KTG Metrics, Usage

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KTG Metrics, Usage Impact
Dr Kevin Cullen Director, Research
Enterprise University of Glasgow
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Knowledge Transfer Grant

• SFC wished to support and promote KT
• Had been funding the Professionalisation of
  Commercialisation grant
• Wanted to grow support, but required a rationale,
  a model and auditability.
• Set up a working group to do this.
• Starting point was to ask where KT fits

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Objectives of KT?

• University exists to
• Create knowledge
• Disseminate knowledge

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Knowledge Dissemination

• Publication to peers
• Teaching to students
• Knowledge Transfer
  to industry/society/economy
• Knowledge transfer is the 3rd Dissemination
  channel

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So
So.

• Technology/Knowledge Transfer fits University
  mission
• Need to understand drivers
• Define success

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In our Model

Create Knowledge
Disseminate
Disseminate
For Public Good
For Profit
Research
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Outreach
Outcome
Research
SME support/ Student support
Collab/ Contract Research
Licensing Spin-outs
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A coherent spectrum of objectives, activities and
beneficiaries
Outreach
Research
Outcome
Objectives
Public Good
Create Knowledge
Profit
Partners
EDAs, Government
Research Funders
Investors, entrepreneurs
Financial returns
None
Cover costs
Can be significant
Beneficiaries
Students, Small Cos, Society, Economy
Knowledge Base
University
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Financial Profile Across the Spectrum
Return to University



Outreach
Research
Outcome
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To measure the performance reasonably, need to
decide where activities fit
To measure the performance reasonably, need to
decide where activities fit

• Volume of Activity
• Quality
• Impact

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Outreach
Outcome
Research Technology Dev., Contract Research
Outreach Activities
Venturing
Licensing

• No. of
• SMEs worked with
• Student placements
• Companies created
• Networking events

• No. of
• Research Awards
• Consultancy
• CPD
• Proof of Concept

• No. of
• Disclosures
• Patent Applications
• Patents Granted
• Options Granted

• No. of
• Business Plans
• Joint Ventures
• Companies leveraging in external investments

Activity
Income in support of activities and feedback
Income from licensing, cash or equity value upon
realisation

• Income
• Research (HESA)
• Consultancy
• Etc.

Value of equity realisation
Quality
Longitudinal and difficult to track
No. of jobs created in HEIs
Export income, no. of jobs created in HEIs
No of jobs created, turnover and realisation of
equity
Impact
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We Adopted the Income Approach

• Income is the best proxy we have for quality
• - see middle row of handout
• - 3rd party objectivity
• Income also shows volume gt quantity
• Continuity from previous KTG allocation
• Preserved the spectrum approach
• Data available in most cases
• Data auditable
• Enabled weighting by SFC across the spectrum

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Status

• System has been operating well and both activity
  and funding has been growing.
• I think we now have better understanding of what
  WE need to measure .
• and where that fits within the bigger picture

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New Knowledge
Research
Researchers
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Publications Processes Materials Technology Kn
ow-how Innovation Skills
New Knowledge
Research
Researchers
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Publications Processes Materials Technology Kn
ow-how Innovation Skills
Networking/ Events Consultancy CPD Collaborati
ve Research Contract Research Licensing Compa
ny Creation
New Knowledge
Research
Researchers
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Publications Processes Materials Technology Kn
ow-how Innovation Skills
Networking/ Events Consultancy CPD Collaborati
ve Research Contract Research Licensing Compa
ny Creation
New Knowledge
Knowledge
Research


Researchers
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Publications Processes Materials Technology Kn
ow-how Innovation Skills
Networking/ Events Consultancy CPD Collaborati
ve Research Contract Research Licensing Compa
ny Creation
Start-up Spin-out Society Govt
Policy-makers Small Cos Big Cos
New Knowledge
Knowledge
Research


Researchers
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ALL SORTS OF OTHER FACTORS
Publications Processes Materials Technology Kn
ow-how Innovation Skills
Networking/ Events Consultancy CPD Collaborati
ve Research Contract Research Licensing Compa
ny Creation
Start-up Spin-out Society Govt
Policy-makers Small Cos Big Cos
New Knowledge
Knowledge
Research


Researchers
ALL SORTS OF OTHER FACTORS
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ALL SORTS OF OTHER FACTORS
Publications Processes Materials Technology Kn
ow-how Innovation Skills
Networking/ Events Consultancy CPD Collaborati
ve Research Contract Research Licensing Compa
ny Creation
Start-up Spin-out Society Govt
Policy-makers Small Cos Big Cos

• Jobs
• New Products
• New services
• Turnover
• Profit
• RD expenditure
• turnover from new products/ services

New Knowledge
Knowledge
Research


Researchers
ALL SORTS OF OTHER FACTORS
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ALL SORTS OF OTHER FACTORS
Networking/ Events Consultancy CPD Collaborati
ve Research Contract Research Licensing Compa
ny Creation
Publications Processes Materials Technology Kn
ow-how Innovation Skills
Start-up Spin-out Society Govt
Policy-makers Small Cos Big Cos

• Jobs
• New Products
• New services
• Turnover
• Profit
• RD expenditure
• turnover from new products/ services

New Knowledge
Knowledge
Research


Researchers
ALL SORTS OF OTHER FACTORS
KT
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMIC IMPACT
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
KT ACTIVITIES
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KTG

• Is measuring the right things
• Not perfect, but better than anything else???
• Appears to have survived review, but were
  waiting for final report.

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KTG Review

• We answered 3 questions
• Has KTG has made a difference?
• What would happen if KTG were to stop?
• What would happen if KTG were to increase
  significantly?

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Has KTG made a difference?

• In our view, KTG has started a culture change
• Awareness of KT and KTG at all levels
• Understanding of the breadth of KT (its not all
  about spin-outs)
• Institutional KPIs
• Faculty plans and priorities
• KTG has legitimised KT
• This is reinforced by messages from RCs and
  others.

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If KTG Stopped?

• Huge loss of momentum and credibility.we told
  you it was a fad, now lets get back to
  research.
• KT not yet sufficiently embedded to be sustained
  in the very busy academic agenda.

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If KTG Grew?

• I am absolutely certain that there is still a lot
  of potential for growth of KT, particularly in
  the collaborative research and consultancy areas.
• The KTG legitimises these and if it grew, so
  would the legitimacy and levels of engagement.

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What do we do with KTG?

• As many answers as there are universities. Some
  examples
• KTG cascaded back to the Faculties that generated
  the income.
• KTG used to fund TTO
• KTG set aside for strategic projects
• KTG set aside to be competed for.
• All are legitimate and all have pros and cons.

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Where next for KTG

• We hope it will continue to grow
• Introduction of SPIRIT
• strategic partner to KTG
• Encourage innovation
• start-up funding for worthy areas.
• .and to finish

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• We believe that the KTG has been an extremely
  successful experiment.
• By luck and judgement we developed a model that
  reasonably well rewards the right things.
• The system is relatively well funded and stable.
  Other parts of the world look at us with envy.
• It has legitimised, recognised and rewarded KT
  activity by the researchers and
• MOST IMPORTANTLY it has begun a culture change
  at all levels in the University

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Thank you for listening

• Dr Kevin Cullen
• k.cullen_at_enterprise.gla.ac.uk
• www.glasgow.ac.uk/R-E/