The IDEAS Collaboration

IDEAS (Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship and Science) is a novel consortium of the 3 top universities in the North West of England, synthesising new approaches to innovation, competitive performance and economic development by bringing together business and design disciplines. The IDEAS collaboration consists of:

Lancaster University Management School (LUMS)
Manchester Business School (MBS)
University of Liverpool Management School
Design thinking and innovation lab, ImaginationLancaster.

The IDEAS partnership was first established in early 2007 with the purpose of 'putting new ideas into practice' through research and knowledge transfer. Through collaboration, the partners are able to share knowledge, expertise and cutting edge techniques to create a real impact on a regional and inter-regional level. IDEAS brings business and management knowledge together with science and technology innovation to drive economic development.

IDEAS works on a principle of problem-driven, commercially-linked and practicable research inextricably related to dissemination activities and mutually beneficial knowledge exchange through direct engagement with individual companies and business communities.

In order to operate effectively, IDEAS co-locate at a neutral location at Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus (DSIC), near Warrington in the North West of England - a facility kindly provided by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). This model is based on the collaboration of Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester universities at the Cockroft Institute at DSIC. This is a successful model of co-location and critical mass with measurable benefits and academic achievement. The vision of IDEAS at Daresbury is to bring together design and business school expertise to support innovation in a way that mirrors the scientific collaboration of those institutions.

IDEAS also has a base at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, near Oxford.

IDEAS Overarching Aims

The collaboration has the following overarching aims:

To develop and put 'new ideas into practice' through research and knowledge transfer activity centred on innovation, competitive performance and economic development.
To help establish and enhance the performance of firms and organisations at DSIC and those in the wider North West and UK business community.

These will be delivered within three major themes:

Enterprise development
Open innovation
Economic impact analysis

IDEAS also has four key objectives, which we aim to deliver through a range of mechanisms and at local, regional, national and international levels. IDEAS will develop new:

Innovation and economic models
Approaches to knowledge exchange
Skills and worker profiles
Approaches to metrics, mapping and entrepreneurship

Innovation & Economic Models

Develop genuinely new models to increase competitiveness & economic growth
Daresbury and Harwell will provide a real world 'laboratory' to test and prove these new concepts.
Once proven, used as leading practice models
IDEAS Partnership will also seek to establish the Daresbury model as a testbed and template for other initiatives within the UK and worldwide.

Approaches to Knowledge Exchange

Testing and development of new approaches to knowledge exchange and the management of innovation:

Between industry, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), other public/private sector agencies (including Research Councils, Regional Development Agencies, innovation intermediaries) and within and between firms
Provide advice/support to firm-wide strategies to foster more effective generation, development and implementation of innovation

New Skills

IDEAS will also support emergence of the 'skilled innovator' in commercial & academic environments, by seeking to research, understand & develop new practices at this individual level.

Foster the creation of a more responsive, flexible, creative and skilled workforce and academic community that can respond better to changes in the workplace and the research environment
Involves helping to create and support 'T shaped' skill sets

Metrics, Mapping and Entrepreneurship

Metrics for mapping and measuring Daresbury and its individual tenants and affiliated groups will be developed to help determine its long term impact on the region.

Developing a strategic 'roadmap' for the development of existing and future businesses on the Daresbury site and Harwell.
Expanding the use of metrics and mapping to other innovation models within and beyond the North West of England
Refining, synthesising and applying existing and new metrics to measure innovation, both within and beyond the region.

How IDEAS Operates

The diversity of expertise brought by the partners to the IDEAS collaboration allows for greater flexibility, wider reach and novel approaches to complex, multi-faceted issues surrounding regional, national and international innovation and economic issues.

This is reflected in how IDEAS operates in practice. By existing as a multi-disciplinary concept-driven group, IDEAS has the flexibility to work across a range of delivery modes in order to meet its aims. Knowledge is the basis: IDEAS creates, tests, develops and delivers concepts, metrics and direct support at all stages of the innovation process: from primary research to real-world testing of concepts and mainstream delivery.

For further information, read more about our showcase ERDF project or take a look at what IDEAS currently have under development.