Imperial Consultants launches Knowledge Transfer Fellow scheme
Knowledge Transfer Fellows (KTFs) are academic staff who will champion engagement activities in their departments and provide information, advice and support for colleagues keen to interact with industry, government and third sector organisations. Providing an experienced bridge between academia, external organisations and Imperial Consultants, KTFs will help their department create value through knowledge transfer and consulting projects, in line with the College’s aim “to enable the realisation of research and facilitate its application to industry, commerce, healthcare and society”.
The KTFs
Imperial Consultants has initially appointed KTFs in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, including: Dr. Niall Adams, Department of Mathematics; Professor Ralf Toumi, Department of Physics; and Dr. Jeremy Woods, Centre for Environmental Policy. Our KTFs are active and experienced consultants, who have worked on projects with some of the world's leading defense, retail and energy businesses.
Professor Ralf Toumi said: "I am delighted to take on this role as KTF for Imperial Consultants. As a passionate believer that knowledge transfer activities are critical for all academics, I can’t think of anybody at the College that doesn’t have something to offer industry. The KTF role is a welcome extension to my current roles as a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow and Industry Champion for my Department, and I look forward to encouraging the transfer of expertise through clubs, poster sessions and road shows in the future."
Dependent on the success of the scheme, it may be expanded to other departments and faculties in the coming months and years.
To read an interview with Dr. Niall Adams about his new role, please visit Reporter, Imperial’s staff magazine.
The importance of knowledge transfer at Imperial
Encouraging knowledge transfer activities at the College has never been more important. Although the weighting of impact in the forthcoming Research Excellence Framework is still to be decided, it is clear that impact and translation of research are factors increasingly taken into account by potential funders. Additionally, involvement in knowledge transfer activities provides a valuable source of funding for researchers and research groups, as well as new ideas for research and teaching, networking opportunities with partner organisations and development experiences for students and postdoctoral researchers.
Imperial Consultants connects external organisations to the knowledge and resources on offer at Imperial College London. To facilitate consultancy as a knowledge transfer activity at the College, we provide a professional service for academics, which includes project management, contract negotiation, administration and business development.
If you would like to know more about us, accessing consultancy or our Knowledge Transfer Fellow scheme, please contact us.