Business Services Managers reshape the university's collaboration with business
A research report published by Sitra on RDI in enterprises shows that growth-oriented and small companies are interested in R&D investments.
16% of business leaders said their company regularly cooperates with universities, while 67% said they would cooperate more if it were easier. So how could collaboration be made easier?
The Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥'s Faculty of Mathematics and Science has been working on this issue and has come up with policies that lower the threshold for companies to collaborate with universities on RDI.
A clear point of contact for businesses
Anni Taponen and Suvi Harsunen, Business Services Managers at the Faculty of Mathematics and Science, describe how the new approach has created closer cooperation between the university and businesses.
They suggest that companies do not always know what universities can offer or who to contact.
The contact person model has been used to tackle these problems, with business service managers acting as the first point of contact for companies to express their needs.
Companies have welcomed the fact that they do not need to know who to contact – the Business Services Managers will find the right people and facilities to meet their needs.
"A company may have grappled with a tricky issue for a while, that our researchers – who work with problem-solving every day – could help find a solution to quite quickly," says Harsunen.
"It takes communication and openness to find those avenues for collaboration, and to discover solutions together. JYU organises the annual Business Networking Day with these encounters in mind, to provide a place for forging connections between researchers and companies."
Our services are evolving this year
The model, built around the Business Services Managers, has been piloted in one faculty so far, but the positive results are an inspiration to the whole university. Business Services Managers are giving the university a boost for change. Harsunen and Taponen, while employed at the Mathematics and Science faculty, also provide connections and information from organisations in other fields to the relevant units within JYU.
"As a Business Services Manager, I act as a mediator and hub between companies and researchers. I relay the needs of companies to our experts and help build collaboration," says Harsunen.
"The Business Services Manager is also involved in organising visits and events for businesses, such as the Business Networking Day. You can contact us for your business needs with a low threshold. We will identify the right experts and forms of cooperation for your needs," says Taponen.
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