Where do you look for business ideas?

At the start up stage of a business, innovation levels are flying high.  But once the business is established, it can be easy to get bogged down in day to day delivery and paperwork. 

How can you recapture the energy and creativity of your original idea generation to propel your business forward?   Where to even start? 

From Cakes to Computers via Universities....

From Cakes to Computers, lessons from the past on working with Universities

By Stephen Marshall, Knowledge Transfer Manager, Encompass

Catering company J Lyons and University of Cambridge 1949

Universities are a rich source of new ideas and expertise, and working with them can be highly beneficial for businesses.  The past few years have seen an increasing recognition of the importance of business-university collaboration, resulting in a number of publicly funded initiatives, such as Encompass, which is aimed at supporting small businesses in working with universities. 

However, collaboration between industry and academia is not a new phenomenon and there are many examples from history that we can draw upon for inspiration.

One industry sector that has benefitted enormously from university expertise is the computer industry.  A fascinating example of this is a project which dates back to the very start of the

Could your company set our postgrad research students a challenge?

Imagine a group of University of Glasgow postgraduate research students from all types of discipline working together over a few months on a project for your business.

The 2013 Insights to Industry programme is now looking for companies to take part.

Andy from Freescale (automotive) said of the 2012 'Cars of the Future' programme:  'Looking for radical innovation inside your own industry is difficult, as people are constrained by accepted norms and practices, so the different backgrounds and the fresh eyes of the PhD students brought some brand new & exciting ideas to the table"