Director of Commercialisation & Industry Engagement

The School of Informatics is recognised world-wide as a leading centre for computer science and informatics research and occupies a pre-eminent position in the UK.  It has an outstanding track record of industry engagement, knowledge transfer and commercialisation and is integral to the Edinburgh tech cluster, one of the largest of its type in the UK.

The City of Edinburgh plays a leading role in the sector internationally; indeed, two of the UK’s technology “Unicorns” have been borne out of the Edinburgh technology sector.  Furthermore, the development of Codebase, the largest technology incubator in the UK and one of the fastest growing in Europe is very exciting for both the City and the sector. A clear driving force behind the City of Edinburgh’s success in this sector is the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics.

The Director of Commercialisation and Industry Engagement will come from a strong technology industry background and be able to bring insights into global trends and developments in technology and its applications. They will have experience of commercialising research in Higher Education, either gained from an industry or a university perspective. They will provide the link between the University academic body and industry partners, leading both strategically and operationally to create and secure commercial interests for the University. A very important element of the role will be to secure external funding to further advance the School’s position as a world-leading centre in informatics research, commercialisation and knowledge exchange activities.

Over and above this the School is looking for an exceptional individual who displays leadership, credibility, gravitas and diplomacy and who has an excellent track record of commercialisation success within large corporate, academic, investment or research institute environments.

Key responsibilities will be:

• Defining and implementing strategies which advance the School’s position as a world-leading centre for informatics research, commercialisation and knowledge exchange
• Representing the School and the University to related industry sectors, stakeholders and partners
• Providing strategic and operational leadership
• Pro-actively identifying and engaging with industry partners
• Influencing and motivating academic colleagues to encourage commercialisation opportunities
• Identifying and securing external funding
• Supporting key programmes such as Informatics Ventures and the EIE (Engage/Invest/Exploit) annual event

For more information please download the candidate information pack.

To apply and to receive a full job description, please send your CV with details of current remuneration to Ailsa Sutherland, Director, FWB Park Brown at fwb@fwbparkbrown.com