Rama Thirunamachandran

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• Rama Thirunamachandran
• Director, Research Knowledge Transfer
• Enhancing the contribution of
• HE to the economy and society

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Agenda

• Context time of transition
• Public funding to support knowledge exchange from
  HEFCE/OST and development of HEIF
• New strategic developments

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HEFCE strategic themes
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The economy and society theme
Knowledge transfer Knowledge exchange
Teaching
Research
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The new global challenges

• Economic competition from China, India etc low
  price but rapidly developing their knowledge
  bases
• Need for developed countries to re-define sources
  of comparative advantage
• Global and domestic tensions from diversity,
  multi-culturalism
• Weakening democratic and civic participation
• Environmental challenges

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UK Government developments

• Lambert Review of Business University
  Collaboration
• Government Science and Innovation Investment
  Framework 2004-2014
• 2.5 RD challenge

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UK RD ambition sustained growth in public and
private investment
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UK sources of competitiveness HE knowledge base

• High quality, internationally networked research
  base
• Relatively high quality and standards of teaching
  across all HE sector good UK HE brand overseas
• Opportunities for inter and multi disciplinarity
• Developing links into regional and local social
  and economic communities progression routes
• Public funding and commitment to knowledge
  exchange

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Time of transition
Where we have come from
Where we are going to
STEM focus All disciplines Simple
transmission model of knowledge Dynamic
exchange model Wealth creation Innovation,
productivity, quality of life, cultural
enrichment, civic dev, community
regeneration Large, multi-national
businesses Spectrum from global to
local/ regional and all users
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HEFCE -Third Stream Scope
ENHANCING INNOVATION PRODUCTIVITYDELIVERING
ECONOMIC SOCIAL BENEFIT
NB This represents scope not scale
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Chronological Funding View
99
02
00
01
03
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06
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3rd stream formula funding
HEROBC
HEROBC
Transitional
HEIF 1
HEIF 2
HEIF 3
KTCF
HEACF
HEACF
BUSINESS FELLOWS
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Evolution of third stream funding
IMPACT
HEIs - and their activities - will be at
different stages on this trajectory...
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The HE Innovation Fund (HEIF)

• Contributes to UK competitiveness
• Improves HE economic and social impact
• Supports infrastructure in HE for Knowledge
  exchange including capability, seed funding and
  enterprise education
• Licensing, CPD, consultancy, contract research,
  staff exchanges, testing, facilities and skills,
  new enterprises..

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New aims and objectives 2006-11

• To increase the impact of HE to enhance economic
  development and the strength and vitality of
  society, by
• Providing support for sustainable and distinctive
  3rd stream activity in all HEIs - HEIF
• Promoting a specific user-led/regional mission
  for some 3rd stream as 2nd mission
• Increasing global business-HE engagement at the
  leading edge
• Putting spotlight on civic, cultural and
  community contributions
• Using effective funding mechanisms, metrics and
  evaluations

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(1) Future development of HEIF

• Build on present day HEIF
• Consolidate as significant HE function and
  permanent public funding stream
• Support every HEI in their own strategic approach
  to 3rd stream - sustainable and mission
  appropriate
• Approach/KPT By 2008, secure and embed the
  Higher Education Innovation Fund to at least
  2011, at a level greater than that announced in
  the 2004 spending review.

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(2) 3rd stream as 2nd mission

• In countries such as the US there is convergence
  of prosperity across regions. In the UK, there is
  divergence..(Michael Porter)
• Strong regions..have proven to be an
  increasingly important factor for
  competitiveness. (Porter)
• the weakness of UK in terms of research
  intensity and innovation lies in mature
  industries, and the picture looks brighter when
  it comes to new industries and services
  (Lambert)
• ..departments that are doing work that is of
  real value to business but which does not rank as
  world class get little from the dual support
  system
• proximity matters when it comes to
  business-university collaboration

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Addressing Lambert

• Lambert ..Government should take steps to fill
  this funding gap
• Working with DTI/OST, DfES, Treasury and RDAs on
  initial pilot proposals
• Our objective to expand engagement with the HE
  knowledge base by promoting a distinctive
  user-led/regional mission

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3rd stream mission space
3rd stream mission space
Annex B slide 1
user
Main space for 3rd stream mission
2ndary space
Widening Participation Sector Skills Graduate
Employability Higher Education Targets Professiona
l Qualifications Life Long Learning Workforce
Development
Economic Growth Business Competitiveness Healthy
Safe Society Social Inclusion Regeneration
Research
Teaching
Graduates Post Graduates Higher Education Targets
Internationally recognised academic research base
Academic
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(3) Global HE-business engagement

• moving away from a system in which of most of
  their business RD was done in their own
  laboratoriesRD going global (Lambert)
• Overseas developments - German Fraunhofer
  Institutes, Finnish Biocentrum, US Discovery
  Innovation Institutes
• Our objective to strengthen leading edge
  HE-business engagement globally
• Approach Work with Research Councils on new
  environments for leading edge HE-business
  partnerships physical space for intense
  interaction, joint work

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(4) Civic, cultural and community engagement

• Need to balance messages on wealth creation with
  recognition of other aspects of 3rd stream
• Our objective Provide a stronger and clearer
  focus on the civic and community engagement
  aspects of third stream activities.
• Approach Develop and implement a strategy
• describe and celebrate HE diverse contributions
• articulate the arguments for funding
• describe ways in which HEFCE can support HE
  strategically
• seek common purpose with other stakeholders and
  synergy