A raft of new partnerships launched across Scotland’s academic ecosystem means that ‘collaborative innovation is the true winner’, according to an NHS Scotland partner

Last week, it was announced that the University of Glasgow would be partnering with Glasgow Caledonian University to “enhance the two institutions’ capacity for entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialisation” through what is being called the ‘Innovation Exchange’.

Earlier this month too, a consortium of seven institutions jointly launched the Shared Academic Knowledge Exchange Services (ShaKEs) initiative, bringing together Queen Margaret University (QMU), Abertay University, the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), Robert Gordon University, The Glasgow School of Art, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Edinburgh College.

Their aim is to “strengthen commercialisation and innovation across Scotland’s modern and smaller universities and the college sector”.

Scotland’s National Innovation Week in September further saw the announcement of a new partnership between three Edinburgh further education institutions with their collective goal being “to support innovation and entrepreneurship”.

Edinburgh Napier University, Queen Margaret University, and Edinburgh College, said they expect the link-up in the capital will be “contributing to Scotland’s economic development, while benefitting our students, communities and industry partners”.

Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health believes the new partnerships are encouraging steps towards an ever more aligned triple helix of NHS, industry, and academia.

The organisation’s Innovation Commercialisation Manager, Fiona Schaefer said: “We have spoken for some time about the need for key institutions and enterprises to strengthen connections across Scotland for the benefit of all, and we’re now seeing that increasingly happening in academia.

“These are vital relationships that can help to underpin a healthier, more prosperous, and sustainable country. Collaborative support and the pooling of knowledge are essential to achieving that goal, so the forging of closer networks is a pleasing development.

“Scotland’s urgent need for more collaborative innovation is set to the true winner here.”

The Innovation Exchange is a five-year pilot partnership between Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian Universities, supported by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

Central to the Exchange is the development of a robust pipeline of social and commercial enterprises with a shared commitment to progressive thinking.

The unifying of seven institutions as a result of the ShaKEs initiative will meanwhile allow the sharing of “specialist expertise and professional services to unlock new pathways for research impact, skills development, and economic growth”.

It aims to translate research into real-world impact for health and social care, amongst other sectors, by honing expertise in areas such as intellectual property that are required to commercialise projects.

Echoing those goals, the new partnership between Edinburgh Napier University, Queen Margaret University, and Edinburgh College, will support innovation and entrepreneurship in line with nationwide plans to boost Scotland’s economic development.

The agreement will enhance work towards ambitions laid out in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland Regional Innovation Action Plan and the Scottish Government’s National Innovation Strategy by strengthening entrepreneurial skills and networks.

InnoScot Health previously linked up with Edinburgh Napier University and Heriot-Watt University on an initiative — labelled a “first of its kind research collaboration” — which saw engineering and nursing students pooling capabilities and know-how to hone breakthrough healthcare ideas.

It is also a partner with Heriot-Watt University and University of Dundee in the Tay Health Tech collaborative programme which aims to break down barriers to healthcare and health inequalities through the development of technological solutions.

Fiona added: “It will be exciting to witness the acceleration of cutting-edge research and innovation which results from these many exciting new academic partnerships, no doubt positively impacting triple helix ambitions. We wish them well in those endeavours.”