This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New initiative to match up businesses and universities
08/03/2006
A unique initiative which will help business make full use of Scotland's world-leading university 'know-how' was launched today.
Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen launched Interface - backed by £870,000 from the Scottish Funding Council - which will match companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, with the skills and expertise of Scotland's higher education and research institutions.
Mr Stephen said that Interface would provide a much-needed boost to Scotland's business research and development rate, and would create new opportunities and increase revenue.
He said:
"Making the best use of our world-leading skills and research is vital to Scotland's future economic success.
"Scotland must become a 'science nation' where people in universities and business work together to create new economic opportunities. Interface will help make that vision a reality.
"In Scotland, we have an internationally competitive university knowledge base. We produce 1 % of the world's published research with only 0.1 % of the population.
"Despite this, business spend on R&D, particularly amongst small companies, is disappointingly low. It is vitally important that we find ways to improve this position.
"The Interface programme will tackle this issue head-on. It is a very exciting new development involving all of Scotland's universities. Businesses will now find it easier to forge links with our world-class universities and tap into their outstanding pool of expertise.
"Interface has links to thousands of experts in a wide range of industry sectors who can help give Scottish companies answers to their individual business challenges.
"This project has fantastic potential to bridge the gaps that too often still exist between business and the academic world."
'Interface - the knowledge connection for business' is a small team of experts based at the University of Edinburgh. It has been set up in conjunction with the Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland and the Enterprise Networks. It will work closely with all of Scotland's universities and will act as a single access point for industry to Scotland's university research base. Companies will be able to access free information on available specialist expertise, including research and technology capabilities, consultancy, industrial placements and access to equipment and facilities.
The Scottish Funding Council has provided funding over three years of £290,000 per annum. Other funding has been provided by the Scottish Innovation Action Programme (European Regional Development Fund) of £217,500.
Creating such a service was a key recommendation of the Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration, which was commissioned by the Treasury. In its response to the Lambert Review, published in March 2005, the Executive made a commitment to work towards the development of a single point of access for business, particularly SMEs, to research and knowledge transfer. Interface meets that commitment.