2. What is knowledge exchange?
Knowledge exchange (or KE) is the transfer of ideas
and knowledge from academia to external organisations
or users.
“Knowledge exchange is a dynamic, ongoing, two-way interaction
and flow of ideas and people between colleges and universities
and business, public and third sector organisations.”
Scottish Funding Council

3. There are two main types of KE activity
• Collaboration:
– the generation of new ideas and knowledge between academic
and external partners (eg. government, businesses, charities)
• Dissemination:
– The transfer of ideas/knowledge from within the university to
potential beneficiaries beyond academia, including general
public
Examples of both are provided on the following slides

4. Collaboration:
Research
• Academic research undertaken in partnership with other research
organisations, businesses, government or third sector, to generate
new knowledge.
• Typically focussed on the application of research to development or
improvement of products or processes.
• Researcher’s time accounted for in initial budget proposal.
• Projects funded/part-funded by partners, may involve shared
ownership or transfer of Intellectual Property (IP) generated.
Funding opps: Technology Strategy Board, RCUK, various competitions
issued on needs-led basis

5. GSA examples of
Collaborative Research
Supported by Historic Scotland
and a range of other partners,
Digital Design Studio have been
scanning and creating high
definition, 3D digital models of
ten UNESCO World Heritage
sites to support management,
communication and
conservation of these sites.
More DDS projects:
3D Head and Neck model

6. GSA examples of
Collaborative
Research
Prof. Alistair MacDonald, Dr.
David Loudon and team have
collaborated with a number
of partners on a crossfunding council initiative to
visualise dynamic biomechanical data to improve
the design of healthcare.
This research has informed a
number of related projects
undertaken by the team.
More examples:
Envisage, rehabilitation
Hospital Foodie

7. GSA examples of
Collaborative Research
Creating Cultures of Innovation is
run by GSA’s Institute of Design
Innovation (InDI), in partnership
with Institute of Directors
Scotland and University of
Glasgow. Through the
programme, small to medium
sized enterprises work closely
with the design team to develop
and embed innovation processes
in their organisation, helping
them leverage their inherent
creative capacity, spot
opportunities and develop new
processes, products and services.
More examples from InDI:
Delivering Assisted Living
Lifestyles at Scale

8. Collaboration:
Academic Consultancy
• The provision of expert advice and work to address a particular
research issue on behalf of an external organisation, without the
creation of new knowledge.
• Can be carried out by academic, technical or support staff.
• GSA staff time charged at market rate according to the brief.
• If the project would potentially lead to generating new IP,
arrangements made in contract for any commercialisation.
Funding opps: the external client pays for academic time.
To help kickstart such projects with small-medium sized businesses in
Scotland, Innovation Vouchers (led by SFC) are available to cover up to
£5k of academic time. GSA also runs a Knowledge Exchange Voucher
scheme to support academics in developing collaborative KE projects.

9. GSA examples of
Academic
Consultancy
Funded by an Innovation
Voucher, the School of
Architecture’s Mackintosh
Environmental Architecture
Research Unit (MEARU) are
working with Dormont Estate
to monitor and assess the
performance of Passivhouse
homes in Dumfriesshire.

10. GSA examples of
Academic Consultancy
(incl. Innovation Vouchers)
GSA researchers, academics
and technicians have worked
with a range of organisations
on a wide variety of
projects, from developing
workshops with Maklab; to
embedding innovation
practices for fashion start-up
Kilgour & Donald; to refining
product designs for electric
industrial vehicles, cleaning
components and sustainable
packaging.

11. Collaboration:
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
• These are research projects that involve a small-medium sized
business or a charity, academic and a recently qualified researcher
(known as a KTP associate). Some projects are run with charities
rather than businesses.
• Focussed on applying research to solve a specific business
challenge over a period of 6-36 months.
• Associate is employed and based at the business. Academic’s time
bought out for 0.5 days per week.
Funding opps: Costs are subsidised through the Knowledge Transfer
Partnership scheme with the business/charity contributing one third of
costs (approx. £20k per year).

12. GSA examples of
KTPs
School of Architecture
(MEARU) and a KTP associate
are working with Cartwright
Pickard Architects (London)
to develop and embed the
capability to undertake
detailed performance
evaluation in sustainable low
energy housing to influence
future design proposals.
More examples:
GSA & Tenants First Housing
Assoc
A range of art and design
KTP case studies can be
found on GSA’s VLE

13. Collaboration:
PhDs
• Collaborative PhD studentships are carried out in partnership with
non-academic organisations
• Partners contribute to budget and other resources, provide
mentoring and research subjects
Funding opps: Collaborative Doctoral Awards (AHRC), Industrial CASE
(ESPRC, ESRC). These have Autumn deadlines but require a lot of
preparation.

14. Collaboration:
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Provision of training in vocationally relevant skills, taught to
individuals, or employees of external organisations (including other
teachers)
• Not all taught courses have to lead to an award or qualification
Funding opps: paid for by the attendees though often through
subsidised programmes (SDS, sector skills council, Creative
Scotland, Scottish Enterprise)

15. Dissemination
• The sharing of research outputs to potential new users or
beneficiaries of that research in and beyond academia
• Includes journals, conferences, events, media, exhibitions, websites
Funding opps: more difficult to find external KE funding for
dissemination unless the research is relevant to a Trust or
Foundation, or to commercial sponsors with an interest in the subject. If
you have a project which you are looking to support, please contact us.

16. If you would like help
in scoping or funding a project,
contact the Knowledge Exchange team
Colin Kirkpatrick, ext. 1483, c.kirkpatrick@gsa.ac.uk
Stuart Barnes, ext. 1111, s.barnes@gsa.ac.uk