Newcastle University

Professors of Practice: Newcastle University and Newcastle Science City

The Professors of Practice are a living pilot of Newcastle University’s approach to being a “civic university”, centrally placed within the knowledge economy. Newcastle University Business School has four Professors of Practice, all with successful track records in business and industry and all running their own companies. They bring this commercial acumen and hands-on experience to Newcastle University.

The Professors of Practice work part-time, allowing them to work both in their own enterprises and in the University. A crucial element of their role, and of those who support their role, is to build and encourage relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders.

The role of the Professors of Practice correlates directly with the Newcastle University Business School’s strategic mission of being “at the forefront of understanding business and professional practice and policy”.

Involvement in Newcastle Science City

The Professors of Practice play a central role in the work being done by School and University for Newcastle Science City, and each Professor is linked to one of the four key themes of Newcastle Science City:

• Energy and Environment: Professor of Practice Harry Bradbury

• Drug Discovery - Bioprocessing: Professor of Practice Andy Lyddiatt

• Drug Discovery: Professor of Practice David Leahy

• Ageing and Vitality: Professor of Practice Peter Gore

You can find out more about the backgrounds of each of the Professors of Practice by following the links above to their staff profiles.

Activities

The activities undertaken by the Professors of Practice have a number of key objectives. A few examples of the work undertaken are provided below.

Transforming academic research into business practice

Examples of activity in this area include:

• e-Science Central, a spin-out company set up by Professor David Leahy to provide an online community for scientists, giving them access to scientific software and encouraging collaboration.

• Summer Studentships in Technology for Healthy Ageing, established under the leadership of Professor Peter Gore. These studentships allow first-year Engineering and Computing students to be paid to explore the commercial viability of ideas which use technology to tackle real problems within health and social care.

Bringing industrial connections to the University

The Professors of Practice provide highly valuable links to regional, national and international companies. For example, Professor Andy Lydiatt is the Programme Manager of the Bioprocessing Research Industry Club (BRIC) and manages £14million worth of industrially-led research in over 15 universities in the UK.

They also play an active role in setting up events designed to to bring together business practitioners, industrialists and academics. Such events include:

• Conversaziones in BioBusiness – events at which industrialists and SMEs talk candidly about their experience of start-ups, key issues in the sector (such as approaches to investment, or how to make your idea work) what they need from graduate researchers, and new and emerging challenges.

• the 2010 International Conference on Ageing, Disability and Independence (ICADI), to be held in Newcastle on 7th-10th September 2010 and expected to attract more than 500 delegates and sponsors and exhibitions from business and industry.

Supporting multidisciplinary working – bilingual in science and business

Professor Andy Lyddiatt was involved in a successful £20m application to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for an Engineering Doctoral training programme in Biopharmaceutical Process Development. The programme will combine academic excellence with professional skills modules (delivered by the Business School) and includes industrially-sponsored placements for students that will give them hands-on experience of working in a commercial setting.

Professor Lyddiatt also supervises Research Assistant Lucy Foley who is investigating the business routes to commercial application of scientific research within regenerative medicine, and is working on this with the Business School and the Faculty of Medical Sciences.