We are in the process of developing a number of case study pieces to be followed by a large-scale business survey.
Current research
- How do different forms of relationship between firms and academic research organisations develop? What factors influence success?
- What are the characteristics of firms with successful academic relationships? How do firms best absorb academic knowledge and IP?
- How well do firms and universities understand where IP rights support or inhibit these relationships?
- What could help to build a system that supported better and more productive relationships and meet latent demand?