Changing the status quo ****************************************************************************************** * How uni consultancy offices are facilitating knowledge transfer ****************************************************************************************** Charles University’s Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer (CPPT) and subsidiary Ch Innovations Prague hosted the 7th National Knowledge and Technology Transfer Conference in capital last week. Dovetailing with the Via Carolina Fair - providing an overview of products and services - tackled key questions in the transfer of knowledge, namely how to expand the impact of stu research beyond university walls. As of late, a renewed focus has been placed on spreading commercialising successful research in the social sciences and the humanities. That was the focus of one of the first speakers at the conference, Dr. Amanda Zeffmann, th Consultancy Services founded at Cambridge University. Metaphorically, the role of consulta between academia and the private sector, is that of a bridge to bring together two sides w were still (and sometimes still are) too far removed, or to act as a key to help unlock pr so it does not fall the wayside but can be applied in ways that are beneficial for the bro at home and around the world. At the conference, the first thing I asked Dr. Zeffmann was how crucial consultancy office to the overall process. “There are a huge number of benefits to consultancy and not just externally (to society or but also to the university and the researchers themselves. One thing that is important it is able to generate ‘impact’ in relatively short time scales. This is especially true if y more traditional forms of commercialization like patenting that can take years to see any like. “There is an increasing importance for universities to be able to show an impact from thei it is just a valuable tool, That is also what feedback from government and industry has to to train the staff and post-docs themselves who sometimes don’t remain in academia and it communicating with the business world, interacting with universities, a great first step, low risk. “It is a way that universities and small or medium-sized enterprises can get to know each embarking together, for example, on larger research projects. At Cambridge, we have seen h has led to large collaboration, equipment acquisition, studentships, and larger examples o impact.” A lot of emphasis has been put on how the transfer of knowledge in the humanities is an ar consultancy can especially play a role and there are a number of examples you are focussin made a difference. “Yes, I can give you an example of a researcher we had who had developed a methodology for societies (based on a theory called integrative complexity, which is a measure of individu interact and engage with each other in conflicted society). Through the help of consultanc a series of Bespoke Intervention Programs and the first one she developed was called ‘Bein Muslim’ and was done for London boroughs and London councils and it was extremely successf “So what it was, was a mixture of in-person training, online material and the idea is to t how to increase conceptual systems that they bring to positions of conflict. So that they engage while remaining true to their own values. And the course was very successful and th spread globally. Through our office, we were able to help her with all the administration, develop programs, for example, for Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, all over the world really and efficiency, we developed a spinout company.” How much work has Cambridge Consultancy done when it comes to the Humanities and Social Sc “It is actually proportionately quite good considering the number of academics within thos That said, there is still a lot that needs to be done to change the culture within so that open to other forms and other approaches that can help. Some of these channels are perhaps than [some academics] are used to. But certainly transfer offices can generate that impact public engagement, educational tools, research tools. “It is a little different from the traditional technology transfer model but I think we ar starting to see – across the world – changes within universities. Let’s be frank: a lot of still don’t want to look beyond simply focussing on their research and that is still a big of us.” Similar views were echoed by other key speakers at the transfer conference in Prague but b the genie appears to be out of the bottle: simply put, the more success stories that catch attention there are - as well as real benefits experienced that are capable of changing pe the better - the easier changing the old mind-set should become. Published by UniMedia on May 20, 2019. by Jan Velinger