Help you Develop Market or Industry Lead
When you’re looking to compete on more than price, service, choice or even brand and give your company a strategic market lead through R&D, innovation or continuous improvement, then working with our specialist knowledge exchange services can help. R&D is not the sole domain of large businesses, much as we welcome them. There are a range of options that deliver affordable projects or work packages for SMEs, particularly in Cornwall. Here it’s all about the fit with your business and the research focus of the HE partner. In the right situation, payback can more than justify the effort.
Typically this might be improving design and materials’ performance or manufacturing processes, developing and exploiting technologies, providing a product development lead and reducing time to market or conducting evidence based studies to inform organisational policies, practices and attract investment.
Research collaboration activities usually involve making the results public, unless you're using contract or paid research with a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
How do I know which services are relevant to my business?
You don’t need to navigate your way through this. Contact us and we’ll try and work out how we can help with your specific challenges and manage your expectations in working with universities and colleges.
R&D using Knowledge Transfer Projects
Knowledge Transfer Projects (KTPs) combine your expertise with that of a graduate and their academic mentor to address an R&D challenge. They are offered through a number of our partners (University of Exeter, Plymouth University, University College Falmouth and Cornwall College) and subsidised by the Technology Strategy Board. As a national scheme, if the expertise you need resides in a university outside Cornwall, then we can help you access it.
Typically a Classic KTP will last around two years and cost ca. £20k per annum. It has a fairly involved application process, but in return you will deliver a strategic outcome, and hone your own technical staff whilst managing your risk. Applications must require academic expertise and demonstrate innovation, impact and challenge.
More details on KTP from Plymouth University can be downloaded here and from the University of Exeter can be downloaded here
Postgraduate Placements Cornwall
Postgraduate Placements Cornwall is a consultancy level business placement programme starting in September 2011 and running in Cornwall until 2014. The programme is delivered by University College Falmouth and partner institutions, University of Exeter and PCMD.
You can gain help with a business project of 6 weeks or equivalent length on a part-time basis during the academic year. The placement programme specialises in creative industries, engineering, environmental and human sciences. Whilst the majority of the placement duration will be funded by the European Social Fund there will be a requirement of a minimum contribution from the business towards the students ‘salary’. The placement will be facilitated by University College Falmouth, all we ask is that the work is interesting and at a level to make postgraduates more attractive to future employers.
Tapping into Academic Expertise – Contract or Paid Research
In many sectors and disciplines, either industry will lead at a particular time, or pioneering work may be underway within Higher Education. Whilst we can’t subsidise your business, we may be able to spend some time and help you solve a problem or address a situation in a different way. As part of their work, academics across CUC partners work extensively with business, as part of their own work-related networks.
Where you as a company want to meet your own research objectives and retain the direct benefits of the work for your own use, then commissioning research or consultancy projects may be right for you. Projects can be short term. Much of the work our partners undertake is confidential.
Some of our partners also take part in large scale, collaborative research. This might involve working with research councils, large corporate and public sector organisations, often over three years where the results are fully publishable and in the public domain.
Specialist Services from CUC Research Institutes
PRIMaRE - the Peninsula Institute for Marine Renewable Energy is run by Plymouth University and University of Exeter. Its focus areas include: resource characterisation, marine renewable energy systems, environmental and biodiversity impacts, safe operations and navigational risk, underwater and surface electrical systems and socio-economic factors.
ESI – the Environment & Sustainability Institute is run by the University of Exeter. Its focus areas include: clean technologies, natural environment and socio-economic impacts.
AIR – University College Falmouth’s Academy for Innovation & Research is a the home of research and business collaboration at University College Falmouth. AIR includes research and knowledge transfer activities, MPhil/PhD study, and a range of schemes and facilities to help businesses innovate and grow.
ECEHH – the European Centre for Environment and Human Health is run by the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry. Areas of interest include: how climate change will affect human health and wellbeing and the impact of pollutants, using the natural environment to promote health and wellbeing, particularly in businesses.
Business Mentors – Environmental Technology
Business Mentoring is provided by Dr Mark Scibor-Rylski and Mr Robert Misselbrook from the University of Exeter who jointly bring a wide range of technical, business and Venture Capital experience to companies, linking strategy, finance, corporate partners and larger markets.
Grant for R&D available from the Technology Strategy Board for SMEs working on proof of market, concept and development of a protoype from April 2011
For more information on how your business could benefit from working with our CUC Research Teams, visit the research pages