SMEs

The SME engagement session involved lively and stimulating descriptions of three different styles of engagement, from three different sorts of organisation, from three different countries. Aston University's system is strongly embedded into the procedures, with relevant KPIs for all, driven from the top down by a highly motivated, ex-industry, Vice Chancellor.

Assuming no prior knowledge, the reader is taken through the university landscape, mechanisms for engagement and funding models. This provides a good grounding in the various methods and their respective advantages offered to businesses open to engaging with universities.

The book shares valuable insights and experiences of working with universities that, if taken on board, can potentially smooth the way for businesses to operate with universities based on a greater understanding of the institutional set-ups and stakeholders, avoiding false assumptions before they arise.