Why engage with industry?
Industry plays a vital role in supporting researchers at UK universities, not only through direct and indirect funding but also by providing access to specialist infrastructure and tools that may not exist within academia and by providing student placement opportunities. For these reasons, it is worth investing in strong, long-term relationships with industry partners working in areas linked to your research.
Industrial funding can also provide an independent benchmark of the value of a piece of research. This may be important to a researcher, answering that nagging question, “does my research really matter?”. This acknowledgement by industry can also unlock additional funding from other, non-industrial sources. Research Councils within UKRI, which fund much of UK research, reason that if industry is prepared to put its own money into a research project, then the research case has been thoroughly assessed and shown to provide commercial impact.
Research which shows strong impact through interaction with industry will be better at attracting both Research Council and wider government funding. Thus, even if your research is not directly funded by industry, by building relationships with industry, you may lay the foundations for potential future support.
Applied research may lead to start-up companies. Some equity investors will put money into early-stage companies which grow from university research. A supportive industrial partner can help an equity investor validate their investment decision.
Some tips for industrial engagement
When engaging with industry it is important to consider the different perspectives which researchers and industrial partners hold. Research is about increasing understanding. Industry is about applications. Industry will ask; Does it work? Is there an application? Would a customer be prepared to pay enough for this application to outweigh the research and production costs? Does this application offer us an advantage over our competitors?
It is sometimes said that industry operates over a short timescale compared to research institutions. This is an oversimplification. Industry would like to see a good return over both the short and long-term. If they are involved in research, they understand the importance of long-term thinking. Reticence around investing in longer timescales is because the risk is high and no one can be sure that their investment will be recouped. My view is that it can be acceptable to seek funding for a research program that only has an impactful return in the long term. However, in doing this you must show a credible path to eventual commercial exploitation. Industry likes to see measurable, near-term milestones, even if actual commercial gain is a long way off.
Bear in mind that when presenting to industry, you probably know more about your subject than they do. They will know this and may seek to assess your research proposal in other ways. Instead of assessing your research directly, they will judge you as a person, at least initially. Is this researcher credible? Are they respected by their peers? Can they piece together a logical argument? It is much easier for them to judge whether you present as a coherent and pragmatic person, than the details of your actual research. In describing your research, certainly be analytical and quantified but also tell a story about how your research does, or could, relate to the real world. Don’t make unjustified assertions or extrapolations. However, do not fear saying, “in the future this research could lead to….”
It is important to engage at the right level. There is no point in writing directly to the Chief Executive of a major company. They are unlikely to have the bandwidth to properly respond to you. Larger companies will often have departments focused on research and it is good to make contacts with this part of the organisation. Contacts with these companies can often be established through colleagues you have worked with in academia. Attending trade and technical conferences can be helpful in meeting people in your chosen field. Trade bodies like Techworks UK, and learned institutions like the Institute of Physics may be able to point you in the right direction. Innovate UK funds nine Catapults (organisations are tasked with helping industry and academia work together more effectively) in a variety of different fields. These catapults have strong links to both industry and academia and should be able to help make links. However, it is also important to get access to the level in the organisation where the budget holding responsibility lies.
Most Universities and other research establishments have some form of Technology Transfer Office (TTO) which will oversee the interaction between academics and industry. These offices are important in making sure your time and intellectual property is safeguarded, and you and your university extract an appropriate recompense from industry. TTO advice on non-disclosure agreements, exclusivity and confidentiality can be invaluable. However, TTOs have a complex mission and on occasions might appear to be legalistic and slow. This can frustrate both researchers and industrial representatives. Try not to let administration get in the way of research or commerce.
Industrial partners are invariably busy people and usually have compressed and unforgiving schedules. Thus, the basic disciplines of work apply strongly to interaction with industry. Be on time to meetings and in submitting reports. Don’t waste time on preamble, do what you say you are going to do and follow up on actions.
Interacting with industry can provide useful personal development for a researcher. Industry representatives can illuminate broader relevant issues beyond academia, and they will ask the sort of questions that the public at large would ask. Building a relevant network in the industrial community is helpful, both in an academic career, and if you choose later to undertake research in industry.
One final piece of advice I would give is, don’t dilute the clever. By this I mean, even the best research will probably only contain one nugget of fundamental value. I call this the clever. Around this intellectual kernel, there’s a lot of other stuff; circuit boards, reagents, power supplies, documentation etc. All this stuff is important for your research and probably important for industry too, but these ancillary aspects can probably be done more cost-effectively elsewhere. Don’t let the supporting items eclipse the clever. It is the clever that you as a researcher make possible. It is the clever that might generate commercial value, and it is the clever that industry is interested in.
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