Response to the University Innovation Fund (UIF) priorities - January 2016 University of St Andrews As a leading Scottish University, we recognise our role as an engine for societal change and economic growth, and we continue to develop enterprise and engagement activities to further facilitate the building of strategic relationships with business, industry, government and 3rd sector organisations at regional, national, and international levels We are also exploring the means by which to offer students further opportunities to engage with enterprise and to develop entrepreneurial skills The University actively engages with policy providers in many areas, including but not limited to health; marine environmental management; housing and population; policing and crowd management; creative industries; and sustainability The University hosts a range of collections, which are displayed in its galleries and museums (MUSA, Gateway, Bell Pettigrew and Library) that are open to the public The renowned Byre Theatre in St Andrews is under the management of the University, and operates as a theatre, educational resource, general arts venue and music centre, providing a year round programme of events open to the community, to increase participation and attendances in drama, music, opera, film and visual arts and public engagement with university research We offer student placements, internships and modern apprenticeships in the Byre Theatre, to help young people into work in the creative industries and to support the development of a strong local creative sector During 2016, the University will complete the development of its biomass boiler at Guardbridge and will connect a district heating network to its science, medicine and residential buildings on the North Haugh The next stage of the development is a proposed Guardbridge Centre, to act as an accelerator and for commercial companies to work with research to showcase solutions to major challenges for society The Guardbridge Centre is intended to be a catalyst for new research and potentially support a range of project developments between industry and the University, together with other UK and international collaborators In addition, the Centre will be developed to offer office, workshop and laboratory space with the aim of attracting businesses and skills into the region In 2017, we will start to transition up to 300 University staff from St Andrews to modern offices at the Guardbridge site Our investment in these areas will continue to grow and it already comfortably exceeds the matched-funding requirement of the UIF Platform Grant Using the UIF to meet our ambitions and the SFC’s national priorities St Andrews’ has previously used the Knowledge Transfer Grant (KTG) to support business & community engagement, research and researchers’ development, innovation, enterprise and commercialisation activities The move from KTG to UIF presents the University with both opportunities and challenges The most significant opportunity offered by the UIF is its support of outcomes-based success The most significant challenge is the potential for an increased number of pan-Scotland collaborative “hub & UIF OG point 10 spoke” initiatives (e.g SIE, Enterprise Campus, Converge Challenge, Interface) that service best the need of the industries and institutions they are closest to, with less attention paid to the needs of industry and smaller institutions out-with major population centres A range of approaches centred on/in St Andrews, rather than serviced through additional activity-hubs based in Scotland’s metropolitan areas, is more likely to result in the desired outcomes This does not mean that we are divorced or independent from wider university collaborations or pan-Scotland hub activities - rather that we need to resource a distinct local delivery, providing services aimed at improving business relationships and expanding entrepreneurship The UIF offers a way to balance and achieve our dual ambitions of resourcing bandwidth to better use and learn from existing hubs and to initiate and stimulate a range of local interventions in St Andrews; we look forward to developing an appropriate Framework with the sector to monitor and evaluate the success of the new UIF approach In 2014‐15, the University made 415 formal income-generating engagements, had 126 additional project discussions with commercial ventures, and agreed 96 formal nil‐income agreements with a range of organisations We aim to build and improve on this by enhancing relationship‐building activities to provide better access to the University which will improve the quality of relationships and the value of the interactions The university’s Knowledge Transfer Centre and the Business Development Team will respond quickly to Interface, Innovation Centre, Enterprise and Business Gateway enquiries and referrals made on behalf of Scottish companies With 12 successful collaborations in 2015 the SFC Innovation Voucher scheme is working very well for us as a way to engage with businesses We are also making use of collaborative studentships, follow‐on vouchers and H2020 funding We employ a Business Innovation Manager, to make the journey of an SME simpler, providing enhanced reception, clear signposting, assistance with project bids and project management support Better handling and management of existing relationships, business development for new ones and instilling a “can-do” culture towards promoting requests for further assistance from partner SMEs, will provide the opportunity and basis for us to develop a range of strategic, longer-lasting relationships with Scottish business organisations At the institutional level we will continue our contribution to, and support of, the collaborative development of suitably enhanced contract arrangements for SME’s through our RCDG Contracts group We will implement new agreements developed collaboratively in alignment with the best practice adopted across all Scottish HEI’s In addition we will consult and work collaboratively with other Universities, Interface, Innovation Centres, Business Gateway and the Enterprise agencies to agree and implement appropriate post-project referral protocols for SME research clients, aimed at providing an enhanced, well-linked network that usefully and practically supports company needs and ambitions Where appropriate (and in concert with the other Scottish HEIs, R&D organisations, Enterprise support agencies and the Fife Economy Partnership), St Andrews will work to harmonise innovation systems and approaches to development across the Scottish network We will play our UIF OG point UIF OG point UIF OG point UIF OG point UIF OG point part in designing and delivering any future restructuring of the Scottish innovation ecosystem aimed at building responsive first-class networks to rival the best in Europe and the developed world The long-term strategic relationship we have