NHS Trusts,Universities and Industry

Abstract

The realization of market value from research outputs is increasingly an objective of the UK National Health Service (NHS), universities and industry. All recognize that this can be achieved more effectively through collaborative relationships, increasingly as equal partnerships, with each partner contributing its own expertise and facilities towards a common goal. The benefits are likely to be measured in more cost-effective research, job creation and increasing wealth. The benefits for the NHS include more cost-effective healthcare and quality of service. For industry, there are new products and processes with which to expand its product base and which are increasingly expensive to develop in-house. For universities, there is the potential for income generation to reinvest in further research. Severally, each type of organization can contribute; jointly, the development of synergistic interactions may provide a powerful argument to dispel the charge that the UK, whilst good at invention, is poor at innovation. This paper describes a model for university–NHS Trust collaboration in innovation management being evaluated in Northwest England by the ‘manIP’ project (a collaborative partnership between the three ‘Teaching’ NHS Trusts and the four Greater Manchester universities).