Students and knowledge exchange in university business services Dr Daniel Jackson, Dr Mike Molesworth and Graham Goode http://media.bournemouth.ac.uk For a printed copy of this report, please contact: Dr. Daniel Jackson T: 01202 961297 E:
[email protected] June 2014 ISBN 978-1-910446-00-3 © Copyright CMC Publishing, Bournemouth University 1The authors would like to thank Prof Matthew Bennett of Bournemouth University for supporting this project, the students who helped collect data: Laura Bradley, Jasmin Dent, Sarah Loughlin, Emily Thorpe, Camilla Sanders; and colleagues who worked on the case studies: Dr Ana Adi and Dr Shelley Thompson. Executive summary There are many external exigencies and strong arguments We find different models of Student Enterprise Unit exist in favour of universities investing more in enterprise and with respect to their links to research and education. business engagement. This report is driven by these, Our audit and case studies suggest that by far the most but with a particular focus on the role of students and significant role for Student Enterprise Units is to support consultancy projects. We present: teaching by providing live briefs and assessed projects to students. This speaks to a model of student enterprise - An overview of how involved students are engaging activity that is closely tied to the curriculum, typically a in knowledge exchange through consultancy via a dissertation or final year project that is completed as comprehensive audit of all 164 UK HEI’s. a piece of consultancy. Where the activity is limited to student assessment, academic may staff have very little - Through four case studies (with a total of 32 interviews input to the project itself and may not have any contact and 3 focus groups), the key tensions, barriers and with business clients.