Stimulation of KE in Biodiversity, ecosystem services and climate change and, Integrated Water management.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

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Professor Quegan is also promoting BIOMASS, which will measure the biomass
of the Earth’s forests after its potential launch in 2011. This will be crucial for
measuring this vital natural resource and the carbon released and stored by
forested areas. This information will help companies financing carbon capture
and carbon trading schemes. The university has just been awarded an EPSRC
doctoral training centre in energy, which will liaise with industrial partners to
create studentships and joint projects. The NERC funded KE fellow will seize all
opportunities to make sure the NERC remit and research questions are also
addressed by any relevant research in this growing energy field.
Measuring the impact of the different KE activities described above will take
several forms depending on which aim is being addressed and what type of
activity has been undertaken. Table 2 summaries the different forms of evaluation
and when they will be performed. Some of the research projects will not have
been completed by the time the KE fellow 3-year programme has finished and
some of the benefits will not be evident until several years after the knowledge
exchange was initiated. The Warry report states “even with major breakthroughs,
it may take ten years or more from the initial funding of the research before any
significant level of economic impact is visible. Frequently the time elapsed is
considerably longer”8. However a short evaluation summary report will be
recorded after each KE project to help describe the potential economic benefits.
Numerical values will be given where appropriate along with a narrative about
the economic impact. The following questions will be included, where
appropriate:9
• Has a new market opened up for a company/sector that wouldn’t have been identified without
the KE activity?
• Have profits increased from the sale of a product as a direct result of a KE activity?
• Has a company/sector been able to carry on functioning only as a result of a KE activity?
• Are there any future business opportunities arising from the KE activity?
• Is there a better method for assessing the value of natural resources as a result of this KE
programme?
Table 2. Evaluation measures over the 3-year KE fellowship
Evaluation Method
Time performed
Decision making tree to inform whether a project idea
for KE is suitable for a University KT projects fund, a
connect A fund, a partnership research grant, a
pathfinder proposal or a follow-on-fund.
During project discussions,
networking sessions and
online forums.
Reflection reports that assess whether profitable
market sectors are being represented during the KE
activities described above and whether specific topics
are needed to be addressed by the research sector.
Continual processes
following from meetings,
discussions and activities.
KE project evaluation reports to answer how much a
sector or company has profited from the KE activity.
After each project.
A dedicated KE fellow will provide added value to our NERC-sponsored projects
and related activities by: getting to know as many individuals as possible who
work in different disciplines and companies, allowing lots of connections and
bridges for profitable collaboration; understanding funding sources and resource
needs to get projects up and running; having the time to understand the barriers to
KE and therefore providing strategies and solutions; and by connecting efforts in
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Sheffield with those of other fellows across the UK. Without the fellow there is a
danger that knowledge exchange will continue to be piecemeal across the
University and remain a second priority with a restricted concern about the
economic impacts of NERC science.
The KE activities and expected economic impacts are based on a number of
assumptions. The first is that companies and industrial representatives will be
interested in NERC-funded science and that they will participate in the
knowledge exchange activities proposed. The risk is that companies may not
want or be able to contribute and attend meetings and events. To mitigate the risk,
effort will be made by the fellow to outline what the company will gain from
participating and that this information will be given in plenty of time before any
networking event. Lessons learnt from other KE meetings will also be
incorporated into involving people from as wide a range of sectors as possible.
The second assumption is that networking and meetings will lead to collaborative
projects where true knowledge exchange occurs between all partners. There is a
risk that some projects may be more knowledge transfer from the academic base
to the industrial partner, which will be more akin to consultancy than KE. To
counter the effects of this one way flow of information, the fellow will provide
clear goals and objectives to all those who wish to be part of the network
community so that each partner is aware of what they can expect from others and
what is expected from them.
5. Association of British Insurers (2007). Summer floods 2007: learning the lessons. Available online.
http://www.abi.org.uk/BookShop/ResearchReports/Flooding%20in%20the%20UK%20Full.pdf
6. Aston D, Carreck N, Davis I, Lovett T and Metcalf P (2009). Honey Bee Health Research Concepts. BBKA, London.
7. Hanson C, Finisdore J, Ranganathan J and Iceland C (2008). The corporate ecosystem services review: Guidelines for
identifying business risks & opportunities arising from ecosystem change. World Resources Institute.
8. Increasing the economic impact of Research Councils, July 2006. http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file32802.pdf
9. Modified from those used for the evaluation of Business Research Fellows.
Up to 3 sides A4, including a proposed timetable for measuring impact