Partnering for joint research

Most partnering activity is for directly commercial reasons. But it is also necessary for organisations to consider co-operating for the purposes of longer-term product or service development.

Key factors which make the experience different might be:

• the 'returns' from the partnering exercise are harder to quantify and thus more difficult to justify
• the joint research project could take several years and will need a strong commitment from all parties to maintain momentum
• the composition of the joint research team will be based on specific skills and knowledge, rather than general capability, and is likely to be reliant on the contributions of key individuals
• the project outcomes are in the form of new knowledge, understanding and IPR: how this is 'shared' between the participants and what rights each has to the results must be established before the project starts

Gaining the support and explicit backing from senior management can be the hardest task of all, particularly when the composition of the 'top team' could well change during the lifetime of the project. Consequently, when organisations enter into such collaboration they may often decide to set up a separate joint venture or other commercial arrangement, to ensure that the project's aims and objectives are kept separate from day-to-day operational considerations.

There is another 'binding' force available in the form of government or federal funding. Here a proportion of the research costs are met by an external body, which monitors the progress of the project and ensures that the participants keep 'on track'. This can be an effective way to ensure that all the partners in a joint research project maintain the level of commitment required to make it a success, and can be a comforting and cost-effective way for smaller businesses to become involved in collaborative research.

The European Union has a long established history of providing such funding. It is now half-way through a programme called "Framework Programme Six", or FP6. This covers a wide variety of subject areas, with a large proportion of the available funds being targeted at the area of "Information Society Technologies" (IST).

The first funding call for IST projects has been made and the successful applications have been processed. The second call for project proposals was opened on June 17th 2003. To be considered, project proposals must be lodged with the Commission by October 15th 2003.

The rules for participation do not exclude organisations from outside the EU, if it can be demonstrated that they bring crucial expertise or knowledge to the project consortium. However, there is a requirement that the projects are multinational.

For the reasons listed above and owing to the specific requirements of FP6, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the UK commissioned a document that would explain to organisations wishing to become involved in FP6 what to expect. The document is entitled: "Partnering within Framework Programme Six IST Projects". It looks at all aspects of the partnering process, from initial project idea and deciding whether partnering is an appropriate choice, right through to exploiting the project results. Although targeted specifically at FP6, the lessons and messages are appropriate for all forms of joint research.

The document, jointly authored by Charles Stubbs of Istaris Business Services and Neil Sandford, an independent consultant specialising in EU funding programmes, is lodged on the DTI's FP6UK website. Alternatively, you can click here to download the document from this site.

Partnering Points on partnering for joint research

• Consider carefully whether you really need to partner to do the research you want to do. The added complexity of setting up and managing a joint research project can outweigh the benefits.
• Next, don't immediately think that your project consortium should apply for funding. Although having up to 50% of your costs paid for sounds attractive, there is a lot of work involved in putting together a proposal – and of course, not all proposals get accepted for funding.
• If the research work is crucial to your organisation's future, it is probably not a good idea to enter into a funded consortium to get it done.
• Conversely, if the proposed role for your organisation is only peripheral to your core business, your participation in the project is unlikely to get the sustained, high-level support it needs – so don't get involved.
• Make sure you can trust your partners and get on with them – you will be working with them, closely, for the next 18-24 months.
• Be prepared for the overheads of meetings in overseas countries, regular progress reports and accounting requirements.
• Finally, if you do want to take advantage of the 3.6 billion euros available for IST projects, move fast! Time is running out.

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