Written evidence submitted by the University
of Plymouth (TIC 62)
What is the Fraunhofer model and would it be applicable
to the UK?
1. The Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung) is a German research
organization with 59 institutes spread throughout Germany, each
focusing on different fields of applied science (as opposed to
the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, which works primarily on basic science).
It employs over 17,000 mainly scientists and engineers, with an
annual research budget of about €1.6 billion. The organisation
has six centres in the United States, under the name "Fraunhofer
USA", and three in Asia.
2. In Germany, some basic funding for the Fraunhofer
Society is provided by the state (the German public, through federal
government together with the German Länder, "owns"
the Fraunhofer Society), but about 60% of funding is earned through
contract work, either for government sponsored projects or from
industry. The remaining 40% of the budget is sourced in the proportion
9:1 from federal and state (Land) government grants and is used
to support preparatory research.
3. The size of each institute's budget is dependent
on its success in maximizing revenue from commissions. This serves
both to drive the realisation of the Fraunhofer Society's strategic
direction of becoming a leader in applied research as well as
encouraging a flexible, autonomous and entrepreneurial
approach to the society's research priorities.
(Source: http://www.fraunhofer.de
)
Are there existing Fraunhofer-type research centres
within the UK, and if so, are they effective?
What other models are there for research centres
oriented toward applications and results?
- 1. The University of Plymouth is not currently
aware of any Fraunhofer-type institutions in the South-West region,
and indeed none are listed within the UK by the Fraunhofer Society.
- 2. The University of Plymouth is a key partner
in the Tamar Science Park, and the Pool Innovation Centre, established
in 1996 and 2010 respectively. Both centres comprise business
incubation services, as well as facilitating access to University
expertise in new product development. Centres such as these provide
a sound basis on which to develop Fraunhofer-type models in the
near future.
- 3. The Fraunhofer focus on applied research
is complimentary to the current agenda associated with publicly-funded
research, placing a great deal of importance on real-world impact
and return on investment.
- 4. The Fraunhofer model would be beneficial
for smaller businesses (with no R&D arm), in allowing them
to work in partnership with other businesses in the area to develop
new technologies which would be mutually beneficial.
- 5. Universities, through the institutes,
would be able to leverage income through contracted work, Intellectual
Property rights, or a stake in the resulting business or product.
- 6. With Intellectual Property a potential
key economic driver in the commercialisation of research, it is
vital that the results and recommendations of this enquiry link
with Ian Hargreaves' ongoing review of Intellectual Property regulations
for growth
Whose role should it be to coordinate research
in a UK-wide network of innovation centres?
- 7. As mentioned above, the German model is
that of a co-ordinating society overseeing a network of institutions
focussing on different fields of applied science. In our view
however, individual universities would be best placed to coordinate
institutions in their regions, based not only on individual subject
areas, but instead on the broad range of expertise available to
them, and tailored to the regional economy.
- 8. The University of Plymouth, for example,
would be best placed to lead on a Technology Innovation Centre
based around our expertise in Marine Renewable technology research
and Sustainability. This would leverage interdisciplinary research
expertise through our new Institute for Sustainability Solutions
Research, with access to expertise from across all subject areas.
It would also combine with our work in the region with PRIMaRE
(The Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy)
and the Wave Hub - an offshore testing platform in Cornwall for
wave technology and energy.
What effect would the introduction of Fraunhofer-type
institutes have on the work of Public Sector Research Establishments
and other existing research centres that undertake Government
sponsored research?
- 9. If government is to encourage the development
of Fraunhofer-type institutions, it is important that existing
work is not duplicated. However, we see an opportunity whereby
existing institutions focussed on basic science could be encouraged
to share outcomes with these new institutes in order to develop
practical applications.
- 10. It is not difficult to imagine a model
whereby Fraunhofer-type institutes work as part of, or in partnership
with, existing research institutes. Again, the role of IP regulation
in this model would need to be clarified by government, or within
the institutions themselves.
University of Plymouth
2 December 2010
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