UK to embed commercial expertise in academic departments

Innovation minister Drayson: "vital exchange of knowledge".

Initial funding of £2 million will be used to bring professionals from industry to work in BBSRC-funded projects, programmes, and centres, to support the translation of academic research.

Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Paul Drayson, said, “BBSRC’s new fellowship scheme will enable a vital exchange of knowledge and expertise between academic and industrial sectors. Fellows of this scheme will get to share their experience, skills and contacts directly with researchers – which is essential to bring innovations from research to market, rapidly.”

Industrial Impact Fellows will work within research departments and institutes alongside academic colleagues funded on BBSRC research projects to bring their knowledge, experience and networks to bear on the process of bringing innovations from research to market.

John Coggins, Vice Principal for the Faculties of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Clinical Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, at Glasgow University and a BBSRC council member said the potential value of the scheme is to enhance university knowledge transfer activity by having a person sitting within a research group and really immersing themselves in the work that is going on.

“We expect that an Industrial Impact Fellow will be in the ideal position to spot opportunities for translation of research into social and economic impact at a very early stage and provide the expertise needed to deliver effective translation. Researchers in universities and institutes are increasingly concerned to identify and realise the social and economic potential of their discoveries as soon as possible. However, the kinds of entrepreneurial skills and business knowledge required to do this are often not available to them.”

The scheme builds on the existing Industry Interchange Programme, which supports the flow of researchers, in either direction, between the science base and industry. The Industrial Impact Fellowships are specifically aimed at industry research leaders who have management and business experience.

There is a strong element of flexibility in the scheme such that individuals may choose to take a fellowship as a secondment, or to work 50/50 with their industrial employer, for example.

Also, the host departments are encouraged to consider the suitability of offering long term opportunities following the fellowship.  This flexibility builds in the chance for Fellows to take new skills and collaborations back into the commercial sector.