Research intensity and knowledge transfer activity in UK universities

As the innovation process has become more open and networked, Government policy in the UK has sought to promote both research excellence in the university sector and the translation of this into economic benefit through university-business engagement. However, this policy approach has tended to be applied uniformly with little account for organisational differences within the sector. In this paper we consider if differences between universities in their research performance is reflected in their knowledge transfer activity. Specifically, as universities develop a commercialization agenda are the strategic priorities for knowledge transfer, the organisational supports in place to facilitate knowledge transfer and the scale and scope of knowledge transfer activity different for high research intensive (HRI) and low research intensive (LRI) universities? The findings demonstrate that universities’ approach to knowledge transfer is shaped by institutional and organisational resources, in particular their ethos and research quality, rather than the capability to undertake knowledge transfer through a Technology Transfer Office (TTO). Strategic priorities for knowledge transfer are reflected in activity, in terms of the dominance of specific knowledge transfer channels, the partners with which universities engage and the geography of business engagement.     

In good company: The influence of peers on industry engagement by academic scientists

Previous research on academic entrepreneurship and engagement with industry has found that the behaviour of academics is influenced by their local social context. However, we know little about the mechanisms that produce this effect. We argue that academic scientists’ industry engagement is influenced significantly by the behaviour of their peers, that is, the behaviour of colleagues of similar seniority. Using insights from social psychology, we hypothesize that these peer effects are produced by the mechanism of social comparison. In an analysis of data from multiple sources for 1370 UK academic scientists and engineers, we find that peer effects are stronger for early career individuals and weaker for star scientists, suggesting the incidence of social comparison. We argue that individuals look to their immediate peers for inspiration, because they view them as an important reference group and use them as a benchmark for their own ambitions and behaviours. Our findings have important implications for how universities may encourage scientists’ behaviours by paying attention to local work contexts.     

Performance-based research funding: Evidence from the largest natural experiment worldwide

A performance-based research funding system (PRFS) is a nationwide incentive scheme that promotes and rewards university research performance through competition for government funding. The UK’s PRFS, currently the Research Excellence Framework (REF), is considered the oldest, largest and most developed payment-by-results system in academia worldwide. Surprisingly, and despite the strong criticisms, little has been done to quantitatively and casually evaluate the intended and unintended effects of the PRFSs. In this paper, we evaluate the incremental impact of the REF 2014 in the fields of Economics and Business. We use a synthetic control method to compare the performance of UK universities with their artificial counterfactual units constructed using data from US universities. Our analysis shows, on the whole, that the introduction of the REF had a significant and positive impact on the quantity and quality of the scientific research produced at UK universities. However, we do not find a significant effect on the per author measures, suggesting that the REF did not result in an increase in research productivity. We also show that the effects are more heterogeneous across universities than across academic disciplines. We do not find evidence of a shift of research focus from Economics to Business topics, as some feared. But our analysis indicates that the REF 2014 may have contributed to the concentration of research excellence in elite institutions.     

Which types of knowledge-intensive business services firms collaborate with universities for innovation?

Drawing on data from an original survey of UK and US publicly traded knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) firms, we investigate what types of KIBS firms collaborate with universities and consider the collaboration important for their innovation. First, we find that science-based KIBS firms (those engaged in a science, technology, and innovation [STI] mode of organizational learning), like science-based manufacturing firms, are active collaborators with universities for innovation. This relationship is further enhanced if these firms also provide highly customized services. Second, in contrast to the existing literature suggesting that firms engaged in a doing, using, and interacting (DUI) mode of organizational learning do not regard collaboration with universities as important for their innovation, we find that KIBS firms engaged in a DUI mode of organizational learning and offering highly customized services are active collaborators with universities for innovation, despite the fact that they may not possess highly formalized scientific knowledge. These findings suggest that KIBS firms co-create knowledge with universities differently than manufacturing firms. Moreover, the findings highlight the wide variety of roles that KIBS firms play in innovation networks with universities.     

