Collaborating with industry

Engaging with industry for impact

Commercialising your research outputs can generate economic impact. CMVM researchers can engage with industry partners to generate economic impact in a number of ways, such as:

• Securing commercialisation of patents and other intellectual-property rights
• Providing “value-for-money” services to industry/commercial partners.

Industrial companies often have the resources and finances that can broaden the scope and scale of your research, in turn increasing its impact potential. There can be many other advantages of engaging with industry partners, such as:

• Developing original ideas: collaborations can expand your team’s skillset and knowledge
• Increasing the visibility and credibility of your research
• Attracting new students and post-docs to the lab.

How to engage with industry – training and resources

Where to start forming Industry partnerships?

Learn how to set up productive industry collaborations from CMVM colleagues who have engaged with the commercialisation process.

Edinburgh Innovations (EI)

Edinburgh Innovations (EI) is the commercialisation service for the University of Edinburgh.

EI can help researchers build commercial partnerships and turn their innovative ideas into successful commercial projects and businesses. They have a dedicated site for staff that provides guidance on:

• The commercialisation process
• Licensing your technology
• How to protect your inventions and intellectual property

Edinburgh Innovations commercialisation guidance for staff

EI has a dedicated business development team that can help you through the commercialisation process.

Edinburgh Innovations Business Development Team

Engage courses

EI offers an online learning programme called Engage to give you the tools and confidence to grasp commercial opportunities and supports the translation of your research. It is open to all University researchers and comprises seven unique modules that cover:

• How to engage with external partners
• How to protect intellectual property
• How to build relationships and network
• How to start a translational journey with research
• How to engage in consultancy
• How to commercialise an idea
• How to engage across disciplines.

Engage

CMVM translation and commercialisation

The college fosters a strong culture of innovation, translation and commercialisation and actively encourages entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary collaboration. Our translational and commercialisation page outlines steps the College are taking to maximise the College’s translation and commercial portfolio and highlights translational funding opportunities available to researchers.

CMVM Translational and Commercialisation page