Abstract

The results of the 2010 Cotec report on the culture of innovation among Spanish young people on the European scene are not very optimistic. There is a socioeconomic and cultural environment that is not ideal to promote an innovation culture. Therefore, analyzing the situation and taking the results into account can help to improve the skills of young people. The interactions between academia and industry and the factors affecting employability are discussed. Also crucial to increase innovation is to have a stable job market. Success stories of European institutions in which there is a direct relationship between companies and universities are described.

Abstract

This paper introduces the ForestValue research project CLICKdesign – delivering fingertip knowledge to enable service life performance specification of wood. The consortium is working on a primary innovation to move from the complex, fragmented and general to the easy-to-use, consolidated and specific by provision of a digital tool for specifiers. Other materials tackle this and provide designers and architects with software. The specification of performance of wood products is complex and fraught with inconsistency and requires use of multiple platforms for data, experience, standards and national recommendations. CLICKdesign will provide a tool that has within it the decades of research, the complexity of the standards specification systems and the variation of approach due to tradition, materials and culture across Europe and beyond. A simple tool for nonexpert public users will be available as well as a tool accessible to professional users that will be refined with industry to ensure relevancy and accelerate uptake and use.

Abstract

This paper explores the legacy of regeneration project work and knowledge management and transfer as a result of intervention through a charity designed to support new business opportunities, specifically in arts and entertainment, tourism, skills development and training. As part of the University of Derby’s own work-related learning and problem-based learning, a project team was assigned to work alongside the charity ‘New Opportunities in Wirksworth!’ (NOW!). A participant observation, action research approach has been used to elicit and analyse the knowledge transfer, both explicit and implicit. Staff and students from the University of Derby have been contracted to research tourism development specifically in festival supply and demand, the attractiveness of the destination and its key features the market, mining heritage and volunteer railway. Staff and students also committed to an events strategy, marketing the destination and finance for start-ups. The University is engaged in tacit and explicit knowledge transfers. Key stakeholders have reflected on a decade of achievements and both fails and success stories. Agendas for the future have been identified and the project NOW! Has a legacy of both tacit and explicit knowledge for the benefit of other communities. There is an ongoing desire to explore how both public and private sectors can benefit from knowledge sharing and to benefit ongoing problem-based learning in education and training. Document type: Conference object