Engaging excellence? Effects of faculty quality on university engagement with industry

We investigate how universities’ research quality shapes their engagement with industry. Previous research has predominantly found a positive relationship between academics’ research quality and their commercialization activities. Here we use industry involvement measures that are broader than commercialization and indicate actual collaboration, i.e. collaborative research, contract research and consulting. We hypothesise that the relationship between faculty quality and industry engagement differs across disciplines, depending on complementarities between industrial and academic work, and resource requirements. Using a dataset covering all UK universities, we find that in technology-oriented disciplines, departmental faculty quality is positively related to industry involvement. In the medical and biological sciences we find a positive effect of departmental faculty quality but establish that this does not apply to star scientists. In the social sciences, we find some support for a negative relationship between faculty quality and particularly the more applied forms of industry involvement. The implication for science policy makers and university managers is that differentiated approaches to promoting university-industry relationships are required.     

The interconnections of academic research and universities’ “third mission”: Evidence from the UK

A considerable body of work acknowledges the importance and benefits of the university–industry relationship for the economy and society, but also for increasing the revenue of universities themselves (known also as universities’ “third mission”). However, questions have also been raised about the consequences of the university-industry relationship and its impact on their traditional role. This paper contributes to this debate by exploring whether and how being efficient in generating income from engagement activities impacts on universities’ research performance. By using a sample of 119 UK higher educational institutions for period 2007–2014, and controlling for endogeneity issue, the results show that efficiency in terms of university-industry income and research performance exhibits a nonlinear relationship for both universities established before (“old universities”), and after (“new universities”), the Higher Education Act 1992 (HEA). However, for high level of efficiency, “old universities” do not appear able to improve their research performance further. Finally, positive synergies between the third mission and research mission decline in a more teaching-oriented environment. We conclude that policy makers should account for organisational heterogeneity and teaching orientation to promote research excellence effectively by stimulating engagement.     

Measuring the economic benefits from R&D: improvements in the MMI model of the United Kingdom National Measurement System

The benefits and priorities of public funding of R&D programmes are the subject of considerable research and debate and a number of methodologies have been suggested which might allow us to arbitrate on the issues involved. This paper looks at one method that is actually used in practice to evaluate and rank publicly funded R&D programmes in the UK. We describe the improvements that have been made to the mapping measurement impact (MMI) model, which is used by the UK Department of Trade and Industry to assess the economic benefit to industry of different research projects funded as part of the United Kingdom National Measurement System. The model has been in use for more than 5 years as a means to compare publicly funded R&D programmes. It allows evaluation of their benefit and prioritisation of future funding schemes and has potential for wider application in other areas of public R&D investment both inside and outside the UK.     

Minding the communications gap: How can universities signal the availability and value of their scientific knowledge to commercial organizations?

We posit that a communications gap exists between universities and commercial organizations, attributed to their idiosyncratic goals, interests, and incentives. To bridge this gap, universities need to recognize and leverage observable differences in the strength of signals and the width of channels used to disseminate their scientific knowledge externally. We explore these ideas by analyzing knowledge dissemination and academic engagement activities in 133 UK universities in the period 2011–2019. Our analysis shows that universities with a lower scientific impact have a higher intensity of collaborative research, contract research, and consultancy activities if they communicate that impact through more prominent scientific outlets. In turn, universities with a higher scientific impact have a lower intensity of interaction with commercial organizations if they communicate their scientific impact through less prominent scientific outlets. We further reveal that universities with a higher economic impact show a higher intensity of collaborative research. At the same time, we find no evidence that the social impact generated by universities is linked to the intensity of university-industry interaction, no matter the channels through which that impact is communicated. Using these findings, we draw implications for practice and policy.     

Access to UK academic networks

Computer networks are assuming an increasingly important role in the transmission and manipulation of information. The implementation of the Joint Academic Network (JANET) provides for the first time a truly integrated, private academic network linking all UK universities. Based on a set of standard communication protocols, JANET has largely superseded earlier regional networks, and their associated interconnection procedures which were complex and unwieldy. An in-depth survey of six UK universities and two polytechnic institutions was undertaken with the objective of examining the principal issues to emerge in the field of academic networking in Great Britain. The survey also considered the implications of current network developments for new categories of services and users that are likely to emerge (by contrast with existing network traffic which is primarily associated with data processing and computation).     

