PARTNERING WITH BUSINESS

RESEARCHERS...

PARTNERING WITH BUSINESS

Being a researcher often means stretching yourself between a number of important tasks; conducting experiments, analysing data, reading, writing, attending conferences, supervising students, teaching and related tasks, administration and more. In addition, engaging with business, government and broader society is yet another important part of a researcher’s role.

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RESEARCHERS... PARTNERING WITH BUSINESS

While specialised engagement or commercialisation support is available at most universities and research institutions, there is a crucial component in which the commercial office will not be able to help … the personal interaction and relationship development with the external partner. In this booklet we thus won’t touch on issues such as intellectual property management or the costing of a project with external partners. We also won’t talk about the reasons for working with external partners; the fact that you have picked up this booklet means that you see at least some of the many benefits. Rather, we will focus here on the relationship management side: while every relationship is different and most certainly requires different handling, this booklet provides you with (1) some notes on what you need to consider in the process and (2) some recommendations on how you can make it work. No matter whether you have been contacted by a potential external partner or whether you are thinking about looking for a partner yourself, the first thing to

do is to sit down and think about the kind of partner you are and want to be. Unless you know where you are coming from and where you want to go, it will be challenging to succeed in engaging with business. In particular, think about your overall objectives and why you would like to develop a relationship with an external party. What are your strengths, weaknesses and style of working and what support do you have internally; who will be involved in the project? The following checklist provides you with a starting point. If you are going to work in a team, it is worth discussing these questions with your colleagues as they might have a different view on things.

“If you don’t understand yourself you don’t understand anybody else.” Nikki Giovanni


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Your checklist FACTORS

EXPLANATION

Objectives

What is it you and your team would like to get out of a partnership? For example, funding for future research, seeing your research help the community, reputation, …

Currencies

Think about currencies in terms of what you value, such as publications and citations, quality of research students, the impact you make, collaboration opportunities, …

Strengths

What are the strengths you can offer (and the weaknesses you might have)? For example, expertise/projects in a certain field, current relationships, …

Organisational & Managerial Skills

Focusing on your non-research skills, what are you good at, what do you enjoy? For example, leading a team of people, budgeting, …

Flexibility

How flexible are you and to what degree does your environment allow you to be flexible in projects and related matters?

Punctuality

How important is it for your to be “on time”, may it be for a meeting or in relation to project deliverables? Would others describe you as punctual?

Busyness

How busy are you really? Think about your workload and how much time you can afford for a new project/partnership.

Other Customs

Think about how you/your team work and what is important for you/them. List things that come to your mind, such as open discussions, informal chats, customs or traditions, …

Familiarity with Business Environment / Customs

To what extent do you have experience with the business environment, e.g. have you worked in industry before or have you been involved in relationships with external partners?

Understanding of the Process

To what extent are you aware of the internal processes and requirements relating to relationships with external parties at your institution?

Understanding of the Support Network

To what extent are you familiar with the support and services network your institution or other external providers offer in relation to business engagement?

Add your own:

YOUR RESPONSE

How do I find the right partner? There are several ways of finding the right partner. One good way is to talk to your internal support staff, such as the technology transfer office, business development manager or manager of business engagement. They deal with external partners on a day to day basis and have established networks they can access to identify suitable partners. If you prefer to go about it yourself, one of the best ways of finding a potential partner is going to business conferences, workshops or networking events. Here you can meet people directly and start talking in an informal manner. Alternatively, utilize a more targeted approach, go out to businesses and ask them about the needs they have, their interests and their vision for the business and industry. If you are looking for a specific type of business, contact the relevant industry association, many of which have reports and member databases detailing specific characteristics of individual organisations. Once you have identified some potential partner organisations, find out what they stand for. It is not enough that they deal in a certain industry, can you relate to their values, mission and image? While much of this information can be found online, if you can talk

to someone who has worked with them before, even better. Check also with support staff in your university to see whether they have experience or established contacts with that organisation.

Who to contact? The first question is: Who do I contact? This is easy if you know someone in the organisation. Talk to your original contact first to identify who you need to talk to. You or your commercialisation office may also have contacts who know people within the organisation … that’s another a great way to start. Essentially, you need to get past the gatekeeper (the person controlling information flow within the organisation) to the decider and influencer. That means you need to know who makes the decisions and who has a significant influence on the decision maker or the decision-making process. Contacts with the actual people who are going to be involved in the process are also extremely valuable. In the end, what matters are the people. People are the key to success; building relationships in the end depends a lot on the chemistry and the connection between the people working together.


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What to say? When first contacting potential partners, remember the following;

Your relevant strengths Industry is often more interested in your ability to work with them than in your academic achievements. While your research strengths and specialisation are certainly important, do not forget to talk about your experience in working with industry and/or your interest in working collaboratively with a non-academic partner.

Encourage an open, mutual discussion You want to find out more about the organisation and the individual people you are dealing with. Rather than coming to a meeting with a set mindset of what you can do and how this is going to work, get a feeling for their ideas and openly discuss options for working together.

Talk about an opportunity Talk about opportunities that might arise from your current and potential future research. Focusing solely on the technology you have developed or on one specific research idea is likely to be limiting at this point in time. If the potential partner does not see the obvious application of a particular technology straight away, s/he may not consider broader opportunities.

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Talk about the benefits rather than technological features Try to see potential benefits of the technology for the potential partner. It shows that you can understand where they are coming from (very important!) and that you have thought about the value they might gain from working with you. In addition, by talking about benefits you won’t disclose confidential information on the specifics of your idea or technology.

