Annex 4
MEMORANDUM FROM THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH
COUNCIL (NERC) ON THE HOUSE OF COMMONS WELSH AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
INQUIRY INTO: MANUFACTURING AND TRADE IN WALES
RESPONSES TO
QUESTIONS
A. What strategy does the Research Councils
UK have to enable the university sector to transfer knowledge
and technology into the manufacturing sector (please provide examples).
1. The main aims of NERC's knowledge transfer
strategy[26]
are to:
— ensure users are involved in the
planning, implementation and review of NERC science and knowledge
transfer activities;
— fund the best ideas for knowledge
transfer across NERC's science remit and enable partnerships between
researchers and users;
— make knowledge transfer an integral
part of NERC's strategic science programmes; and
— promote entrepreneurship and the
commercialisation of research.
2. NERC is involved in the CONNECT scheme[27]
which exists to facilitate and promote new interactions between
researchers and those who can make use of the results of research
eg industry, commerce, business or public sector agencies. It
provides opportunities not covered by other schemes such as LINK,
knowledge transfer partnerships, CASE etc. Under CONNECT A a maximum
of £5k per application can be sought for pump priming activities
including "proof of concept" proposals where the research
relates to ideas with potential application but high technical
risk, and seminar organisation.
B. How do you engage with universities
in Wales?
3. This question is answered in the RCUK
submission with a specific example from NERC (paragraph 13). NERC
consulted widely on its Science and Innovation Strategy/Strategic
Plan for 2002-07, providing an opportunity for stakeholders such
as the University of Wales to provide input.
C. What is the regional dispersion of
UKRC funded Centres (or granted resources more generally) across
the UK (excluding those which have an obvious regional/devolution
remit)? Is there a general pattern evident or dependent upon the
type of science?
4. NERC Research Centres: UK Total: 16,
Wales: 2, Scotland: 3, England: 11.
NERC Collaborative Centres: UK Total: 22, Wales:
1, Scotland: 2, England: 19.
26 http://www.nerc.ac.uk/using/kt-strategy.shtml Back
27
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/grants/grants.shtml Back
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