developed with SASOL, the South African based fuels and chemicals giant, is an example we seek to replicate SASOL first set up their European laboratory within the School of Chemistry in St Andrews in 2002 and R&D agreements are now in place through to 2022 This strategic relationship has been hugely beneficial to both SASOL and the University providing industrial research challenges addressed through studentships, long term research project sponsorship, short term problem-solving contracts, collaborative project bids to external organisations, consultancy and expert commentary and input into the University curriculum SASOL’s impact extends beyond St Andrews into Fife, providing high quality employment for staff and opportunities for suppliers in the region and across Scotland We will launch a long-term project directed at finding and building additional strategic relationships with external non-academic organisations – learning from the SASOL experience – in the areas of both STEM and AHSS Whilst the companies and other organisations approached are likely to be international, their forming strategic links to St Andrews will have wider impacts in St Andrews and benefits for the Fife and Scottish economy We will use the UIF to encourage and support staff exchanges with business, both into and out from the University For example, we will initiate a new scheme for academic staff to provide the opportunity to apply for sabbatical leave (i.e., LoA on full-pay to enable, for example, industry secondment or other external placements) specifically to develop knowledge exchange projects that will lead to additional research impact We will also establish an ‘innovation fund’ modelled on the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account, to which non-EPSRC-type researchers can apply These schemes will allow the University researchers to work with existing Scottish SMEs or engage in commercialisation of their research We will support (and aim to enhance) local R&D skills in SMEs that contribute to effective research collaborations and project delivery, through providing appropriate workshops and course opportunities in St Andrews delivered through the University’s professional development unit (CAPOD) 10 This offering will be enhanced through collaborating with other Scottish HEIs, Interface and other bodies to promote Scotland-wide training opportunities, skills for employability and best-practice A range of external organisations (PraxisUnico, AURIL) will be used as necessary to address particular individual’s skill needs when appropriate (e.g for enterprise and innovation support staff) 11 A range of extra-curricular entrepreneurial activities are promoted to students and staff at St Andrews through the twin auspices of the Student Enterprise Officer based in the Careers Centre and the KTC which supports the development and exploitation of technology and IPR-based opportunities The Careers Centre and KTC work closely with CAPOD to offer a range of workshops fostering business planning and enterprise Under the leadership of the Vice-Principal (Enterprise & Engagement) these will further expanded to address enterprise and employability skills amongst UG students, PGRs and University staff Our target is to instil culture change across all the communities UIF OG points 11 & 12 UIF OG point UIF OG point 10 UIF OG point 11 UIF OG point within the University; the end-game is developing the skills which will enable the formation of new enterprises with the potential to grow in scale, influence and value 12 To date, enterprise and employability skills for students have been provided through an annual programme of mainly extra-curricular events Student Enterprise works with organisations like SIE, Enterprise Campus, NACUE, Entrepreneur First, New Entrepreneurs Foundation, Princes’ Trust Scotland and Business Gateway to host events on campus and signpost relevant students to what these organisations offer The credit bearing, interdisciplinary module “MN2112 Enterprise & Creativity” is a key opportunity to attract and engage with students from any faculty 13 It is interesting to note that a number of the students who take this module go on to be enterprising in various societies and maintain their contact with the Enterprise Officer when planning and organising events for their society There are also a number who go on to seek advice and guidance for their own ventures – both commercial and social enterprises We are sponsoring our first Tier Graduate Enterprise Visas this year and anticipate a growth in this scheme 14 We are reviewing our internal structures that support enterprise and employability to ensure we provide more effective delivery that reflects the needs of both our internal ecosystem (students, staff and researchers) and the external opportunities afforded by our Development Office’s network of graduates and alumni and the support offered through SIE, Enterprise Campus and others In principle our aim is to provide support that matches an individual’s or enterprise’s needs, rather than distinguish in any way between students and staff In addition we are reviewing institutional incentives and rewards (for example, factoring KE activities into career progression) for staff engaging in enterprise generation and IPR & technology development 15 Since 2010 the University has formed 14 technology-based companies, some as wholly owned subsidiaries others as full spinouts In the same period we have completed 49 technology licences, 26 of these benefiting Scottish companies and our licensing returns over the period are in excess of £3.5M We subscribe and support UT.com and provide a range of EAIP offerings through the site, but all our technology offerings represent very early opportunities requiring substantial development and investment In future, we will work more closely through our wholly‐owned subsidiaries in the SOI Group and other external parties; using the opportunities afforded by Guardbridge to potentially host a business accelerator and incubator, we aim to develop research-led technologies further in‐ house if development funding can be secured on a sustainable basis St Andrews is actively involved in adopting and promoting best practice as provided by the RCDG’s Spin‐out Support group and UT.com technology promotion subgroups The University’s IPR portfolio and the opportunities it affords is entirely dependent on the volume, quality and uniqueness of our discovery research; technology development, licensing and spinout company success is highly dependent on external investment and other forms of support We look forward to some wider improvements in the innovation ecosystem through the growth of positive demand‐side interventions enabled from Scotland Can Do, Innovation Scotland, SE and other Government and private sector initiatives in this area 12 UIF OG point UIF OG point 14 UIF OG point 15 UIF OG point 13