Commercialising Research out of Social Sciences (CRoSS)

 

Leeds Social Sciences Institute (LSSI) ran a workshop series to explore commercialisation in Social Sciences funded by ESRC.  While commercialisation routes for STEM research are well established, the benefits of research commercialisation in the social sciences are less well known.  Commercialisation in social sciences isn't only about spin-out companies and licensing; it also incorporates social enterprise and consultancy pathways.  Setting up a business or social enterprise, or partnering with a company to exploit research outcomes, can be a way of achieving sustainable and long-term impact.

For many social science researchers, the overall goal of our work is to have a social impact.  Thoughtful approaches to commercialisation can be a powerful way to achieve widespread, sustainable, positive impacts on society.  Commercialisation can also enhance and sustain research impact after initial funding ends.

The sessions outlined below enabled participants to:

• Learn about the range of commercialisation pathways in the social sciences
• Grow their capacity in being able to envisage commercialisation opportunities for their own research
• Develop, share and exchange knowledge and good practice amongst colleagues and commercialisation trainers
• Learn about the support ecosystem for commercialisation at the University of Leeds

The workshops was delivered over 3 half day sessions, covering a range of topics and processes, the workshops are tailored around the research areas of the participants. We engaged Oxentia to co-design and facilitate the workshops.

 If you have any queries about the workshops, please contact Cheryl Harris, LSSI Manager - c.a.harris@leeds.ac.uk

We are currently developing the production of guidelines to Commercialising Research out of Social Science.