Why Does the UK~IRC Exist?
The UK~IRC is the focal point for policy-relevant innovation research in the UK and internationally. It was established in response to The Government’s Innovation Nation White Paper (March 2008), that highlighted a need to “build on the UK’s current impressive performance on research and broaden the traditional knowledge exchange agenda to encompass new disciplines, new sectors, new businesses and those who work in the development and delivery of public services.” We unite leading academic figures and act as a mechansism for interaction with policy makers for knowledge exchange and the promotion of research in the field.
What do we do?
The Centre builds on the proven expertise of our partner institutions, Cambridge and Imperial offering two key activities - a Knowledge Exchange Hub and a research programme. In addition to their research, all UK~IRC members are involved in developing business practice and policy advice in the fields of innovation and knowledge exchange, at national and international levels. We unite a critical mass of leading scholars in the field, providing a forum to share ideas and promote research.
Professor Alan Hughes, (Director of the UK~IRC and Director of the Centre for Business Research), explains that 'innovation is much more broadly defined than it used to be.... We need new research so that both practitioners and policymakers can understand the key issues... particularly when current global economic conditions make it more important than ever to ensure that the UK’s innovative capacity is enhanced.' The UK~IRC will offer those opportunities to its researchers and to our partners.
For more information on the UK~IRC please see the Contact Us section of this site.