Nurturing collaborative research and development

The Research Councils will be holding a seminar as part of the "Science & Innovation 2006: Taking up the Technology Challenge" conference on 18 May.

The Research Councils aim to encourage greater partnership between researchers and the potential users and beneficiaries of research where collaboration can help the progress and take-up of research. This seminar will explore the features of successful academic-industrial collaborations and the role of funding bodies, such as the Research Councils, in enabling and nurturing these relationships. Chaired by Dr Doug Yarrow, Director of Corporate Science, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, it will look at two sectors – healthcare and energy – with contributions from all sides of the relationship: Professor Jenny Cooper, National Grid Transco; Dr Ian Cotton, The Manchester Centre For Electrical Energy; and Dr Celia Caulcutt, LINK Programme in Applied Genomics.

Participants at the seminar will be invited to express their views on how Research Council activities can evolve to get the best value from research collaborations.