Use a confidentiality agreement Prior to discussing specific features of your technology, research or idea, sign a confidentiality agreement to allow for an open dialogue to occur. These very simple agreements ensure that all information exchanged remains confidential and cannot be disclosed to third parties.

Engage an intermediary if you prefer to have expert help Most organisations or institutions have professionals supporting researchers in linking with industry. These professionals are familiar with the industry or government environment and can do the talking for you.

Listen closely and ask lots of questions

What to do? Based on the good understanding you have of yourself, your group and your overall objectives, use your first meetings with the potential partner to try and understand whether and how the partner might fit to you.

While differences in strengths, backgrounds, ideas and capabilities are the reasons why industry and researchers should collaborate, you need to also be similar enough to easily interact and work together.

Try to look for:

Complete a partner checklist. You might be able to answer some of the questions purely based on the partner’s website and word of mouth. Other points you will have to discuss with them. Be open and explain that you would like to get to know them from the beginning to make sure you can develop a positive working relationship (and maybe provide them with the industry version of this booklet).

• Compatible objectives, allowing for mutual benefit • Compatible customs to ease the interaction process • Complementary strengths or assets • Trustworthiness and good connections between the people • Ease of developing familiarity and understanding

For explanations of the individual factors shown in the checklist, please refer to the checklist you completed earlier.

“Strength lies in difference, not in similarities.” Stephen Covey


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Partner checklist FACTORS

Objectives – what you want to achieve Currencies – what you value Strengths – what you are good at Organisational & Managerial Skills – what relevant skills you have Flexibility – how flexible you are and can be Punctuality – how important it is for you to “be on time” Busyness – how much time you can commit Other Customs – how you work on a day-to-day basis, e.g. how you communicate, interact, and what is important to you Familiarity – the extent to which you know the ‘other’ environment (academia/industry) Understanding of the Process – what the relevant internal processes are Understanding of the Support Network – what kind of internal/external support you have access to Add your own:

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YOUR EARLIER RESPONSE

THEIR RESPONSE

Crawl-walk-run-sprint

Matching expectations

Even though a close and successful relationship might be the most desirable state, it should be something you work towards. As with personal relationships, it takes time to get to know and understand each other, so start with small projects and slowly work towards more involved, strategic and high value collaborations.

We are satisfied if our expectations are met… we are delighted if our expectations are exceeded. This is a basic marketing principal. However, the management of expectations is often forgotten or lacks in priority, despite its critical nature when dealing with partners.

Consider various types of involvement with partners. To name a few: • Student projects, placements or sponsorships Consider academic time lines and recruitment processes. •S taff related involvement Opportunities include: the secondment of staff, the sponsorship of specific Chairs, collaboration with other disciplines; be creative. •C onsulting, contract R&D or licensing

These types of engagement can range in relation to their scope and can thus be varied depending on the type and state of the partnership. • Grants

Grants can range from small internal to external competitive ones.

The better expectations are managed and matched the easier it is to make everyone happy and to grow a relationship. Finding out what the partner’s expectations are and managing those expectations requires open and continuous discussions. What to discuss? The partner checklist might provide a few ideas … here are a few more: • Communication – how often, how and with whom? • Level of participation in the process – at different stages • Level and frequency of reporting • Punctuality and flexibility • Availability of certain staff, resources and time commitment • Milestones – for what and when? • Responsibility – who and for what?


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Communicate and involve Developing relationships takes time and care. One important component besides the actual research and development work is familiarity, understanding, developing trust, and actually becoming part of a team. The question to ask is: Do we see ourselves as us and them or do we feel part of the same team? Would I be happy to just pick up a phone and ring someone at the partner organisation to discuss challenges and strategies, as I would with internal team members? Informal meetings and events or combined attendance at conferences or networking events can really help encourage bonds between people, which, in turn, ease the day-to-day interaction and collaboration.

Strategies Think about how you become part of a team and develop trust in others. While there are a lot of strategies you can apply, here are some ideas you can implement:

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Engage in a dialogue Talking to each other and sharing relevant information is one of the best ways to build understanding and a personal bond with the potential partner, both of which are critical when trying to establish trust. Be open and honest and always try to engage in a real exchange of ideas rather than a one-way reporting. However, in the early stages of the process don’t provide confidential information about your research (use a confidentiality agreement or get professional advice regarding information disclosure if you are unsure).

Be consistent If someone says one thing and then provides conflicting information the next time around it is difficult to determine what to believe; and difficult to trust. Consistency in all actions and words is critical. This also means that you should only ever promise what you think you can deliver. If you are working in a team, you need to establish good internal communication mechanisms as they are important to ensuring a consistent approach and message to the partner.

Be fair What is perceived as “fair” is likely to differ between groups and individuals. In general terms, sharing benefits, duties and risks in a manner that every party agrees upon is the desired end state. Open discussion is again an important factor.

Be a team player Being a team player means not trying to be in control all the time but providing everyone with their role in the project or relationship.

“If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail.” Winston Churchill

It also means using the same game plan and thus having the same understanding of the strategies and rules of the relationship. Finally, be flexible and learn from and with your partner. Setting goals, achieving those goals and overcoming challenges together not only creates trust but makes a true relationship. The effort you spend on the development of relationships is really only worth it if you can see mutual benefit either now or sometime in the future. If benefits are not obvious to you and your partner after open discussions, tone back your level of interaction while keeping future collaborations a possibility. Maybe call it a ‘dormant’ phase rather than a termination of a relationship; you never know.


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Carolin Plewa, PhD A/Prof – Marketing & Stakeholder Engagement The University of Adelaide [email protected]