Partner with business

Start putting your research into practice, with the insights and practical support that can help you build productive, lasting collaborations with industry.

Why partner?

An industry collaboration can give you access to the people, processes and funds that:

move your research from discovery to practical use
help you test the commercial potential of an idea or proposition
keep your teaching at the cutting edge of your field
create opportunities for your department and students to work on groundbreaking innovations

Benefit from our team’s expertise

Our team manages partnerships with some of the world’s leading companies, as well public and third sector organisations, NGOs and charities.

Their expertise in energy and resources, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, ICT, engineering, transport and the creative industries is combined with experience working in multinationals, startups, innovation agencies and the public sector.

It’s this understanding of academia and business that means they’re ideally placed to shape a relationship that works both for you and your industry partner.

Find new partners

Partnerships are really all about people. We can help you make the right connections and spark conversations through:

the links we’ve established with R&D intensive multinational businesses
the opportunities we’ve identified across UCL where research, technology, social thinking and education can be brought together to transform a sector
the networks we’re building to help you share ideas and foster relationships

Build a strategic collaboration

Your partnership is most likely to succeed if it’s built on firm foundations. Our team will use recognised industry techniques to move a good idea through from initial meetings to the planning stages to contractual agreement.

Manage an ongoing relationship

We can also be the central point of contact for existing partnerships. By taking a strategic approach, we’ll make sure the relationship stays on track and find ways to evolve it even further.

Other ways to partner

Collaborate on research and development: Funding is available to support partnerships that put your research to use and increase its impact. These range from testing the commercial potential of an idea to embedding existing know-how into a business.
Arrange residencies and secondments: You can bring industry expertise into UCL and advance your research with funding from the EPSRC. Or arrange an outward secondment, putting your research into practice within a business, charity, NGO or public sector organisation.
Join groups and build networks: Innovation networks and industry clubs are a great way to meet business contacts and colleagues, share knowledge and spot opportunities for more formal collaborations. Contact Dr Laura Bovo, Innovation Networks Manager, for more information: l.bovo@ucl.ac.uk
Deliver short courses: Your knowledge could help an organisation address its challenges and build its skills. We can help you manage, design and deliver education for people at all stages of their career. That could be through open courses and continuing professional development (CPD) as well as bespoke training.
Offer consultancy services: We can help you work out what skills and experience you’ll need to become a consultant. Then we can also get you ready to share your knowledge with partners from commercial enterprises to public sector organisations, charities and NGOs.
Commercialise your research: If you’re working on an idea that shows potential, you might want to learn how to commercialise your research. You can get the advice you need to form a spinout company and understand the value of protecting your intellectual property (IP).

Start the conversation

Partnerships can come in all shapes and sizes, and support many different outcomes.

See how we can tailor our support to your research. Contact a senior manager in your sector or email the Business and Innovation Partnerships team at enterprise@ucl.ac.uk

Find your sector contact

Case studies

UCL project brings opera and history to new audiences with augmented reality

Helping people imagine what it’s like to be a character on stage was the aim of an exciting collaboration between UCL, the English National Opera and creative studio Holition.

The UCL Dance Network: Collaboration flourishes at the arts-science interface

UCL is bringing different creative organisations together to collaborate on projects, including innovative choreography, monitoring dancers’ health, and the benefits of dance for Parkinson’s disease.