Uni research networks offer R&D lifeline for businesses

Pushed one way by ever-tighter budgets and another by the need to innovate, brands and their packaging suppliers are increasingly looking to academia to plug the research gap.

While Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) figures suggest that larger UK companies are attaching more value to research and development (R&D), most small and medium sized enterprises still see too many barriers to increasing private investment in this key area. They, along with larger companies, could benefit from the strengthening research networks among UK universities, argues David Wiggins, head of packaging development at Coors UK.

"The fundamental research in R&D is best carried out in universities," says Wiggins. "Brands need to invest only where intellectual property (IP) issues kick in, and there are very few in basic research." He highlights metallurgy, glass technology, barriers and production line simulation as examples of areas where academia could play a role.

Janet Shipton, creative director at Sheffield Hallam University's Packaging Partnership, urges companies to make contact with universities. "The new universities especially have access to different revenue streams and are encouraged to get involved in commercial work," she says. Having a commercial partner can mean that new sources of funding become available.

Shipton adds that where there may be IP issues, legal teams from the academic and commercial partners can ensure there are "no surprises at the end of a project"

Wiggins explains that joint projects with academic institutions need to be focused, and should be part of a formal knowledge transfer network. He also suggests that universities could be more flexible about the timing and duration of projects.

The DTI's cross-sector R&D Scoreboard, published in the final quarter of last year, showed a 32% growth in what it calls "R&D-vigorous" companies in the UK between 2001 and 2005. The number of companies with an R&D spend of 4% or over on sales of at least £25m grew from 88 to 116 over this period. The DTI's figures only include company-funded R&D.

Coors is part of the industrial network of the Faraday Packaging Partnership (FPP), and the Packaging Partnership is an academic partner.