We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our members for their support over the past year. I hope you can take a moment to celebrate what we achieved with that support by reading on, and onto a short summary of our 2018 impact.
Training | Policy | Membership | Professional Development
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Training
2018 was a great year for training and events, especially overseas, as we meet the high demand for our training in China head-on. Our strive for continuous improvement on our events and training courses lead to the creation of a special interest course in January on “State Aid”. Following other feedback from our members, we also organised a Directors Forum and several Regional Network Meetings.
We are always looking to expand and enhance our training and event offerings. If you would like to arrange a Network Meeting in your area or want to explore a special interest course, please get in touch.
2019 TRAINING COURSES
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Policy
Our policy activities had two significant influences in 2018. One, the integration of two communities and the unique policy interests of each. Two, the KE Framework as it began to build momentum. Tamsin Mann, Head of Policy, continued to represent the PraxisAuril members and the wider community as she supported, and engaged with, the KE framework (Concordat and Metrics).
2018 activities include strong responses to four sector consultations:
- KEF Technical Advisory Group consultation
- AMRC consultation on Revised Guidance for IP
- Following the publication of the Reid Review of Innovation in Wales report recommendations (June 2018), PraxisAuril responded with a statement in support of Welsh KE professionals who will be a vital part of delivering the ambitions of Welsh innovation strategy
- Science & Technology Select Committee inquiry ‘The Balance & Effectiveness of Research & Innovation Spending’
Policy continues to inform advocacy for our members. In 2018 we have:
- Strengthened the relationship with Research England KE team with multiple opportunities to meet and speak with members
- Launched the member-lead Legal WG SIG in April
- Secured speaker opportunities for PraxisAuril at sector conferences, raising the profile of our sector expertise
Stakeholder Engagement:
LASTEST KEF UPDATES
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Membership
PraxisAuril is a member-led organisation. Our members shape everything from training courses, conference themes, content and policy. Our recent member survey gave a wonderful insight into our membership impact.
- 87% of those surveyed view PraxisAuril as a champion for the KE profession
- 77% of those surveyed would find best practice guides the most valuable resource for engaging with the KEFs development and implementation
- Of those surveyed, PraxisAuril Newsletters are the most popular channel to stay up-to-date with policy issues (57%)
Possibly the most popular membership benefit is, of course, our conferences and regional network meetings. The opportunity to learn and network with KE practitioners both locally and around the world is an extraordinary environment. One that our members take advantage of again and again. In 2018 we organised two conferences; Telford in the Spring and Liverpool in the Autumn. Both were incredibly successful.
For our 2018 Autumn Conference in Liverpool we introduced new member-led breakout sessions. They proved so successful that we will be adopting the same format for our 2019 Annual Conference. The conference will incorporate a wide variety of topics representing the diversity of our community and promises to be our biggest and most connected event ever. For more information and to join the registration waiting list, click here.
Other member-led activities:
The focus for 2019 will be on driving member engagement. This will take many forms, both online and offline. We will establish regional networks, up and down the country, as well as continuing to organise the very popular Directors Fora. We will also be taking a step towards digital engagement with a new online member community. It will be a vessel to strengthen the connections made at training and events, and a place for members to connect, discuss and engage with other KE practitioners in the membership.
BECOME A MEMBER
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Professional Development
At our 2018 Autumn Conference in Liverpool, we proudly announced our new Mentor Programme to delegates. After receiving over 60 applications for both Mentors and Mentees, we created a second programme to accommodate the demand. The first programme will kick-off in January 2019 with a supportive training course for all new Mentors. Being the first of its kind, we will be providing feedback on the success of both programmes as they progress.
With our Professional Development Committee focused on new pathways and continuous improvement on training courses we are set to see new, impactful programmes in the new year as well as significant and strategic changes to existing courses.
PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION WITH RTTP
A word from Alasdair Cameron, Director at PraxisAuril
“PraxisAuril seeks to equip our members with the skills, resources and connections to be the world’s most effective KE practitioners. We are actively seeking to engage with the business community through our membership of organisations like the NCUB and CBI. These interactions help us make sure you have the tools and knowledge of how to create productive and meaningful relationships with your chosen business partners. We are actively seeking to further expand our efforts in this area, bringing you perspectives from the UK, Europe and beyond. Our recent blog posting, in conjunction with Noelle Gracy of Elsevier, on What Industry looks for in an Academic Partner is a great example of this.”