Better Futures has been set up to help CleanTech start-ups and kick-start the development of the CleanTech Innovation Cluster in London. As part of the programme we are linking the start-up companies to university expertise, so if you are a company: why work with a university?
There are many benefits in working closely with universities:
- the company gets the benefit of an academic’s expertise, while they have the opportunity to apply new knowledge and create enhanced educational opportunities for students
- academic rigour can enhance your market, and funder’s, perception of the product performance and give credence to your claims
- universities can have cutting-edge equipment that can help develop new ideas and innovative solutions to opportunities that your business has identified. From 3-D printing to molecular characterization, mechanical testing to microscopy there are many pieces of unique equipment that can be accessed
- access to talented students through projects and internships that enable you to benefit from new skills and new ideas for your business, this can often de-risk new ideas and enable you to try new solutions
There are many types of opportunities, from getting advice on a technology challenge your company faces, to accessing the impact of new technologies such as AI through to scientific assessments for investors. Projects can also be of different sizes: from a small one/two-day advisory piece through to long-term collaborative research programmes.
Many business, from start-ups and early-stage companies through to corporate entities, have benefited through close ties with universities. Imperial Consultants alone have delivered 1,700 bespoke projects from more than 1,100 organisations in the last give years, so have seen the results first-hand. We have access to academics across a range of subject specialisms and R&D, and we look forward to working with you as part of the Better Futures project.
Alistair McDermott, CEO Imperial Consultants