英国科研项目全经济成本核算改革及其启示

如何确定稳定经费与竞争性经费及其之间的关系是各国政府科研经费管理的热点课题。本文介绍了从20世纪末开始,英国政府为解决高校教学和研究基础设施发展经费被快速增长的竞争项目严重挤占挪用的问题,在机构层面推行透明核算方法(TRAC)和科研项目全经济成本核算(fEC)的实践,探讨了这场改革在理念和方法上对我国科研经费资助体制改革的启示和借鉴意义。     

面向科研的高校图书馆知识产权信息服务研究

【目的/意义】文章从全球共融的创新环境出发,分析高校科研行为中知识产权的复杂性问题,从而提出高 校图书馆专门面向科研的知识产权信息服务,以更好地推动创新,支持“双一流”建设。【方法/过程】基于已有的国 内外高校知识产权信息服务的实践经验及启示,文章结合高校图书馆知识产权信息服务及数据共享与管理服务的 优势,提出高校图书馆面向科研的知识产权信息服务的框架,进行运营模式、服务策略及服务内容分析。【结果/结 论】文章提出的图书馆服务运营模式及服务策略,适用于当下的国际科研环境,可作为同行的实践借鉴。【创新/局 限】基于目前的创新环境,文章提出专门面向科研的知识产权信息服务,为面向对象的个性化服务探索研究。     

以校企合作促进小微企业创新的英国经验——以创意产业为例

在过去20年中,英国在创意产业领域推行了一系列校企合作计划,旨在弥补小微企业知识缺乏、促进其不断创新.以此为例进行分析可知,英国促进小微企业创新的校企合作政策,在知识服务内容上注重为小微企业提供创新所需的各类知识,在知识服务方式上根据不同的服务目的 和知识特性而运用相应的知识生产或转移规律,同时充分考虑小微企业作为知识服务对象的弱势与多样性,从而能充分、有效、个性化地促进小微企业创新.英国经验对我国以校企合作促进小微企业创新主要有3点值得加以借鉴:首先,加强对大学服务企业规律的研究;其次,建立各类大学与大型企业服务联盟;最后,发挥大学对地区行业的有针对性支撑作用.     

University-industry linkages in the UK: What are the factors underlying the variety of interactions with industry?

This paper examines the different channels through which academic researchers interact with industry and the factors that influence the researchers’ engagement in a variety of interactions. This study is based on a large scale survey of UK academic researchers. The results show that university researchers interact with industry using a wide variety of channels, and engage more frequently in the majority of the channels examined - such as consultancy & contract research, joint research, or training - as compared to patenting or spin-out activities. In explaining the variety and frequency of interactions, we find that individual characteristics of researchers have a stronger impact than the characteristics of their departments or universities. Finally, we argue that by paying greater attention to the broad range of knowledge transfer mechanisms (in addition to patenting and spin-outs), policy initiatives could contribute to building the researchers’ skills necessary to integrate the worlds of scientific research and application.     

地方高校高层次人才引进后续工作的优化策略探析

近年来,随着地方政府投入的不断增加,地方高等院校成功引进了一批国内外高层次人才,在一定程度上提高了地方高等院校的综合实力。然而地方高等院校在高层次人才引进的后续工作方面,仍然存在较多问题,如何更好的优化后续服务工作,提高高层次人才使用效率,是地方高等院校应该重视的关键问题。     

