Cambridge University’s Centre for Business Research at Judge Business School and Imperial College’s Business School are setting up a new collaborative venture – the UK Innovation Research Centre (UK IRC).

Over the next five years the Centre will lead research into how innovation can make businesses more competitive, improve public services delivery and help the UK meet the social, environmental and economic challenges it faces.

The Centre is being set up in response to the Government’s ‘Innovation Nation’ White Paper (March 2008). Professor Alan Hughes, director of the UK Innovation Research Centre and director of the Centre for Business Research at the Judge Business School, explains the context for the initiative:

“Innovation is much more broadly defined than it used to be. It’s not just about successfully introducing new products; innovation in services, processes, even in business models and ways of working is increasingly important.”

“We need new research so that both practitioners and policymakers can understand the key issues in all these forms of innovation – particularly when current global economic conditions make it more important than ever to ensure that the UK’s innovative capacity is enhanced.”

The new Centre builds on the extensive expertise in the two partner organisations and brings together a critical mass of leading scholars in the field. In addition to their research, members of both institutions are involved in developing business practice and policy advice in the fields of innovation and knowledge exchange at national and international levels – for example, contributing to the UK Innovation and Productivity Grand Challenge and the recent Australian National Innovation Review.

In addition to building research capabilities, the UK Innovation Research Centre will also actively disseminate its work through a ‘Knowledge Exchange Hub’.

Michael Kitson, Hub Director and University senior lecturer in international macroeconomics at Judge Business School, says: “We want to ensure that our research agenda can effectively respond to the needs of the business and policy communities, and we will develop knowledge exchange activities ranging from seminars to innovation podcasts to ensure our research has a significant impact on both policy and practice.”

Over the next five years the centre will receive £2.8 million to carry out the highest quality research and will be jointly funded by four partners: the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Economic and Social Research Council; the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts; and the Technology Strategy Board.
 

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