Overview of the Collaboration Project
The project management team has developed the following processes to attain the goals of the program. The project leader and team have maintained persistent control over these processes to ensure rapid adjustment to circumstance, and delivery to specification and on schedule.
This page gives an overview of the program activity. Further details are presented in the Activity section of this site.
Period of Grant: April 2006 through March 2008.
Project Definition
Definition by project leader of principal project activities and goals: Q4 2005.
Identification of US project team: Q4 2005.
Familiarization visits to UK by US project team: Q1 2006.
Applied Research Program
Phase 1: Development
Assessment of research strengths of the six universities: April 2006
Intensive and highly structured launch visit by project leadership and academic representatives from the UK universities to UC Irvine and UC San Diego: May 2006
Decision on research areas of focus: May 2006
Phase 2: Implementation: June 2006 through present
For each of the three research areas of focus (Bioengineering/Stem Cells, Wireless Communications, and the Sustainable Environment), the same implementation process has been followed to stimulate collaboration.
The central event is a facilitated two-day discovery workshop which brings together 30 to 50 academics from the six universities to intensively discuss pre-identified research topics, and to select areas in which to collaborate and develop joint grant proposals.
Workshop Development:
Identification of UK and US academic champions for the research area.
Facilitated dialogue (mostly by telephone conference call and email) among the academic champions to identify research questions.
Identification of academic invitees and external speakers.
Workshop:
Two-day facilitated workshop in either UK or US. Identification of approximately ten potential collaborations.
Collaboration:
Submission and review of proposals for bid-development awards (GBP20k each) to further these collaborations.
Granting of awards, and monitoring of progress to approved goals.
End-goal: development and submission of major proposals to national or other research funding agencies.
Enterprise Development Program
Process:
The UK team identifies a company that is at the right stage of development to benefit from the programme, has an appetite for such an opportunity and is of a high enough calibre to impress US stakeholders. (The US team also identifes US opportunities that may wish to access Europe through a mirrored process)
The UK team sends basic information (exec. summary/URL etc.) to US team to assess whether they feel able to assist the company through their local networks and technology company support programs
The US team socializes the company information with their immediate networks to better understand whether the US stakeholders can and are willing to support the company
The UK team arranges for UK company to conference call with US team plus any additional US stakeholders from the immediate networks who have expressed specific interest in the company. This call usually demands that the company prepare further targeted information to assist the US team to further socialize the company and its desires (in terms of US commercialization). This targeted information is then subject to rigorous technology and commercial due diligence by the US team drilling further into their networks to find individuals with deeper knowledge of the specific opportunity
The process above will lead to a demand for the company to either attend ad hoc meetings in the US or to begin the process of setting up a formal Springboard programme through CONNECT
In the case of ad hoc meetings, one to one phone calls with potential partners / investors are arranged in advance to align expectations, and explore synergies.
These lead to specific outcomes and activities for each company. In the event that the company feels it appropriate to meet contacts in the US then they can apply for a travel award through the program. The US team will then work with the company to help set up meetings and maximize the value of any trip.
In the case that the company is selected to go forward to a formal Springboard then the US team assigns an Entrepreneur in Residence, who will be the US point of contact as it relates to all coaching and mentoring, and establishment of targeted meetings.
The Science Bridges program funds the set up of the Springboard. It also has a limited number of £15,000 US start-up awards that companies can bid in for if they are seeking to set up a presence in the US subsequent to participating in a Springboard or the ad hoc part of the program.
This page last updated 7/26/07.
