Full bleed

An Example of a Business Facing University

Guardian HE Summit 2008

Professor John SeniorPro Vice-Chancellor (Research)

A business-facing university – University of Hertfordshire

The University of Hertfordshire aims: “to be recognised as a new model of a university through far-reaching engagement with business, community and international partners, shaping the future success of their graduates operating in the global environment, and advancing the prosperity of their region”. The university encourages a constant interchange between business, academics and students. Many university staff members spend a proportion of their time working in industry, running their own businesses, keeping their knowledge up to date and helping to develop students’ business skills.  The university’s business-facing activities include: • Business Link Merger• Entrepreneurship• Business experience for undergraduates• World-class research facilities: BioPark Hertfordshire October 2007.

Sainsbury Review – Case Study

1

1993 Hertfordshire Business Centre Ltd (HBC) secure Business Link Licence for Hertfordshire (TEC 51%, UH 18%, Herts Chamber

of Commerce 16%, Herts County Council 15%)

2000 Exemplas established as Holding Company with HBC a subsidiary

2002 Demise of TEC – share reallocation UH 34%, Herts County Council

33%, Herts Chamber of Commerce 33%

2002 Exemplas announced as winner of FT/BT UK’s top 100 visionary companies

2004 Exemplas announced as winner of Europe’s top 500 award for business growth

2

Exemplas Holdings Ltd - history

2005 Share reallocation UH 98%, Herts Chamber of Commerce 1%, Herts County Council 1%

2007 Co-location with the University

2007 Exemplas secure East of England Business Link Licence

2007 Exemplas (with Reed) secure Yorkshire and Humberside Business Link Licence

Exemplas Holdings Ltd - history

3

Corporate/Infrastructure• Marketing & Communications• CRM/common technology platform• Strategic relationships/account handling• Physical relocation/premises• Establish operating protocols/service level agreements

Tactical Projects• Employability• Diversity• Management development offer – mapping exercise• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships• Short course co-ordination• New collaborative opportunities

University - Exemplas Operational work packages

4

… having explicit business engagement at the very core of our mission

… our funding and income. UH commercial revenue set to exceed core teaching grant from HEFCE

UH awarded £4.2 million HEFCE Strategic Development Fund - funding to drive employer activity – UHEvolution

Business facing is ….

5

• A positive business-like set of attributes and aspirations - an inclusive brand

• Staff mindset and culture

• Focusing on student skills and work place opportunities

• Engaging and collaborating with business, the professions, the public sector

• Integrating academic insight with practical expertise and workplace learning - incorporating enterprise and entrepreneurship

• An institution-wide focus on innovation and applied-collaborative research

• Adding value to business, the regional and national economy

Business facing is also about ….

6

Research in a business facing, student focused University

Researchers are innovative and enterprising, demonstrating entrepreneurial skills and abilities

The student experience is enhanced through learning in a research active environment and through their contact with enterprising research staff

Research is seen to be user or client-driven where the client is industry, commerce or the public sector including the research councils

Researchers are business-like and professional in their approach to the research, the students and the client/user community

An excellent infrastructure is provided to facilitate applied research and innovation through IP support together with access to advice and facilities to assist both knowledge and technology transfer

7

Research and development• Grant-aided collaborative basis

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Collaborative R&D

• Contract basis

• Sysmedia (Wheathamstead) – graphics and software design for live data (subtitling, sports)

• Keyphoto (St Albans) – manage photographic distributor's transition from analogue to digital

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

8

Knowledge Transfer Partnership Case Study:PCME – particle monitoring instruments

Particle monitoring from industrial processes

Novel emission monitoring instrument

Light scattering technology

New product launched Expertise gained to

develop other products

9

Further Knowledge Transfer Partnership Examples

Heales Medical

• Multiple programmes: IT tools for healthcare management; psychology of workplace stress

COFEPOW

• Archiving software and online database of Far East prisoners of war records

10

Collaborative Research:BIRAL Ltd – bioaerosol detection systems

UH developed research prototypes for real-time detection of airborne biological organisms

BIRAL engineered these into military grade detection systems for front-line use, as well as monitors for civilian applications

BIRAL systems have been procured by MoD since mid-1990s

Over this time BIRAL’s core business has changed from franchisee to OEM

11

Spin out : 3D–Molecular Sciences

• Collaboration between Scientific Generics and UH

• Based on UH intellectual property• Coded microparticle technology acts as

miniature labels

12

Always seeking opportunities to work with the local business community…

Exemplas • Regional Business Link Licence• Current turnover £25M per annum• Interaction with 50,000 businesses in UK

• Plan to more fully integrate with the University

BioPark Hertfordshire • Support from Regional Development Agency

• Start up/medtech incubator

Innovation Centre• On-campus location for 22 SMEs

• Access to facilities, staff and students

•UH also runs 12 subsidiary businesses

Business partnership and interaction

13

BioPark Hertfordshire

• 7,500 sq m of ready-to-use Chemistry and Biology laboratories

• 30 sq m to 180 sq m with adjacent write-up areas

• £20 million refurbishment and upgrade

• Full laboratory services, dark rooms, autoclaves, freezer rooms etc

• Office and conference accommodation

• Fully secure

14

Innovation Centre

• Spin-out and spin-in companies

• At the heart of the University• Adjacent to Science &

Technology Research Institute• Access to library, sports, fast

networking, etc• Meeting clear demand• Lack of such space in

Hertfordshire

15

• Entrepreneurship training and activities - ‘UHFlare - a Dragon’s Den approach’

• Employability skills embedded incurriculum for all programmes

• Placements, internships and work based learning

• Career Development and Graduate Recruitment Centre - preparing students for lifelong employability

• Externally sponsored scholarships

• Graduate consulting unit

Empowering students

16

“ ... business-facing universities focusing on the equally important economic mission of professional teaching, user-driven research and problem-solving with local and regional companies ...”

Sainsbury Review – October 2007

17

• Different types of institutions serve different purposes

• New generation of universities dedicated to delivering to the knowledge economy

• Traditional linear model, research exploitation, is only part of the picture

• Business-facing universities will deliver a more holistic model: Knowledge exchange Collaborative R&D Process improvement Service innovation Flexible work-based learning and CPD

• For example, the UH-Exemplas model

Role for business facing universities

18

• Working with Exemplas to deliver learning to employees – a large Higher Education CPD provider

• The employer offer – the benefits of employing a UH graduate

• Professional advisory groups – each programme has received business input

• Business Partnership Office

• Law clinic

• Case Study – MBDAWorking with a local business to improve workforce skills set

Responding to business needs

19

How we do ‘business facing’!Engaging UH Staff

• UHMindset – small steps of change and staff facilitators

• Use of Exemplas Adaptability Index Tool

• Sector Partnership Champions

• Staff development opportunities to achieve management of change

• Reward strategies – e.g. Readers and Professors embrace enterprise

Co-location

• Exemplas/Chamber of Commerce/Institute of Directors/Herts Prosperity

Influence and endorsement

• Hertfordshire County Council/East of England Development Agency

20

• Further extend and exploit the business partnership linkages with Exemplas

• Develop work experience for all students

• Progress CPD offer to graduates throughout working life

By 2012• Commercial income - 1.5 x core teaching grant

• 80% of undergraduates receive accredited work experience

• Profits from University companies will support academic activities by £5M per annum

Some next steps ….

21

February 2008

http://perseus.herts.ac.uk/uhinfo/uhevolution/uhevolution_home.cfm