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THEME 3: INTENSIFYING KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND BUSINESS
Main Issues
1. Knowledge exchange between the many players in the "science and innovation system" is vital if we are to optimise the benefits of science in the economy as well as ensuring a receptive and engaged society on science issues. The strategy therefore needs to cover the whole spectrum of knowledge exchange from, at one end, exchange between academia and business through to exchange between the science research base to the general public at the other. This theme focuses just on the links between academia and business, while other themes, in particular 5 to 7 cover other areas of knowledge exchange.
2. We need to consider this interaction from both perspectives: the push of new ideas being generated and made available to the market place from academia, and also the pull of companies making contact with the science base, providing information on market opportunities and adapting new knowledge and technologies to create wealth. A recently published report, Mapping the Scottish Innovation System ( SIS) 5 identified various weaknesses in interactions between business and the science base, most notably those involving indigenous small and medium-sized firms. This is a particularly important issue since Scotland has such a high proportion of SMEs. The report also identified the mismatch between the strength of the science research base and the weakness of the knowledge exploiters in the industry base.
We need to:
- continue to work on changing the culture in both business and academia, including emphasising the benefits of commercialisation, and providing supportive structures and incentives to commercialise.
- continue to develop the pipeline of support for commercialisation of research from the science research base.
- consider how far we can bring the strategic missions of our research-active universities into greater alignment with our economic needs, while not sacrificing the research excellence of our science research base.
- consider how Further Education Colleges can contribute more to the knowledge exchange process.
3. Views are sought in this consultation on what else can and should be done to intensify knowledge exchange between business, particularly SMEs, and the science research base and on knowledge exchange in its wider context.
Commitments and actions from the Progress Report on the science strategy
4. In responding to this consultation it would be helpful to have views on the following proposed aspirations and actions including mechanisms for delivery:
Long term aspirations
We will:
- Be more sophisticated in our understanding of the innovation system in Scotland and ensure that its components interact in an optimal way.
- Establish an acceptance from all sides of the way that our pipeline of support for innovation and commercialisation of research from the science research base benefits the economy.
- Encourage a continuing climate of emphasis on the value of commercialising research, and a culture that fosters knowledge transfer from the science research base
Short to Medium Term Action Points
- Continue to implement the actions outlined in our response to the Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration
- Encourage initiatives to improve the interface between universities, colleges and businesses
- Develop mechanisms to improve co-ordination of funding through the Scottish Funding Council, the Enterprise Networks and the Executive on major research projects of benefit to the Scottish economy
- Encourage more SMEs to interact with the research providers though initiatives such as SCORE, SEEKIT and Interface
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