Open service innovation and the firm's search for external knowledge

The concept of open innovation captures the increasing propensity of firms to work across their traditional boundaries of operation. This phenomenon has largely been studied from the viewpoint of manufacturing businesses while services have received much less attention despite the predominant role they play in advanced economies. This paper focuses on open innovation in services, both as a subsector of the economy and as a component of the activities of manufacturing firms. We study the open innovation practices of business services firms and then consider the implications for open innovation of the adoption of a service inclusive business model by manufacturing firms. Our analyses are based on a unique dataset with information on open innovation activities amongst UK firms. Overall, engagement in open innovation increases with firm size and R&D expenditure. Business services are more active open innovators than manufacturers; they are more engaged in informal relative to formal open innovation practices than manufacturers; and they attach more importance to scientific and technical knowledge than to market knowledge compared to manufacturing firms. Open innovation practices are also associated with the adoption of a service inclusive business model in manufacturing firms and service-integrated manufacturers engage in more informal knowledge-exchange activities. The paper contributes towards a reconceptualisation of open innovation in service businesses and a deeper evidence-based understanding of the service economy.     

The Digital Future of Terrestrial Advertiser-supported Television 1

The digital transmission of signals greatly increases the channel carrying capacity of the broadcast spectrum and provides scope for a substantial increase in the number of television channels transmitted terrestrially in each broadcasting market. A simple model of a hypothetical advertiser-supported television market shows that with increased channel numbers the average audience size for programmes and channels will decline, advertising revenue per channel will decline, programme costs per audience member will increase, and average profit per channel will decline. In practice, with digital terrestrial television the number of new channels licensed will continue to be subject to government regulatory decisions. But even with liberalisation of licensing policy, the economics of advertiser-supported television broadcasting will impose severe limitations on the number of new channels that any market can support. Digital interactive television services offer commercial broadcasters the prospect of a new source of revenue. The financial viability of these services, however, is not yet proven. Another unknown factor is the impact that personal video recorders will have on television advertising revenues. The transition from analogue to digital terrestrial transmission will have wide-ranging effects on commercial television viewing, but probably not on the structure and ownership of the television broadcasting industry.     

大学与区域协同创新的组织模式研究：以德国“研究园计划”为例*

随着科学与技术创新范式的改变,区域化创新政策要求大学通过知识创新成为区域创新系统(RIS)的关键驱动力,同时也对传统的协同创新模式提出挑战.组织模式是协调组织与环境的重要工具,通过组织模式创新,可以使大学与区域更好地协同创新.基于此分析框架,对德国基于中长期科技发展战略、旨在推动大学与区域协同创新的“研究园计划”进行研究,可为我们建设国家创新系统、各具特色与优势的区域创新系统、实现创新驱动发展目标提供政策启示.     

我国不同科类高校科研投入与产出特点研析

利用面板数据,进而运用stata软件,采用多元回归运算,建立各科类学校的科研产出模型,揭示不同科类高校科研活动基本态势。研究发现,不同科类院校普遍存在忽视基础研究及科技服务职能的现象;各科类高校在获取科研资金能力方面存在差异,政府对工科院校投入偏多,对医药院校投入偏少,综合院校与工科院校在获取竞争性科研资金方面明显强于其他三类院校;各科类高校在专利授权产出及论文和专著方面对投入资金与RD人员的需求各异。     

Does light touch cluster policy work? Evaluating the tech city programme

Cluster policies are popular with policymakers, but we know surprisingly little about their effectiveness. This paper evaluates the causal impact of a flagship UK technology cluster programme that uses ‘light touch’, market-orientated interventions. I build a simple framework and identify effects using synthetic controls plus placebo tests to handle programme endogeneity concerns. I implement this design on rich workplace-level microdata from the Business Structure Database, alongside a range of other administrative sources. I explore mechanisms through further tests for timing, cross-space variation, scaling and churn. The policy grew and densified the cluster, but has much weaker, partial effects on tech firm performance. I also find most policy ‘effects’ began before rollout, raising questions about the programme's added value. More careful policy design could make future interventions more effective.     

影响区域高校开展社会服务的因素及对策研究

经过区域高校、区域社会等多方面的努力，我国区域高校的社会服务工作基本走上了正轨，并取得了显著的成绩，但也存在不少问题。为保证区域高校社会服务工作的顺利开展，必须转变思想，构建合理的人才结构，进行学科专业建设，争取本区域政府与企业的支持。