Research impact and innovation
Success of two health spin-outs from UCL and Cambridge helps drive value of deals higher in 2024
Sethuraman Panchanathan says research funder and scientists must improve ‘storytelling’ as agency faces $5 billion cuts
Demonstrating research impact more clearly will reverse falling public support for higher education, argues scholar turned education minister
A year after joining the ‘MIT of the Middle East’, the former King’s College London president reflects on the need for scholars to align their research with national priorities and the joys of leading a ‘city community of scholars’
The panel’s overriding concern is to ensure that research is used productively. But observers worry that pushing universities to specialise in centrally determined ‘focus areas’ risks inadvertently turning them, in effect, into government agencies. John Ross reports
Coming together of 10 research-led universities not a ‘self-serving’ mission group, say vice-chancellors
Registration requirements and compact negotiations would be reformed to funnel universities into ‘focus areas’, under panel’s draft proposals
Results of the fifth annual Knowledge Exchange Framework show research-intensive institutions performed most strongly on intellectual property and commercialisation
As wellsprings of intellectual thought, universities play a crucial role in shaping democratic nations’ national confidence and identity, says Peter Gluckman
Outgoing chief says it is ‘right time for new leadership’ after political pressure to switch to defence focus
Science secretary wants institutions to use their ‘colossal resource’ to lead innovation drive, expressing concern about research cuts
Country will lack the expertise to achieve next-generation priorities if funding left at mercy of undergraduate enrolments, Academy of Science analysis finds
Analysis of publications shows influence of research on government, with under-pressure humanities departments often having the most impact
Excluding academia from the main discussions at recent national productivity summit is short-sighted and complacent, says Shamit Saggar
UK universities have no need to oversell their benefits to individuals or societies, but they do need to demonstrate an ability to foster both free speech and civil disagreement – while carefully navigating their ‘slightly nerve-racking’ reliance on overseas students, UCL’s provost tells Chris Havergal
Amid claims outcomes of long-anticipated talkfest have been orchestrated in advance, expert says precursor events promise ‘substance’
Huge dividends from Denmark’s weight loss drug industry are result of high tax and high investment economy, says Nobel prizewinner Morten Meldal
Sector lobbyists may be partly responsible for the Public Accounts Committee’s over-emphasis on commercial outcomes, says B.V.E. Hyde
Nuffield Foundation says it wants to generate ‘viable solutions to the key social questions facing the country’ under new strategic direction
The Oxford-Cambridge Arc universities kept the faith, but the sector’s current focus is inevitably on shorter-term priorities, says Alistair Lomax
The government’s huge loan scheme for firms to collaborate with academia could be a game changer if the benefits are widely spread, says Eldho Mathews
Cambridge and Manchester’s blueprint will build on existing assets and address real constraints to deliver results quickly, say Deborah Prentice and Duncan Ivison
Disparities in impact-related support for UK academics may widen funding inequalities from Research Excellence Framework, scholars fear
Researchers seen as having ‘untapped potential’ to meet companies’ most pressing skills challenges
More than 60 per cent increase in income over past two decades masks ‘stagnation’ in collaboration below high-performing institutions, report finds
Institutions reduce shares in companies after review highlights holding large amounts of equity can supress growth
Vice-chancellors fear ‘incubator economy’ where innovative firms only scale up overseas
New education plan aims to create four city hubs and expand enrolment as youth population swells
Major survey of industry-academia relationships reveals slowdown in business interactions and income since pandemic
Closer relationships with companies needed to produce more relevant scholarship, summit hears
Chinese multinational makes inroads in Europe as technology giants compete to get their tools on university curricula
Former Conservative business secretary, now based at University of Warwick, believes Labour’s proposals will underscore higher education’s vital role in growth
No elite US university finishes in the top 50 for the international outlook pillar, a category that is dominated by the United Arab Emirates at the top and the UK lower down
Sheffield vice-chancellor discusses including innovation in promotions criteria and carving a distinct identity for the university
‘Highly focused and narrow policy interventions’ such as the ?3.5 billion-a-year apprenticeship levy have held back wider engagement between academia and industry, says critical report
The president of San José State University on harnessing location to build partnerships, the importance of representation and why she isn’t a ‘traditional academic’
Updated methodology reveals previously underappreciated research strength in some Asian countries, reports Rosa Ellis
As overhaul presses staff and students to broaden horizons, president discusses handling faculty pushback, maintaining a vital Samsung partnership and dealing with disgruntled alumni
Companies must understand that it is not the job of a university to conduct commercial product development, summit hears
Sibrandes Poppema shares how his institution is strengthening links across countries and with industry and society
Companies will partner with global institutions under a government plan to speed up the development of new technologies and boost international collaboration
India’s surge in patent applications and awards resembles China’s pathway towards becoming a knowledge economy, says Pushkar
New figures show UK university-business interactions are down 5 per cent, to lowest level since at least 2014-15
In another edition of gloomy research indicators, major NSF tally finds companies nearing the basic science spending of the federal government
Royal Holloway head discusses decentralising university leadership and tapping into the creative industry in Surrey
Guidelines produced by Oxford vice-chancellor and venture capitalist designed to drive greater private investment in research start-ups
The University of Exeter’s vice-chancellor talks about partnering with businesses, including the controversial decision to keep working with Shell on sustainability
North America has also revived while Oceania’s international outlook has dipped. Patrick Jack picks out key rankings trends
WUR expands industry pillar to include patents in country scores, with greatest gains by Ireland, Hong Kong and the US
Global Innovation Index shows China overtaking US on number of leading clusters, but UK impresses on intensive smaller clusters
Only one in five researchers in UK universities have been employed in private sector, says new report
Lund University vice-chancellor discusses the challenges of working with business, creating an innovation valley in the Baltic region and managing one’s friends
Nancy Ip discusses how universities can boost their output of patents and support faculty entrepreneurs
Massive grant ‘could appear small’ in future, says scholar, as field enjoys influx of industry money
Science may be the best tool humanity has to improve our social conditions – but we must steer it in the right direction, writes Carolina Torrealba
Students at the University of the Arts London formed more start-ups than any other university
Analysis of the database suggests UK universities take greater equity in spin-outs than others in Europe
NCUB report finds patent registrations and spinouts trended positive in 2020-21, but knowledge exchange income slumped
Science and technology investment fund created by universities of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield injects first capital to fuel innovation shift
Recent decades have seen attitudes to working with industry shift in Europe, but the difficulty of reaching smaller companies and a lack of incentives to bridge the gap are stifling progress
