The University of Nottingham has appointed Dr George Baxter as its new Director of Business Engagement and Innovation Services.
Following his early career in the chemical industry, where he held managerial roles in both ICI and Avecia, Dr Baxter moved to the North West Development Agency (NWDA) to become Director of Science and Innovation.
While at NWDA, Dr Baxter oversaw the development of a number of key strategic projects including the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus in Cheshire, and the Liverpool Science Park.
A wealth of experience
Most recently, Dr Baxter has been working as Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Salford, where, since 2011, he has managed the team responsible for a range of services including business engagement, research bids and contracts.
Speaking about the appointment of Dr Baxter, Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement at The University of Nottingham, said: “We are delighted with the appointment of George as our Director of Business Engagement and Innovation Services. He brings a wealth of experience to this role and will be a tremendous asset to the University as we look to further engage with businesses and take our knowledge exchange activities to the next level.
“Since the establishment of our business engagement team in 2012, we have seen a significant growth in the amount of work we are doing with businesses based both in the UK and overseas. The majority of our research income is now dependent on partnerships with industry, and we are also increasingly working with local SMEs who are reaping the benefits of being able to access university expertise through initiatives such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.”
A strong reputation
Speaking about his appointment, Dr Baxter said: “I am delighted to be joining The University of Nottingham. The University has a strong reputation for its interactions with business and I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues to further strengthen its position."
For more information about The University of Nottingham’s services for businesses, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/servicesforbusiness
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More information is available from Nick King, Marketing Projects Manager, University of Nottingham, +44 (0)115 823 2184, or email nicholas.king@nottingham.ac.uk or from Tim Utton on +44 (0)115 846 8092 or email tim.utton@nottingham.ac.uk
Our academics can now be interviewed for broadcast via our Media Hub, which offers a Globelynx fixed camera and ISDN line facilities at University Park campus. For further information please contact a member of the Communications team on +44 (0)115 951 5798, email mediahub@nottingham.ac.uk or see the Globelynx website for how to register for this service.
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Research Project of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2014. It is ranked in the world’s top one per cent of universities by the QS World University Rankings, and 8th in the UK by research power according to REF 2014.
The University of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNMC) is holding events throughout 2015 to celebrate 15 years as a pioneer of transnational education. Based in Semenyih, UNMC was established as the UK's first overseas campus in Malaysia and one of the first world-wide.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
About Business Engagement and Innovation Services
Business Engagement and Innovation Services (BEIS) is a Professional Services department at The University of Nottingham. It provides a gateway into the University for businesses looking to engage with the expertise, services and facilities offered by the University, and promotes the University’s capability, research and knowledge exchange opportunities and facilities to business. Teams within BEIS support a range of knowledge exchange functions, including:
− Developing our relationship with major corporate partners, such as Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Unilever and many others. BEIS provides account management services for the major multi-national companies which work with the University.
− Helping SMEs to work with the University for example through schemes like Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, our local business networks and collaborative R&D funding from Innovate UK.
− Driving the commercialisation of IP arising from research through technology licensing or via spin-out companies. The team also provides support to enable academics to undertake external engagement work through the HERMES fund.
− Growing and exploiting our links to Asia for knowledge exchange - managing the University’s links with Asian businesses, via campuses in Ningbo China, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ABC also enables UK based businesses to make links with Asia.
− A range of other support for knowledge exchange activity, for example, academic consultancy to businesses and organisations, the development of Continuing Professional Development for commercial clients and the internal HERMES Knowledge Exchange support fund.
For more details about the University’s business services, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/servicesforbusiness