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A recent NESTA report highlighted the five themes for smaller countries that support and foster business innovation;

– 1.  The importance of downstream innovation, not just basic research

– 2.  Openness to the world, its ideas and opportunities

– 3.  A government whose wider policies support innovation and technology

– 4.  Strong but flexible institutions

– 5.  A sense of national mission

Over the past few years, the activities undertaken by the Interface team to support businesses and Scottish academics to collaborate have evolved considerably and chime with the key themes from the NESTA report.  Our core mission since inception remains “to enable business-academic collaborations for economic and societal benefit”.    

Through our local business engagement staff, Interface supports companies of all sizes and sectors throughout Scotland, the UK and internationally, encouraging them to collaborate with Scotland’s academic knowledge and expertise.  We also enable groups of businesses from key industry sectors to work together to provide critical mass and greater impact as a result of academic collaboration; the Interface Food & Drink’s Common Interest Groups are an excellent example of this.

Through our promotion of university assets, both technologies and facilities, we are actively encouraging downstream innovation; enabling businesses to commercialise technologies, intellectual property and assets and ultimately become more innovative.

Underpinning the Interface service is a continued programme to catalyse and connect with more businesses; the administration of the Scottish Funding Council’s Innovation Voucher scheme; and the development of mutually beneficial relationships with each of Scotland’s eight Innovation Centres.

The support that Interface offers, the connections that we can make and the opportunities that come from academic collaborations have been demonstrated time and time again resulting in significant economic and societal impacts.

Over the past nine years, and having facilitated almost 1,000 collaborative projects, we have helped businesses to create and improve products, streamline services and develop processes which have enabled them to increase their profits, create and safeguard jobs, maximise their export potential and ultimately become more sustainable.

Our core mantra is “get it right for business” and so we are excited about the new developments that are emerging in Scotland; developments that will improve and simplify the experience of businesses who work with Scotland’s universities to develop and exploit innovative ideas. Together with our partners; Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Universities Scotland; Interface supports practical ways to facilitate more connections between businesses and academia.  It is a win win for all, so if you have an idea you want to explore, a product you would like to develop or just need some expert and impartial advice, contact us, and see how we can get it right for you.

For SMEs, navigating their way around all the organisations and agencies that can offer help and advice – and knowing exactly who does what – can be a somewhat daunting experience. 

Scotland’s business support landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, and in response to the Government’s Innovation Scotland strategy, created by Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Interface has added additional services for businesses looking to access academic support.

The Interface support to business includes;

Over the past nine years, Interface has had almost 2,600 enquires from businesses looking for support with projects, which has led to nearly 1,000 collaborations with Scotland’s Higher Education Institutions.  With the development of the Innovation Scotland, and in line with their strategy, Interface will use their existing experience to simplify and enhance businesses’ experiences of working with academia, while also encouraging enhanced innovation and entrepreneurship.

What’s new?

Interface has long been known for matching businesses to the right academic expertise, facilitating projects and partnerships that help solve a business challenge while simultaneously providing access to funding opportunities.

Now, as a key delivery partner for Innovation Scotland, Interface is helping businesses access existing university assets such as technologies that can be easily adopted and commercialised. Information on available technologies can be found on the University Technology website, www.university-technology.com.

The website gives businesses a single location to find the new technologies that Scotland’s HEIs have to offer. Adopting these ‘off the shelf’ technologies can enable a business to reduce its R&D related costs and resources while simultaneously cutting lead time to market. In addition to this, University Technology’s Easy Access portal offers access to a selection of IP at no cost, to enable companies to evaluate it and put it to use quickly, with reduced risk.

Another aspect of university assets are the cutting edge facilities that are available for business use throughout Scotland’s HEIs. From wave basins and wind tunnels to 3D printers and milling machines, Interface are compiling a list of the resources and facilities that can be used by businesses to test and develop their ideas.

From ongoing discussions with the Innovation Scotland partners (Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Funding Council and Universities Scotland) in conjunction with other business support organisations including Business Gateway, Interface is also developing more user-friendly guidance notes and legal templates, such as intellectual property agreements, which will better support businesses looking to engage with academia.

Interface will also be working in partnership with the new and developing industry led Innovation Centres to support their activity and ensure that even more businesses can take advantage of the opportunities associated with academic partnerships.

For those industries not supported by specific Innovation Centres, Interface will engage with their established industry leadership groups to stimulate demand for mutually beneficial business and academic collaborations.

So whether you’re looking for business support, information on funding options, new technologies to commercialise or use of cutting edge university facilities, all the information is now available to you on this website or you can contact Interface on 0131 651 4791 for a free consultation.

Scotland’s universities are at the forefront of innovation. This increasingly includes the dynamic business model known as “social enterprise”. From Glasgow Caledonian University and their unique MSc in Social Enterprise, to increasing numbers of students, academics and researchers contacting Social Enterprise Scotland, we’re seeing a real awareness, engagement and enthusiasm for academic collaboration with social enterprise.

Firstly let’s be clear about what a social enterprise is on the ground. The quick definition is: “an independent business that exists specifically to deliver a social and/or environmental purpose”.

Social enterprise is best explained by successful, working examples like The Big Issue, The Wise Group, Kibble Education and Care, Glasgow Housing Association, Link Group Ltd, Capital Credit Union, The Grameen Bank, Mondragon Corporation and the Homeless World Cup. These all aim to make profit like any private sector business and see profit as a good thing – but they reinvest every penny back into social/environmental purposes. The social mission is clear, they operate ethically and crucially they’re asset locked. They’re in almost every community in Scotland as a practical, working reality.

The social enterprise could simply be a Limited Company or a registered charity, a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). It could be a co-operative, credit union, housing association or community-owned development trust. Social enterprise is a diverse community – but it’s one united in improving lives and our environment.

Social enterprises of all shapes and sizes can benefit greatly by engaging with universities and colleges and exploring ways to work together for mutual benefit. Impartial and free services like Interface are ideally placed to take this forward, by providing a central point of access and matching academic expertise with businesses. We’re keen on all social enterprises finding out ways to benefit from academic research and expertise and we look forward to helping build these relationships.

For more information visit www.socialenterprisescotland.org.uk

Or contact Duncan Thorp, Policy and Communications Officer, Social Enterprise Scotland

0131 243 2654 / duncan.thorp@socialenterprisescotland.org.uk