CIMR Research in Focus 5: Creating Entrepreneurial Universities

In our centre, we are committed to multi-disciplinary academic research that has relevance for industry and policy makers.

In February 2020, we hosted a panel debate on ‘Challenges and opportunities for university-business co-creation – comparing international perspectives’ which invited academics and consultants to outline their view of the ever-changing relationship between universities and private enterprise.

Since then, we have continued the discussion on the best way to approach university-industry co-creation and the surprising factors that might influence the success of collaborations.

At a virtual CIMR Debate in Public Policy in July 2020, we welcomed Dr Laura Kreiling, OECD Science and Technology Policy Division, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation and academics from our centre to present findings in relation to the ongoing project on co-creation by the OECD.

Our researchers have also been exploring the impact and success of university spin offs. A study by Dr Ning Baines and Professor Helen Lawton Smith has explored the lesser known facts about university spin-offs, while PhD research by Peter Jelfs into the financial performance of such spin-out companies in the West Midlands led to the publication of a study in the Journal of Technology Transfer exploring the conditions under which university spin-offs perform.

For universities wishing to assess their existing level of innovation and entrepreneurialism, the HEInnovate framework, explored in a blog by Professor Colette Henry, offers a useful starting point.