ESRC commercialisation pathways for social science researchers: invitation to focus groups

Do you wish you had long-term funding for your research and impact activities? Do you wish your work with external partners could be more sustainable? Do you wish you could harness academia’s social capital for the benefit of others? If your answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, then it’s worth thinking about commercialisation. We understand that you might balk at the thought of commercialising your research, think that it’s not for you, or just not know where to start. So, we’re interested in finding out more about the barriers you face and creating tailored support that will help you navigate these new pathways in a way that works for you. We want hear your views, experiences, and concerns to shape our next steps.

The HaSS Faculty has received funding from the ESRC to develop support for social science researchers to explore commercialisation pathways. Within the context of the UK Innovation Strategy and plans to establish a UKRI Commercialisation Funding Framework, the ESRC wants to ensure that Social Scientists have the knowledge and confidence to respond to future funding opportunities. All learning from the programme will help to shape future ESRC strategy and will inform the ongoing support provided to HaSS researchers by the Business Development and Enterprise team.

As a matter of priority, we are holding a series of specialised focus groups facilitated by an experienced consultant to gain as much knowledge and insight about what support you need. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first serve basis so if you are thinking about participating, please sign up sooner rather than later.

The focus group for NUBS is on Wednesday 20th April, 14:00 – 15:30. Please register here.

If you’d like more information, or you have questions, please contact Fiona McCusker (fiona.mccusker@ncl.ac.uk) and Eris Williams Reed (eris.williams-reed@ncl.ac.uk)