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4.12 Consistent with ERDF guidelines, this can include where relevant Swansea University as a partner (i.e. a project involving Swansea and one external partner, would equate to two ‘partners cooperating on research projects ’). Excluding Swansea itself, the data therefore indicate that the operation has involved cooperation on research projects with 43 unique external partners of which: 26 were research institutions (including universities), 16 were private companies, and one was a public institution (South Wales Police).
4.13 Several points are highlighted from the data:
• most (20 of the 26) research institutions were non-UK institutions, including universities in Europe, the Unites States and other locations internationally. UK university partners included UCL, East Anglia, Exeter, Leeds, and Sussex universities; this highlights the international reach of the operation, which spans both the LegalTech and Cyber Threats strands of activity • several individual projects accounted for a high number of partnerships, with the operation involved in large-scale collaborations; examples included the large-scale ESRC application noted above (14 external partners) and the ‘Tech Against Terrorism Europe’ project (five external partners)
• 14 of the 43 partners were involved in successful funding applications/active project collaborations (seven research institutions, six private companies, one public institution)
• the private companies included a mix of Welsh, UK and international firms, and were engaged via nine separate projects, suggesting a positive level of engagement with industry partners through a variety of mechanisms i.e. this was not realised by one or two project only with multiple partners.
Qualitative reflections
4.14 Further to the quantitative data and information on research partnerships, qualitative feedback from consultations with researchers and stakeholders provides additional evidence on the mechanisms through which the operation has supported and realised positive research-related benefits. Six key points emerged from the consultations: • First, the support provided by the research office capacity in identifying research funding opportunities, engaging with potential funders, and supporting the development of applications, was regarded as valuable by academics and stakeholders . This provided important additional capacity and expertise in the process of grant-capture, and was reported to have helped to identify a wide range of potential funding sources (including both public sector and other funders) which can inform grant capture over the longer term. More broadly, this support was seen to have helped to enhance the professionalism and consistency of the grant application and capture process, and enabled this process to be more collaborative, strategic and structured.
Legal Innovation Lab Wales
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