News Release issued by
the COI News Distribution Service on 29 September 2011
A £760,000
competition to support and improve the way in which universities
can maximise innovation has been launched by Intellectual Property
Minister Baroness Wilcox.
The Fast Forward Competition encourages Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) and Public Sector Research Establishments
(PSREs) to work together with businesses and local communities to
share research, innovation and intellectual property (IP). The aim
is to invest in research and knowledge transfer projects that have
the potential to create new companies or services which benefit
both the UK economy and society.
A total prize fund of £760,000 has been allocated. Applicants can
bid for funding ranging from £10,000 to £100,000 for proposals
that will improve the way in which their intellectual property and
knowledge exchange is managed.
Baroness Wilcox said:
“The development of intellectual property at UK institutions is
vital to help them provide the starting blocks for new businesses
to grow. By investing in innovative ideas at an early stage we
will be giving institutions the best possible chance to support
the future economic growth of the UK.
“The Fast Forward competition recognises that education
establishments are where ground breaking ideas can be developed
and turned into success stories.”
One of the previous winners, The University of Nottingham, is
working with the Design Council to develop a national programme
helping universities use design to commercialise technology and
other intellectual property. They jointly won the top Fast Forward
grant of £100,000.
Dr George Rice, Manager of the University’s Technology
Demonstrator said:
"Sharing what we continue to discover about the use of
design in technology transfer will benefit commercialisation of
high quality research outputs not only at universities like
Nottingham, but also other universities and colleges throughout
the UK.
"A continually refreshed cohort of design-savvy
technology transfer practitioners might then begin to uncover new
and exciting opportunities that they had not previously considered."
The London College of Fashion also benefited from the competition
and were awarded £80,000. The fashion industry is essential to the
UK economy, generating £6.6 billion of GVA to the UK in 2009/10.
Their ‘Protecting the Fashion Economy’ project will help to build
a knowledge bank and tools for students to ensure that their IP is
protected and prevent any potential economic loses.
Wendy Malem, Dean of Enterprise and International Development at
the college said:
“The IPO award has enabled the London College of Fashion to
undertake action research to uncover improvements and
recommendations that will benefit the fashion economy, enhance
student entrepreneurial skills and further develop the interface
between the college and industry."
The closing date for competition proposals to be received is 30
December 2011.
Notes to editors
1. Case study, Nottingham University and Design Council - Fast
Forward funding uses design to commercialise university research.
In the last Fast Forward Competition, the Intellectual Property
Office (IPO) awarded The University of Nottingham and the Design
Council their top grant of £100,000 to develop a national
programme to help universities use design to commercialise
technology and other intellectual property.
The grant is funding a 12-month programme to embed understanding
of the value of design into knowledge transfer and
commercialisation operations in universities across the country.
For example, university innovators are helping to develop ‘design
thinking’ skills so they can apply the logical tools and
techniques professional designers use – like different kinds of
market research and ways of identifying a potential product’s
‘unique selling points’ – to accelerate development and realise
commercial value.
This also helps those translating inventions and innovations at
university to avoid wasting time and effort going down ‘blind alleys’.
This award follows a pilot which led to the formation of new
spin-out companies and licence deals. Participants reported that
design increases speed to market, reduces risk, and helps maximise
IP value.
Nottingham and the Design Council are continuing to develop a new
'Design for Technology Transfer' (D4TT) toolkit
and an associated masterclass training course.
Dr George Rice, Technology Demonstrator Manager at The University
of Nottingham said: "Based on experiences gained with the
previous pilot projects integrating design skills into technology
transfer, we are now refining our approach to ensure that the
tools, techniques and masterclasses we introduce are relevant for
end-users (people doing the technology transfer work).
"We are drawing on best practice for the design of
toolkits from across a range of sectors and building into the
programme design sustainability mechanisms that will allow all
trained cohorts of 'D4TT' to become members of a
community of practice where knowledge and experience learned can
be shared for the benefit of all."
The team plans to pilot the masterclass during the first quarter
of 2012.
2. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is within the
Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) and is
responsible for the national framework of Intellectual Property
rights, comprising patents, designs, trade marks and copyright.
3. Its role is to help manage an IP system that encourages
innovation and creativity, balances the needs of consumers and
users, promotes strong and competitive markets and is the
foundation of the knowledge-based economy.
4. It operates in a national and an international environment and
its work is governed by national and international law, including
various international treaties relating to Intellectual Property
(IP) to which the United Kingdom is a party.
5. Details of the 2011 Fast Forward winners can be found at www.ipo.gov.uk/fastforward-winners.
6. For details on how to enter the competition visit the IPO
website www.ipo.gov.uk.
Winners will be announced in early 2012.
7. The 2012 Fast Forward Competition is funded and administered
by the Intellectual Property Office. The entries will be judged by
a panel of intellectual property experts with backgrounds in
intellectual property and innovation, research and higher education.
8. For further information, please contact Dan Palmer on 0207
215 5303 or e-mail communications@ipo.gov.uk .
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Dan Palmer
Phone: 020 7215 5303
dan.palmer@bis.gsi.gov.uk