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Join our University-Industry Impact Accelerator!
12 September 2023
Why Join our Accelerator Programme?
Fostering science commercialisation and university-industry collaboration is a challenging endeavour. It involves developing programmes that effectively harness knowledge, intellectual property, and resources, while bridging the gap between diverse incentives, cultures, and abilities. Experimentation can help guide effective policy design, improve the impact of these programmes and determine the most effective approaches. Our programme is structured to empower you and your institution to explore new frontiers in university-business collaboration and enhance the commercialisation of research, leveraging effective design, evidence building, and the experimentation approach.
Programme Details
Online Webinars: We will kickstart the programme with two informative webinar sessions, open to all interested parties and crafted to cater to the diverse interests and expertise of our participants.
- Enhancing Programme Impact and Identifying Opportunities (September 27, 2-3 pm BST): The first session will lay the foundation for impactful university-industry collaboration through experimentation. The webinar will cover a wide range of insights and strategies on how experimentation can be used to increase programme impact, making it a must-attend event for everyone involved in science commercialisation initiatives.
- Exploring Experimental Ideas in University-Industry Collaboration (October 4, 2-4 pm BST): Building on the groundwork established in the first webinar, this session will delve deeper into the exciting world of experimentation. We will explore innovative ideas and practical approaches, making it especially relevant for those directly engaged in the day-to-day implementation of programmes.
Personalised Technical Support: After the webinars, you will have the opportunity to apply for participation in our 6-month support scheme that will run between November 2023 and April 2024. If selected, you and your team will receive up to 6 months of technical support from our Innovation Growth Lab staff at no cost. We will guide you through designing an experimental intervention and establishing the necessary structures to learn and adapt effectively. The support will encompass various aspects, including programme identification and ideation, theory-of-change development, trial design, data collection plan, beneficiaries’ recruitment plan, and trial protocol design. Participants will also be able to engage and develop collaborations with world-leading researchers from the IGL Research Network.
Who is the Programme for?
Our accelerator programme is tailored for intermediaries in the university-business collaboration space who are actively developing or implementing programmes to promote intellectual property exploitation at research institutions, increase business access to academic research, or improve knowledge exchange and collaboration between academia and society. Whether you work at innovation agencies, research institutions as technology transfer officers or business engagement leads, or in similar positions, we believe this programme can provide valuable insights and support. There are no geographical restrictions, and all interested participants are welcome to join the workshops and apply for the support scheme. However, please note that researchers and SMEs may not directly apply.
Your Commitment
To make the most of this opportunity, we invite you to:
- Attend the two overview workshops to explore experimentation, generate ideas, and identify a specific programme to work on.
- Submit an application to the support scheme, focusing on a particular programme you are currently designing, piloting or implementing that could benefit from the 6-month technical support. (We will give you more details about how to apply at the webinars.)
- If selected, commit to dedicate at least two individuals from your team to actively engage in the personalised technical support during the programme.
Expression of Interest
If you are interested in joining our programme, kindly register for the workshops and express your interest in participating in the 6-month support scheme by September 22 at this link. The application process for the support scheme will close on October 18 and, if selected, your organisation will receive the technical support from November 2023 to April 2024.
As this is a global programme, the workshops’ times may not work for some participants. If you would like to participate in the workshops but cannot due to time zone differences (or for any other reason), please register your interest and indicate that in the comments section. If there is sufficient interest, we will organise additional sessions.
Spread the Word
We strongly encourage you to share this exciting opportunity with others within your organisation and network who might find it valuable. The more participants we have, the greater the impact we can collectively make on science commercialization and university-industry collaboration.
Questions?
If you have any questions or comments about our Accelerator at this point, feel free to get in touch with our Senior Researcher Sara García Arteagoitia ([email protected]).The core of this work is made possible by European Union funds through ATTRACT Phase 2 and is subject to pre-established research objectives; these include making the results of the work public (participating institutions may remain anonymous if so desired). The research interests of the ATTRACT Phase 2 programme may also influence selection criteria for participation in the technical support phase. However, IGL also pursues the wider goal of fostering experimentation in university-business collaboration as part of our programmes of work; we are thus committed to exploring ways to support interested agencies that do not fit the selection criteria. Register your interest to start the conversation!