Translate – a partnership between the universities of Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds Beckett and York that works to improve health and wealth by translating early-stage ideas into new medical technologies – has launched its first good practice guide for knowledge exchange and commercialisation (KEC) practitioners.
The good practice guide “Big innovation, small budget: Running a successful secondment scheme” explains how temporary placement of academic, industrial, clinical and other collaborators on a shorter-term basis, with a small amount of resource, can lead to significant innovation and knowledge exchange outcomes.
The second part of the guide is a case study of Translate’s successful secondment scheme.
“Since the secondment scheme launch in 2016, Translate has funded 45 secondments with destinations to academia, industry and healthcare settings,” said Lisa Hill, Innovation Development Manager for Translate. “Translating research outcomes into products and services that have an economic and social impact, often with tight budget constraints, isn’t always straightforward. Our secondment scheme worked very well and we wanted to share what we learnt with other professionals.”
The guide can be applied to KEC in any sector area, and is being shared in partnership with PraxisAuril – a KEC network of more than 170 member institutions and 5,000 individuals – who recently distributed it at their annual conference.
“It’s part of our mission to develop knowledge exchange and technology transfer professionals by promoting best practice for our sector, so we’re keen to support distribution of this guide,” said Georgina Wark, Professional Development Programme Manager for PraxisAuril.
The guide is available to download and print as a PDF or as an interactive experience. A toolkit of template forms to run the scheme is also provided. Visit the Big innovation, small budget: Running a successful secondment scheme webpage here.
Funded by HEFCE (now Office for Students), the Translate programme provides researchers at the partner universities with access to a dedicated innovation team experienced in progressing technologies to market. It also provides a model for successful innovation, innovation training and development, and collaboration within the higher education sector.
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