Making the most of resources on your doorstep
Tuesday 26 May 2009 at 18:00pm
Event Summary
IoD Fife and Tayside branches, Interface and the Intellectual Assets Centre advised businesses how they can tap into the wide range of resources within Scottish academic base and realise the value of their intangible assets to solve business issues.
The Managing Director of the local company, Oxy-Gen Combustion Ltd spoke about how they are developing new products and processes by working with Universities and developing their assets.
Both Interface and the IA Centre have experience in helping businesses create and capitalize on such opportunities. Interface demonstrated how easy it is to access the wealth of knowledge and facilities available in Scotland’s world class universities and research institutes and how it can directly facilitate links for business into academia.
With some 80% of a business’ value in its intangibles, the IA Centre revealed how these are key to developing successful partnerships which help business grow e.g. by developing new products, services and processes. The IA Centre helps organizations to recognize, protect and manage their valuable intangibles, such as know-how, branding, networks and relationships.
The Innovation Portal hosted the event and provided information on academic expertise available in Tayside and our Small Grants Scheme.
Programme
18.00 - Registration & Refreshments
18.15 - David Hutcheson, IoD Scotland
Welcome from Institute of Directors Scotland
18.20 - Jamie Henderson, Innovation Portal
Jamie outlined how the work of the Innovation Portal is helping businesses tap into local academic expertise by brokering links and providing funds from its Small Grant Schemes to do initial audits and studies.
18.30 - Iain Russell, IA Centre
Iain explained how the IA Centre can help businesses protect, safeguard and exploit their intellecutal assets. He added that while the intangible, or untouchable, assets such as patents, goodwill, knowledge, reputation, brand and expertise doesn't appear on company balance sheets they can still be embedded into a business to increase the market value.
18.45 - David Tonery, Oxy-Gen Combustion
David talked about the his local spin-out company and his experiences of collaborating with universities and other resources available to businesses in Scotland.
19.10 - Fiona Schaefer, Interface
Fiona outlined the role of Interface in establishing connections with business and Scottish universities and research institutes. She explained that by focusing on business needs, and identifying opportunities for academics, Interface worked towards building sustained collaborations and identifying funding options.
19.25 - Open discussion & networking
20.00 - Close
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