Achievement Overview

THE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE / TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER / KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

ACHIEVEMENT OVERVIEW

To achieve RTTP status, candidates must be able to demonstrate that they have applied their knowledge and skills to independently drive and complete knowledge transfer projects between the research base and business and community organizations i.e. between a research organization/ university and an independent private sector organization, government agency or other community body. 

This is achieved by submitting an  Achievement Overview

This is an  approx  1000 word (English language) written statement describing a significant, complex outcome between the research base and business/ community organizations which would not have happened without your input.  The Achievement Overview describes how you managed the project/ initiative from beginning to end. The contributions you made and the outcome that occurred.

This statement must be endorsed by your manager and your customer(s)/ partner(s)

The essential point in the Achievement Overview is to identify the value that you personally added through the project – clearly differentiating activity from outcome. Therefore the case needs to have matured sufficiently to demonstrate whether value has indeed been added by the candidate.

The Achievement Overview is assessed by a Review Panel comprised of highly experienced Knowledge and Technology Transfer professionals with first-hand experience in a wide diversity of cases and experience managing a variety of functions. They are seeking evidence that the applicant has been able to apply their skills and experiences to a sufficiently challenging case and that they can demonstrate that they have met the RTTP core competencies
 

Types of Project/ Contribution

  • A complex and significant collaboration/ strategic partnership, which would not have happened without your input and which met the intended goals of the parties.
  • A complex and  significant commercial deal which would not have happened without your input (e.g. licensing; substantial consultancy/ contract research arrangement(s); the creation of a spin-out company which you actively led through its pre-investment phase and that subsequently raised external funding, made an impact in its market or generated value for its shareholders.
  • A significant knowledge transfer initiative which would not have happened without your input and that resulted in new capacity, structures, funding, incentives or other developments that enabled demonstrable knowledge transfer/ knowledge exchange outcomes.
     

Items to Include:

The Achievement Overview should include the background on the project and the ‘impact’ you had on the outcome. As part of the submission we also require supporting information from your direct supervisor and your partner to confirm what you describe.

The overview should be in sufficient detail for the Panel to accurately assess your achievement and your role in managing the project and the extent to which you have demonstrated the Core Competencies required for RTTP.

 

A good Achievement Overview demonstrates that you have applied the core competencies for RTTP in the sourcing, development and successful delivery of the project/ initiative.  These are:
 

Strategy & Business Insight – strategic thinking; market-led, entrepreneurial approach; business and commercial skills.

Examples of relevant skills/ experiences include:

  • Identifying/ sourcing opportunities/ initiatives.
  • Translating market knowledge into commercial opportunities.
  • Assessing risks, undertaking due diligence.
  • Formulating the vision, setting direction and securing buy-in.
  • Developing the strategy and design of projects/ initiatives.
  • Defining the market and business strategy and/ or the marketing cycle.
  • Matching skills, experience, capacity and resources to opportunities.
     

Entrepreneurial Leadership – active engagement in securing funding; leading negotiations; developing new ventures.

Examples of relevant skills/ experiences include:

  • Aligning funding opportunities with strategic aims and priorities.
  • Identifying and securing new funding to support KE/TT projects and/ or initiatives.
  • Leading, structuring and realising complex negotiation, reconciling different perspectives to achieve resolution eg conflicts with lawyers, accountants.
  • Overcoming institutional issues or partner barriers through flexible, creative solution finding.
  • Supporting new business formation, structures, legal frameworks, shareholder agreements and accessing investment funding.
  • Developing and managing community-based or charitable projects.
  • Nurturing new ventures/ projects until financial independence.
     

Effective Engagement – Communication, collaboration and influencing skills

Examples of relevant skills/ experiences include:

  • Building new networks for University/ business collaboration.
  • Researching and creative planning to identify potential partners.
  • Applying the marketing mix to relevant markets/segments.
  • Finding partners, investors and collaborators.
  • Informing and persuading potential partners.
  • Managing effective relationships with stakeholders with different cultures or backgrounds eg contracts, milestones, deliverables, managing disputes, resolving problems.
     

Legal and technical knowhow – understanding the key legal, technical and domain-related issues required to effectively transfer knowledge

Examples of relevant skills/ experiences include:

  • Assessing the attributes and commercial potential of IP
  • Developing an IP exploitation strategy to meet commercial needs
  • Applying different licensing and business models
  • Protecting, packaging and enforcing any IP needed for the project.
  • Drafting, negotiating reviewing relevant IP licences and agreements
  • Understanding and demonstrating expertise in commercial law and finance frameworks
  • Interpreting, advising on and managing risk
  • Complying with relevant external terms and regulations including national/ international legislation and jurisdictions.
     

Governance and Project Management - managing projects, knowledge and information flow; developing and managing systems and processes for knowledge exchange

Examples of relevant skills/ experiences include:

  • Establishing governance frameworks for multi-stakeholder projects
  • Developing, setting up and managing complex projects eg contracts, budgets, milestones, deliverables, decisions, handling information, and reporting on outcomes and successes.
  • Developing, setting up and managing customer experience/ delivering or facilitating outputs
  • Developing, setting up and managing systems (including ICT systems) to handle knowledge from its creation or capture through to the completion of the objectives and ensuring that information flows efficiently to achieve KE/TT objectives
     

The Impact of Your contribution

The Review Panel comprises highly experienced Knowledge and Technology Transfer professionals with first-hand experience in a wide diversity of cases and experience managing a variety of functions. They are seeking evidence that the applicant has been able to apply their skills and experiences to a sufficiently challenging case and that this demonstrates that they have met the RTTP core competencies.

We must be able to understand what the outcome was – ie the result of your efforts – for example new products, new investment, new people engaged, income/ profits, impacts on society.

We are looking for external validation of the success of a project.  The only real way to prove that is through engagement, commitment or investment of resources by an external partner; investment by a venture fund or other external commercial funder; generation of new customers and revenues or a documented change in society. This is why we require the Achievement Overview to be endorsed by the third party.

Investment in the project by your organisation, or by initiatives established within and/or managed by your organisation eg forming a company using internal funds via an incubator or Proof of Concept fund wholly controlled by your organisation, does not in itself provide sufficient external validation.
 

Common reasons resubmission of an Achievement Overview is requested:

  • The applicant’s role in the case was unclear – we couldn’t tell what they were specifically responsible for and which parts of the activity they had led
  • The account does not reflect the complexity of the case – it is listed as a series of events that follow each other almost mechanistically with no sense of the initiating, proactive and leading role that the applicant played in resolving complex issues that arose along the way leading to outcomes that had demonstrable impact/investment
  • The applicant chose to describe a number of cases – giving very little detail of each
  • The case described lacked sufficient complexity or impact
  • The Achievement Overview was not written in English (The candidate will not be penalised for less than perfect English, provided that the Achievement Overview can be understood).
     

Confidentiality

ATTP Review Panellists are bound by confidentiality; however, we generally do not need to know the confidential elements of a deal. Should the ATTP panel desire to publish information about your case, we will seek permission formally before doing so.