What is the Innovation Portal?

What is the Innovation Portal?

A modern, new access route for engaging, brokering and solving industry problems within the Faculty of Engineering & Computing.

Involving:oBusinessoUniversity AcademicsoUniversity StudentsoUniversity Professional Services

Problem logged Problem brokered internally Problem solved

How does it work?

The Portal is an online gateway for businesses to post their problems for the Faculty to solve. The Faculty provides the business with a variety of choices for solving their problem, from a simple crowdsourcing exercise to a full Phd project.

The Portal provides the Faculty with a database of real-life business problems. It offers both students and staff the opportunity to work collaboratively to engage in business issues on a practical basis and work towards providing a professional yet academically recognised solution.

Once a problem has been identified, it is registered on the Portal. The problem is then available for anyone within the Faculty to tackle. This may be on a completely open forum, or within a selective online discussion group. Problems can be taken into class for solving, or even become a dissertation project.

What solutions can we offer?

At a basic level, key solutions that the university can provide include:

o Individual and group undergraduate projects (research & delivery)o Masters projects (research & delivery)o PhD students (research & delivery)o KTPso Commercial projectso Academic consultancyo General advice (via open forum)

What solutions can we offer?

Undergraduate coursework assignmentStudent internshipsUndergraduate placementsUndergraduate in-class activitiesUndergraduate group projectsIndividual student final-year dissertation

P/grad group projectsP/grad in-class activitiesP/grad individual coursework assignmentMasters by research studentsMasters dissertationPHD studentClassic KTPShorter KTP

Commercial projectCPDSupervised graduate consultancy

Academic consultancy

Levels of responsibility

Accountable person (e.g. project manager)

Responsible person (e.g. delivery person)

Programme Manager

e.g. for a Masters project…

Module Leader

Masters student

Programme Manager

Lecturer

Undergraduate students

Programme Manager

e.g. for an undergraduate in-class group activity

What’s in it for the business?

o A one-stop point for accessing a range of solutionso An opportunity for getting a 2nd opiniono A fast way of posting problemso An inexpensive form of primary researcho The easiest gateway to access the Faculty’s expertise and facilitieso A quick way to find the right expert for the projecto A range of solutions to meet their needso University quality research

What’s in it for the staff?

“A modern, new access route for engaging, brokering and solving industry problems within the Faculty of Engineering & Computing.”

It will offer the staff:oA tool to provide qualified leads for academic business engagementoA process for managing business engagementoSupport for the provision of Activity Led Learning projectsoSupport for the provision of Applied Research opportunitiesoManaged working with Business Development

What’s in it for the students?

“A modern, new access route for engaging, brokering and solving industry problems within the Faculty of Engineering & Computing.”

It will offer the students:oHands-on experience of real-world problemsoProfessional networking potentialoEnhanced employabilityoOut of course recognition

Scenario tour

Scenario 1 – Individual Student Project

Client question: Triton Showers has some commercially sensitive work – can the university help?*

Process:oCompany posts problem/query on portal; with turn-around times gets positive response and feels that enquiry is going somewhereoEnquiry identified at early stage and flagged as Faculty wide;oEnquiry posted internally on notice board or through departmental business champions;oCommercial response worked up with support of BDM with potential offerings being:

oUndergraduate individual project;oMasters individual project;oKTPoPhD student

oBenefits to university include local business working with us over 3-years. Potential for ongoing relationship (further work, academic case studies, etc)

* Enquiry in to Chris Smith.

Scenario 2 – Student Group Project

Client question: ROSPA wants to discuss the potential of using “serious games” to engage young people and get a safety message across in a suitable manner. Can the University help?

Process:oCompany posts problem/query on portal; with turn-around times gets positive response and feels that enquiry is going somewhereoEnquiry identified at early stage and flagged as Faculty wide;oEnquiry posted internally on notice board or through departmental business champions;oResponse worked up with support of BDM with potential offerings being:

oUndergraduate individual project;oMasters individual project;oKTPoPhD student

* Enquiry into Chris Smith.

Scenario 3 – Commercial Project

Client question: “I am looking for assistance in low cost rapid prototyping, in a high density foam or other material. In addition, if you are interested in exploring a potential collaborative product design venture then I would like to talk to you. I would be delighted to hear from you if you can assist in any way in this area.”*

Process:o Enquiry brokered internally – academic departments and commercial institutes.o Proposals put forwards. Business to choose which proposal to go forwards with. Options may include:

o Design Institute commercial projecto Student project (collaborative venture)oKTP

* Email to the Design Institute via the newsletter, 09/02/2010.

Scenario 4 – Short Technical Question

Client question: “Does anybody know where I can find information of the tolerance I should use for the diameter of a "free fit" hole for a shaft (dowel pin)?”*

Process:o Client posts on open discussion forum – discussion thread automatically created. Alumni, students, academics and professional services staff respond if interested.

* Question taken from Engineers Edge forum, posted 20 th May 2010. 8 comments posted in 5 days by forum members (typically industry engineers).

Scenario 5 – Theoretical Discussion

Client question: “Risk Propensity and Innovation. I believe that successful innovators have a higher propensity to risk-acceptance than most, but also this may cause costly failures??? Any thoughts? Anybody??”*

Process:o Client posts on open discussion forum – discussion thread automatically created. Alumni, students, academics and professional services staff respond if interested. o Possible topic for classroom discussion/assignment – link to results posted on discussion thread.

* Question taken from Warwick University LinkedIn group’s discussion thread, posted May 2010. 27 comments posted in 1 month by alumni, visiting lecturers and students.