Diversity in knowledge transfer usage : a relational approach

In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer processes between academia and industry. Although there is growing evidence that the characteristics of individual researchers are important when explaining cases of successful transfer, few studies have taken the individual researcher as their unit of analysis. This study aims to use social network theory techniques to gain a better insight into knowledge transfer processes. In particular, we study how the characteristics of ties among individuals, and the interdisciplinary and pervasiveness of research affects the diversity of knowledge transfer activities. To this end, we conduct an empirical study among researchers in the field of nanotechnology. This sector is chosen for its interdisciplinarity and its expected pervasiveness. Data was collected using a survey conducted in Spain and in The Netherlands, allowing us to correct for some environmental and context effects

How to reform research evaluation in Spain. Institutional accreditation as a response to the European Agreement on research assessment. Letter

Merit, Expertise and Measuremen

Who benefits from HEIs engagement? An analysis of priority stakeholders and activity profiles of HEIs in the United Kingdom

It has been suggested that higher education institutions (HEIs) may develop different activity profiles (including research, teaching and socio-economic engagement) in their attempt to maximise the fit between institutional resources and strategic opportunities; the latter include strategies of engagement with different groups of external stakeholders. Understanding the extent to which HEIs’ resources and activity profiles are aligned with their strategic prioritisation of stakeholder groups, allows us to better understand the different ways in which HEIs drive socioeconomic development. Using non-parametric techniques – qualitative and quantitative ordinal multidimensional scaling – applied to data on the universe of HEIs in the United Kingdom, we show that HEIs with different institutional resources and undertaking different sets of activities prioritise their engagement with different stakeholder groups. We also confirm the complex associations between HEIs’ institutional resources, activity profiles and stakeholder prioritisation strategies, which lock HEIs into configurations that are difficult to change

Measuring the value of placements to employers: A cost-benefit approach

This article explores the concept and measurement of placement value, underexplored in theory and practice to date. The article makes a theoretical contribution to the placement value discourse by examining and articulating the placement value concept. It also offers a practical contribution by exploring a piloted tool to evaluate employer placement value, developed as part of a project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. It examines the immaturity of the placement value concept against contemporary value discourse, including service- and goods-dominant logic frameworks (exploring value-in-use and value-in-exchange) and calls for greater attention to be paid to placement value to support the sustainable provision of placements.N/

Measuring personal networks and their relationship with scientific production

The analysis of social networks has remained a crucial and yet understudied aspect of the efforts to measure Triple Helix linkages. The Triple Helix model aims to explain, among other aspects of knowledge-based societies, ¿the current research system in its social context. This paper develops a novel approach to study the research system from the perspective of the individual, through the analysis of the relationships among researchers, and between them and other social actors. We develop a new set of techniques and show how they can be applied to the study of a specific case (a group of academics within a university department). We analyse their informal social networks and show how a relationship exists between the characteristics of an individual¿s network of social links and his or her research output

Indicators of university–industry knowledge transfer performance and their implication for universities: evidence from the United Kingdom

The issue of what indicators are most appropriate in order to measure the performance of universities in knowledge transfer (KT) activities remains relatively under-investigated. The main aim of this paper is to identify and discuss the limitations to the current measurements of university-industry KT performance, and propose some directions for improvement. We argue that university-industry KT can unfold in many ways and impact many stakeholders, and that, especially in highly differentiated university systems, choosing indicators focused on a narrow range of activities and impacts might limit the ability of universities to accurately represent their KT performance. Therefore, KT indicators should include a variety of activities and reflect a variety of impacts, so as to allow comparability between different institutions and avoid the creation of undesirable behavioural incentives. To illustrate these issues empirically, we discuss the case of the United Kingdom’s Higher Education –Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey

Collaboration and interconnectivity: Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Services and higher education institutions in Nottingham

This paper will describe the developing relationship between Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Services and the two Higher Education Institutions in Nottingham. It will chronicle how a very traditional relationship has been transformed, initially by a simple consultancy project, into a much closer working relationship characterised by a much richer variety of collaborative projects. It demonstrates the potential mutual benefits that greater trust and reciprocity between the institutions can bring to both academia and to practice and the impact it has already had on curriculum development, teaching and learning in Nottingham

Understanding the evolution of the entrepreneurial university:The case of English Higher Education

There has been strong policy interest in universities becoming more entrepreneurial and engaging in knowledge exchange activities as part of an expanding third mission agenda. However, our understanding of the evolution and diversity of such activities is limited. Using longitudinal data from the Higher Education Business Community Interaction (HEBCI) Survey, this study examines the evolving configuration of universities' knowledge exchange activities and stakeholders by analysing distinctive clusters of English universities. We find an increasingly diverse profile of third mission activities across different types of universities: within old, more established universities, Russell Group universities increasingly focus on research‐oriented activities typically in partnership with large firms and non‐commercial organisations; while another group engages in a broad range of knowledge exchange activities with low specialisation over time. Newer, less research intensive, universities increasingly rely on activities such as consultancy and formation of spin‐offs. A decreased engagement with small and medium enterprises and a lower share of knowledge exchange activities at the regional level are observed across the time studied for all universities.JRC.B.4-Human Capital and Employmen

Learning from the UK’s research impact assessment exercise: a case study of a retrospective impact assessment exercise and questions for the future

National governments spend significant amounts of money supporting public research. However, in an era where the international economic climate has led to budget cuts, policymakers increasingly are looking to justify the returns from public investments, including in science and innovation. The so-called ‘impact agenda’ which has emerged in many countries around the world is part of this response; an attempt to understand and articulate for the public what benefits arise from the research that is funded. The United Kingdom is the most progressed in implementing this agenda and in 2014 the national research assessment exercise, the Research Excellence Framework, for the first time included the assessment of research impact as a component. For the first time within a dual funding system, funding would be awarded not only on the basis of the academic quality of research, but also on the wider impacts of that research. In this paper we outline the context and approach taken by the UK government, along with some of the core challenges that exist in implementing such an exercise. We then synthesise, together for the first time, the results of the only two national evaluations of the exercise and offer reflections for future exercises both in the UK and internationally