The purpose of this event is to examine the potential for new professional roles in HE institutions that facilitate the interpretation and application of academic research into an industrial context.
This workshop has been organised in response to recommendation 4.2 of the Sainsbury Review – that universities use some of their funding under the HE Innovation Fund to initiate pilot schemes for senior industry professionals to be embedded into departments, acting in parallel to the scientific leader of major projects.
The event is sponsored by the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and will be delivered in partnership by the Cambridge-MIT Partnership Programme and Universities UK.
Overview
The workshop will examine the role of professionals with industry/business expertise, embedded in university research departments, who help inform academic researchers about the priorities and interests of industry and facilitate the interpretation, translation and application of academic research findings into an industrial context. These positions would be of equal status to academic positions and are fully embedded in the research community.
Two models of embedded professional engagement will be considered:
- Ex-industry university employee: former industry professional employed by the university to provide some or all of the following:
- specialist industrial adivce to faculty members;
- act as main point of contact for current and potential industrial partners - guiding industry partners to the most appropriate source of expertise within the department/centre;
- co-supervision of students;
- participation in collaborative research projects
- lectures / seminars related to industrial practice; the application of research findings into an industrial context; etc
- University “Professor of Practice”: university positions reserved for distinguished practitioners who have had a world class impact on fields important to the university’s academic programmes, and who are committed to enhancing those programmes. Professors of Practice can serve as liaisons between industry and the host university in determining research needs and priorities.
Agenda
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08:45
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Registration & Coffee
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09:15
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Welcome
Professor Mike Gregory, CMPP Executive Director and Head Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
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09:20
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Introduction & setting the scene
Mr Ashley Malster, Assistant Director Knowledge Transfer, DIUS;
Dr Eoin O’Sullivan, Senior Policy Fellow, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge;
Mr Steve Mann, Senior Industrial Fellow, Industry Links Unit, Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
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10:00
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Session 1: Examples from the US: Chair – Peter Dobson
Professor Chris Magee, Professor of the Practice of Engineering Systems and Mechanical Engineering at MIT
The various roles and requirements for industry-university boundary spanners
Mr Mark A Beals, Associate Director of the Materials Processing Center & Microphotonics Center at MIT
Case Study: MIT Microphotonics Center – Vision to Industry Implementation
Dr Matt Croughan, Director of the Amgen Bioprocessing Center in the Keck Institute
The Biotechnology Process Engineering Center at MIT: Simultaneous service of an alumnus as part-time industrial liaison officer, industry-wide consultant, and spin-out entrepreneur - presentation available on request
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Who should attend?
This event is intended for an audience of HEIs, in particular:
- Pro Vice Chancellors for Research and/or Innovation
- Those who have responsibility for the knowledge transfer strategy of their institution
- Heads of research services
- Research centre heads/directors
How to register
To register your interest in attending this event, or for more information, please send an email to: j.ouchikh@cmi.cam.ac.uk
Location
This event will be held at Woburn House Conference Centre in London. For information on where to stay in the area, please click here.
