Knowledge Transfer Portal: A gateway to Research Councils' activities and schemes in knowledge transfer
Publisher/Organizer: Research Councils UK
Publication date: 2009
Language: English
Overview
What is knowledge transfer? Knowledge transfer describes how knowledge and ideas move from the knowledge source to the potential users of that knowledge. The Research Councils encourage knowledge transfer by supporting schemes and activities to transfer good ideas, research results and skills between, for example, universities and other research organisations, business, the third sector and/or the wider community.
The RCUK Knowledge Transfer Portal offers a single point of access for those in, e.g., academia, business, public, private and/or third sectors, who want to find out about Research Council knowledge transfer schemes and activities, and how to get involved.
Content
Collaborative Research is academic research undertaken in partnership with other universities or research organisations, with business, with government and/or with the third sector (e.g. charities). Collaborative research can take a number of forms, from a basic grant between two partners, through to a complex multi-partner research programme.
Collaborative Training enables researchers to develop the relevant skills to undertake excellent research, work effectively in business (and/or the government or other important sectors), and exploit the outcomes of their research. Training opportunities include vocational courses, collaborative studentship projects between academia and industry, and training in entrepreneurship.
People & Information Exchange recognises that individuals are at the heart of knowledge transfer. All Research Councils encourage increased levels of university-business interaction; all support the exchange of researchers between academia and industry, and stimulate partnerships between business and researchers. This includes support for brokering and networking activities, fellowship schemes that enable researchers to work in a commercial environment, and support for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs).
Commercialisation & Development includes a number of activities to encourage researchers for to take their ideas further down the route to exploitation, and to reward them for excellence in innovation. The Research Councils' Follow-on Fund (plus a range of other Council-specific schemes) supports 'proof-of-concept' type work, the RCUK Business Plan Competition provides training and mentoring in the development of business skills, and Enterprise Training develops researchers' entrepreneurial skills.