Innovation

Effective research, innovation and knowledge transfer are vital to ensure that the UK remains competitive in our increasingly globalised economy and this viewpoint is driving decisions at the highest levels of government, industry and education.

“I look upon this as a partnership of equals where there is true mutual benefit. QinetiQ gains access to specialised research and Lancaster can learn about real world problems, giving a real problem-solving orientation to our whole education and learning.”
Samantha Chadwick, Manager of Private Sector and Strategic Partnerships,
Lancaster University

Challenge

• QinetiQ is a leading international defence and security technology business which needs access to the type of research that is increasingly switching to universities because of the growth in Research Council funding.
• Lancaster University works at the cutting edge of innovation in science and technology but its expertise is at the lower end of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale. It needs help with the higher TRL levels to convert its ideas into commercial solutions.
• Efficient and ongoing knowledge transfer is essential.

Solution

• The two organisations have joined together in a strategic partnership designed to provide mutual benefits for both and also for their customers and funding organisations.
• This is consistent with UK Government aims of providing an avenue for encouraging business and industry to work more closely with academia and so increase the UK’s ability to compete in the globalised economy.

Results

• QinetiQ and Lancaster University are working on a number of collaborative research projects. These include quantum information processing, aircraft communications systems and the area of micro and nano systems.
• The university receives research income and the partnership also brings the benefits of attracting high calibre researchers, dialogue with potential employers, management training and cross focussing.
• Universities in the partnership programme benefit from opportunities to bid for new research programmes, the ability to obtain research, business and market knowledge, student employment opportunities and staff exchanges and secondments.
• For QinetiQ the benefits include expanded business opportunities through innovation, supplementary technical expertise, shared specialist facilities and access to new graduate recruits.
• Their customers can benefit from integrated project teams, better intellectual and physical resources to meet their requirements, robust research management, reduced contractual overheads and the scope for linking programmes across wide fields of activity.