Tagged / Business Innovation and Skills

Impact through enterprise: The Ingenuity Summit

Events, Impact, innovation

BU has partnered with The Ingenuity Programme, which exists to tackle the UK’s major social and environmental challenges through the creation of innovative start-ups. The programme aims to help people turn their ideas for change into a business that creates impact.

This year’s programme has three key areas of focus – building stronger communities, improving health, and tackling climate change.

Staff, students and alumni are eligible to take part in the programme, with the opportunity to hear from industry experts and gain support from specialist mentors to develop ideas into a business plan. Participants can also submit their idea to a competition and be in with a chance of winning significant investment and support.

The Ingenuity Summit

The Ingenuity Summit will explore the three areas of focus from local, national, and lived experience perspectives.

Held on 6 – 8 December 2021, the event brings together industry experts, regional panellists, and local community members to share their insights on how to build stronger communities, improve health, and tackle climate change.

The summit takes place online and is free to attend. To find out more and book your place visit: https://ingenuityimpact.org/ingenuity-summit/

BU research influences new UK Govt. Innovation Strategy

BU research, Impact, innovation, policy

As mentioned previously on the BU Research Blog, Dr John Oliver’s (FMC) research into the effects of crisis events on corporate innovation and performance was published in a Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy (BEIS)Committee pre-budget report (February 2021) on The Impact of Coronavirus on Business and Workers.

The Govts. response to this inquiry demonstrates the instrumental impact of Dr Oliver’s research and the role it has played in helping shape the new ‘Build Back Better: our plan for growth’ and the ‘BEIS Innovation Strategy’. Both of these plans aim to incorporate long-term strategies that centre on business investment that drives innovation in the UK economy.

Dr Oliver would like to thank Sarah Carter, Policy and Public Affairs Officer (OVC) who advised on the written evidence submission and helped with checking the impact audit trail.

Dr Oliver’s research can be accessed at: Oliver, J.J. (2020). Corporate turnaround failure: is the proper diagnosis transgenerational response? Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 3-9.

UK companies getting the message on innovation

Business Engagement, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Knowledge Transfer

innovation
Growing numbers of UK companies are investing in research into new products and services, according to a study by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. (BIS)
The UK Innovation Survey 2015 Main Report, published by BIS on 12 July, collates the results of telephone interviews and a postal questionnaire completed by nearly 30,000 businesses around the UK.

It characterises innovation as any activity involving the introduction of a new product or process; engagement in on-going innovation projects; changes to the company structure or practices; and investment in research, training or technology.

The proportion of innovators increased across the UK, with the introduction of new computer software and ghardware were the most common forms of innovation investment reported.

Click on the links below for more information:

Useful summary: UK innovation survey 2015: infographic

Background: UK innovation survey 2015

Full report to download: UK innovation survey 2015: main report

 

Call now open ! Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF): money available to support your business engagement and knowledge exchange ideas.

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, HEIF, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Knowledge Transfer

HEFCE provide funding for knowledge exchange (Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF)) to support and develop a broad range of knowledge-based interactions between universities and colleges and the wider world, which result in economic and social benefit to the UK. The current round of funding is referred to as HEIF-5 and runs until 31st July 2015.

BU has a proven track record with this funding stream and our success continues. Currently there are 13 live projects funded from HEIF-5, including VFX Hub, BUDI and the Cyber Security Unit. Interim funding has been made available to run from 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016. This is known as HEIF 5+1.

The call is now open. Colleagues are invited  to bid for funds to run new projects with funding starting 1 August 2015 and ending 31 July 2016.

Deadlines are tight with the deadline for proposals being Friday 3 July 2015.  (Timetable for the call.)

These projects will need to reflect our interim strategy sent to HEFCE:

“BU will continue to invest in innovation themes with a strong focus on network creation, with a particular focus on digital and creative industries, health and wellbeing, and regional development. The additional year of funding will enable BU to continue to develop our existing area in addition to investment to develop new innovations. This will allow BU to create innovations in areas such as e-health, whilst developing closer links with regional initiatives to enhance local development opportunities, working with the Dorset LEP and other local organisations. We will also consider the use of HEIF funds to invest in effective mechanisms for engaging with business/industry. Our core strategy of investing in sector-specific themes with a strong focus on network creation remains; what has changed in light of emerging opportunities is the nature of the themes in which we will invest and the mechanisms through which we will engage with the region.”

For more information please click here.

Make sure you read the information listed in the useful documents section including:

HEIF Institutional Strategy

HEIF FAQs

HEIF Application Form

Highlights from the recent Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Conference

Funding opportunities

KTPFollowing the Comprehensive Spending Review of 2010, the Technology Strategy Board was hit hard, as were many government departments and their initiatives. The December 2011 KTP Conference, however, shows that the climate for KTPs is improving and that BU is in a position to benefit from this optimism.

Highlights from the conference were:

  • Iain Gray (TSB Chief Executive) emphasised KTPs are central to the schemes offered by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) delivered via the Technology Strategy Board.
  • Although KTPs should still demonstrate the previously advised elements of Innovation, Impact and Challenge, there is a shift towards Quality in proposals. The outcome for BU is that KTPs looking at market development and business strategies may be acceptable to the TSB, if a high level of quality can be clearly demonstrated in the proposal.
  • A good relationship with local our KTP adviser is vital in ensuring successful KTP outcomes. The adviser should be contacted early on in the development of the proposal to ensure that each project meets with current TSB (and other funders’) criteria.
  • The TSB is developing relationships with other potential KTP funders including public bodies such as research councils. Other funding schemes are available within the TSB and should be considered if the KTP model is not appropriate.
  • Academic staff are encouraged to make contact with the Knowledge Transfer Network for their area of expertise via the _connect website.
  • The TSB is consulting with HEIs in the light of the Wilson Review . This is supported by other TSB reports such as Concept to Commercialisation.
  • There is a general need across the KTP sector to attract,  recruit and retain high quality UK / EU graduates

For more information on KTPs, please go to the KTP website  or at BU contact David Kilburn (dkilburn@bournemouth.ac.uk)