SRUC wishes to appoint an outstanding, dynamic leader to the newly created position of Vice Principal: Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange. SRUC has ambitious plans to significantly enhance and develop its business-led research/enterprise portfolio and foster an aligned entrepreneurial culture. The UK government’s Research and Development Road map, UKRI’s strategy, and the Scottish Funding Council’s sustainability and coherence review all support this direction of travel for SRUC.
The new VP will play a leadership role in shaping and developing SRUC enterprise and knowledge exchange activities and growing our external mission orientated research income. This will include maximising opportunities from SRUC’s capacity and capability, drawing on our facilities, infrastructure and people, driving knowledge exchange and our place-based agenda through attracting new investment, partnerships and collaboration.
We are seeking an inspirational leader, attuned to both political and commercial imperatives with the proven ability to translate business and societal goals into tractable research and innovation projects. Identifying and facilitating new and novel funding/investment sources and opportunities in the broad domain of the Natural Economy will be a key part of the role.
Accountabilities in this role:
- Identification of strategically aligned enterprise opportunities
- Lead SRUC’s knowledge exchange strategy
- Lead on SRUC engagement and leadership in developing SFC initiatives on innovation, entrepreneurial activity, research pooling and knowledge exchange
- Facilitating new relationships with industry and inter-disciplinary research collaborators
- Leading development and expansion of SRUC’s intellectual property portfolio
- Responsible for the strategic optimisation and alignment of the expertise, facilities and infrastructure of SRUC to external opportunities.
- Leading and developing SRUC’s knowledge exchange strategy
- Provide evidence-based advice and support for businesses on the natural economy
- Development of new contracts to support wider economic transformation around SRUC’s domain expertise in the natural economy
- Developing and driving SRUC’s enterprise partnership portfolio
- Grow a resilient and diverse pipeline of new and additional mission orientated research income (i.e. out-with core REF research activities)
- Supporting the development of scalable business interactions with internal research groups
- Lead SRUC’s place-based agenda
This position will lead the business-led research income generation activities, working to drive engagement with a broad range of partners from Government agencies to industrial and commercial clients, resulting in increased external income generation. It is responsible for: identifying & developing potential research & enterprise income sources, promoting these opportunities to relevant colleagues, supporting staff in preparing grant and commercial applications.
You will manage enterprise projects and support the implementation of activities for the effectiveness of enterprise processes. You will also work collaboratively with colleagues in developing links with local, regional, national and international research and educational bodies in the context of enterprise led projects.
For a confidential discussion please contact Donogh O’Brien on 0141 212 7555.
Candidates are asked to complete an equality and diversity monitoring form to be submitted with their application. The equality and diversity monitoring form can be downloaded here and completed forms emailed to mscholes@aspenpeople.co.uk
Closing date for applications: Monday 10th January 2022