University systems, state governments, and economic development organizations are developing new expertise and resource portals to foster university-industry engagement. These portals expose subject matter experts conducting research and university resources like core facilities willing to engage with industry, making experts and resources discoverable by search and easier to connect with.

2. Expertise and Resource Portals for
University-Industry Engagement
David Knowles | RENCI
George Raudenbush | Arizona State University
Jeff Horon (moderator) | Elsevier Research Intelligence
UEDA Annual Summit 2014

3. Abstract
University systems, state governments, and economic
development organizations are developing new
expertise and resource portals to foster university-industry
engagement. These portals expose subject
matter experts conducting research and university
resources like core facilities willing to engage with
industry, making experts and resources discoverable
by search and easier to connect with.

4. Trends

5. Increasingly interconnected data resources (‘micro’ level)
For external audiences
-Technologies available for license
-Patents
-Grants
-Publication repositories
-Media relations
-Websites (university, school/college, departmental, lab, individual)
For internal audiences
-HR
-Grant proposals
-Finance
-[Faculty] activity reporting
-Surveys

6. The problem of fragmentation
Evidence-based business decision making requires trusted information about research
affairs but research information is often fragmented. Researchers must interact with
and report information to a variety of systems.
Researchers
HR
Awarded
Grants
Finance
Document
Repository
Other
systems

7. Research administrators and managers have to search multiple systems to find the
information they need.
Administrator
HR
Awarded
Grants
Finance
Document
Repository
Other
systems

8. This leads to inconsistent and incomplete data, multiple requests for the same
information and the extra effort of working across multiple systems.
HR
! !
Awarded
Grants
Finance
Other
systems
Administrator
Document
Repository
Researchers

9. Developing interconnectedness…
HR
Awarded
Grants
Finance
Data Warehouse,
In-house System,
Purchased System
Data entered
by researchers,
administrators,
librarians, etc.
Legacy
data
Document
Repository
External
databases,
including:
publications,
patents,
benchmarking
data, etc.
Paid Data
Entry

10. HR
Awarded
Grants
Finance
…. allows for repurposing:
Data Warehouse,
In-house System,
Purchased System
Data entered
by researchers,
administrators,
librarians, etc.
Legacy
data
Document
Repository
External
databases,
including:
publications,
patents,
benchmarking
data, etc.
Paid Data
Entry

11. Increasing automation
New methods for obtaining data:
-Enable better coverage of resources (particularly publications, grants, and
patents)
-Do not require faculty data entry compliance
-Synchronize with other systems to minimize data fragmentation

13. Increasing interconnectedness (‘macro’ level)
VIVO – http://vivoweb.org – ‘Linked open data’
Direct2Experts – http://direct2experts.org – Federated searching

14. Increasing interconnectedness (‘meso’ level)
State-wide, regional, and multi-university portals, e.g.:

15. Costs of not playing
Zero sum game (“my win is your loss”) for research funding
We are spending a smaller percentage of GDP on research:

16. NIH Research Project Grants – Competing applications, awards, and success rates
NIH Data Book – (http://report.nih.gov/ndb/index.aspx) Data provided by the Division of Statistical Analysis and Reporting Branch
Costs of not playing
Numbers of applications remain high; success rates low

17. Costs of not playing
Federal R&D Budgets are not improving (anytime soon)

19. Expertise and Resource Portals for
University-Industry Engagement
Jeff Horon | Consultant
UEDA Annual Summit 2014

20. Michigan Corporate
Relations Network

21. What is the Michigan Corporate Relations Network (MCRN)?
http://michigancrn.org/

22. What is the University Experts Portal?

23. Where does the data come from?

24. Where does the data come from?

25. Where does the data come from?

26. Where does the data come from?

27. How to use the University Expertise Portal

28. How to use the University Expertise Portal

29. How to use the University Expertise Portal

30. How to use the University Expertise Portal

31. How to use the University Expertise Portal

32. How to use the University Expertise Portal

33. How to use the University Expertise Portal

34. How to use the University Expertise Portal

35. How to use the University Expertise Portal

36. How to use the University Expertise Portal

37. Search Widget

38. Advanced Concept Search

39. Copy/Paste Text Search

40. Florida ExpertNet

42. Technologies available for license

43. Instructional programs

44. Challenges

45. ROI can be difficult to track and claim
Users can often circumvent the desired workflow, undermining
tracking
Large-scale partnerships have other factors, such as geography,
labor force, tax incentives, etc.
End-users can be difficult to reach
Very large potential user base; what makes your meso-level portal
stand out?
Search engine traffic; how do you drive traffic? how do you
encourage users to self-screen?

46. Contact: j.horon @ elsevier.com
Materials posted at: http://jeffhoron.com
www.elsevier.com/research-intelligence

47. Panel Q&A