March 2012


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Of collaboration and cooperation

The new Research Development and Knowledge Transfer Office

“Companies are invited to discuss what they are looking for in terms of research and development. Such sessions are expected to lead to possibilities for internships for UWI students, sponsored research opportunities for the University and joint projects.”

By Dr. David Rampersad

The St. Augustine Campus of The UWI is no stranger to research. Since the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture became a place of scholarship and learning after the First World War, this Campus has been involved in significant research, relevant to the needs of the wider society.

The enhancement of the overall research effort of The UWI requires intensification of sourcing funds through an improvement in the capacity for grantsmanship and proposal writing. Preparing proposals for funding, as well as a sound research management system, including project management, financial management, reporting to funders and monitoring and evaluation, are critical. Similarly, the identification, protection and potential for commercialisation of Intellectual Property that results from such research are required. This will redound to the expansion of The UWI’s intellectual capital and its national and regional impact in a significant way.

It is in this context that the St. Augustine Campus has created a Research Development and Knowledge Transfer Office. This replaced the Business Development Office which connected UWI researchers and professionals to international opportunities for funding and research application, acted as the interlocutor between The UWI, industry and the wider community, and facilitated partnerships with the public and private sector that generated revenue and new `knowledge for all its partners.

Given that research and innovation are identified as priorities in The UWI Strategic Plan, the new office will continue to provide support to researchers in identifying and winning funding for both blue skies research as well as research with commercial potential, the outcomes of which will be expected to have a positive impact on national and regional development.

The Office will thus be the focal point for collaboration between UWI technical experts and organisations in need of their expertise. It will identify suitable experts and work with partners to formulate projects, ensure sound project management including negotiation of contract terms and conditions, arrangements for use of University facilities, and other administrative and financial matters. It will also facilitate knowledge transfer including technology transfer and will be responsible for the protection of intellectual property and the negotiation of licences and other agreements with industry.

As part of its industry liaison function, the Office is working with one of the Engineering Departments to organize sessions that bring together industry managers with UWI researchers. Companies are invited to discuss what they are looking for in terms of research and development. Such sessions are expected to lead to possibilities for internships for UWI students, sponsored research opportunities for the University and joint projects. The Office is also looking to establish, in the medium term, an Innovation Forum, that will bring together researchers, technology transfer professionals and companies.

The office will collaborate with the University Office of Research in these matters including issues relating to research ethics. It will thus engage in the following activities:

• Operate as a clearing house for networking with donors and sharing of technical and funding information with staff
• Support researchers in identifying, proposal preparation and winning research funding ]
• Ensure that UWI’s standards and policies relating to research, commercialization, resource mobilisation, protection of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer are adhered to
• Establish a comprehensive Research Information Management System
• Gather and analyse Research intelligence
• Train and mentor staff in all aspects of research development
• Nurture and oversee university/industry/public sector Research and Knowledge Transfer
• To ensure that these outcomes materialise, the new Office will engage senior stakeholders across the St. Augustine Campus to strategise and establish mechanisms that support all aspects of the research management life cycle, including knowledge creation, acquisition, storage, organization, distribution, dissemination, and application by leveraging technology as appropriate. The Office will undertake the following:
  • Oversee implementation of a knowledge management system to enable individuals and teams to locate appropriate content quickly and easily
  • Manage the system, continuously adding new materials and improving the way they are organized to support users
  • Train and educate staff on the use of the knowledge management system and provide and/or facilitate ongoing support for users of the system
  • Act as the internal expert on what information is most useful for a given project, and where it can be found
  • Define and co-ordinate a process for continuous knowledge acquisition and development to support the Campus’ goals
  • Continuously identify the Campus’ proprietary materials, including client service deliverables and methodologies, for inclusion in knowledge management system
  • Continuously identify third party content of value to researchers and other users as appropriate
  • Provide support for research teams undertaking project research and in creating project deliverables
  • Keep staff informed of new proprietary and third party knowledge available, providing updates and/or training as necessary
  • Contribute to Campus initiatives and developments in the area of research and knowledge management

The encouragement of sound research requires the appointment of outstanding researchers, sound research practices, adequate funding, and a robust support infrastructure. In addition to support for researchers, the Office will facilitate engagement with the wider community of scholars. The development of a culture of collaboration and cooperation involving a community of peers and researchers who can develop new ideas and, through collaboration, strengthen each other and form networks with regional and international colleagues and their work in other parts of the world is therefore imperative to the work being done at The UWI. The strengthening of partnerships with other regional institutions as well as with other universities beyond the region will be a major aspect of the work of the new Office.

For further information, contact the Director, Dr. David Rampersad at david.rampersad@sta.uwi.edu, telephone (868) 222 3721.