These case studies highlight researchers fostering partnerships with business
and industry to achieve economic and societal impact. Researchers working in partnership
with business will help ensure that we generate innovation and commercialisation
of ideas for growth.
Professor Martin Bache: from the University
of Swansea emphasises the importance of thinking
about the knowledge exchange and impact that occurs
from the flow of people from research into industry
and vice versa. An important route to commercial
impact has also been his close working with Rolls
Royce.
Ian Lazarus: at the STFC Daresbury Laboratory
provides technical and engineering support to nuclear
physicists. However, the work of him and his colleagues
at the Nuclear Physics Group (NPG) has potential
impact beyond his field and applications to the
medical and security industries. Further collaborations
have resulted from networking which means a new
technology in development may help improve future
diagnosis of cancer.
Professor Nick Jennings: is from the University
of Southampton and has led an award winning project
with BAE Systems which has generated a number of
patents and technologies. Success has been due to
the constant and regular cooperation and communication
with the users of research to ensure research outputs
were applied effectively and to steer the direction
of the research.
Professor Lucio Piccirillo: from the University
of Manchester highlights how talking to people outside
of his own discipline of radioastronomy has led
to many impact opportunities. He encourages other
researchers to talk to researchers outside their
field when completing their Pathways to Impact and
highlights the value of building up a network of
contacts.
Professor Rhodri Williams: from the University
of Swansea changed the direction of his research
from the rheology of industrial engineering fluids
to rheology of blood coagulation through a chance
meeting. As a result, Swansea is now seen as a world-leading
centre in this field and him and his colleagues
have two spin-out two companies, and are having
a clinical impact in local hospitals. He now regularly
engages with a wide variety of users including the
general public, as the feedback he receives from
them has been invaluable to his research.
Professor Nick Tyler: from University College
London researches how people interact with the environment
which has led him to set up the Pedestrian Accessibility
and Movement Environment Laboratory (PAMELA). To
maximise the impact of his research he has engaged
with users and the public which has led to a collaboration
with Thameslink2000 train link in London which has
had national impact for train design in the UK.
Professor Dek Woolfson: Professor Dek Woolfson from the
University of Bristol advises against writing the pathways to impact
at the end of the grant proposal. He suggests populating it with
headings and sub headings for each area where there is a potential
impact. Professor Woolfson’s impact activities are very much focussed
on building the research capacity of the next generation, helping
to lay the foundations for better engineering of biology and engagement
with the public. He believes that public engagement encourages an
understanding of his science from different perspectives, which
in turn has a positive impact on his own research.
Dr Stephen Cavers: Dr Steven Cavers at the NERC centre for
Ecology and Hydrology led a project studying the process of evolution
in pine trees native to the UK, which aims to help commercial growers
produce stronger, more resilient varieties of pine trees. Dr Cavers
has established contacts with Forest Research, the Forestry Commission’s
research arm, which communicates with a wide national network of
tree planters to understand what research stakeholders consider
important; he has also implemented a skills development plan to
improve the communication skills of the project researchers and
to proactively create opportunities to interact with end users.