Inside our Collaboration Clinics: helping universities connect with business

NCUB's konfer platform helps universities find and develop meaningful partnerships with industry. One of the most effective ways we support that work is through our Collaboration Clinics - practical, interactive training sessions designed to help university teams create collaboration calls that genuinely resonate with businesses.

What is a Collaboration Clinic?

A Collaboration Clinic is a structured workshop for university staff - from knowledge exchange teams and research centres to cohorts of academics - focused on turning early-stage ideas into live, well-positioned collaboration opportunities on konfer.

Sessions offer informal CPD and go beyond platform training. Participants leave with refined, compelling collaboration calls that are ready, or close to ready, to publish and attract business interest.

What happens in a session?

Each clinic is tailored to the group, but typically follows four stages:

1. Platform orientation A short demonstration or recap of konfer, covering what makes collaboration calls effective: clear titles, specific aims, and descriptions written for a business audience rather than an academic one.

2. Developing your opportunities The core of each session. Participants bring real ideas and work through them with facilitators and peers: refining descriptions, sharpening the ask, and identifying what would make a business want to respond.

3. Defining target audiences We help teams move from broad sector labels to specific business types. "Energy" becomes "renewable energy developers" or "grid technology companies." This precision matters: konfer's smart matching works best when audiences are well-defined.

4. Preparing for Publication Where possible, participants leave with opportunities ready to submit. Moving from session to publication keeps momentum and turns workshop thinking into real connections.

Why do Collaboration Clinics work?

Because they focus on application, not theory. Every session works with real opportunities, real challenges, and real feedback. For many teams, a clinic is the catalyst that moves a collaboration idea from intention to action, and from a draft document to a live connection with a business partner.

Who are they for?

Collaboration Clinics are open to NCUB member universities and are suitable for:

• Knowledge exchange and business engagement teams

• Research centres and thematic groups

• Academic departments, schools, or faculties working in a shared area

• Teams supporting student-led projects, such as MBA or MSc programmes

• Early career researchers

  
  

They work best when participants arrive with at least one idea they want to develop, even if it's at an early stage.

How to prepare

To get the most from a session, we recommend coming with:

• A draft collaboration call, or at minimum a clear idea

• A sense of what you're hoping a business partner will contribute

• Openness to peer feedback and group discussion

Interested in running a clinic for your team?

We're happy to tailor sessions to different disciplines, team sizes, and levels of experience. If you'd like to explore what a Collaboration Clinic could look like for your university, get in touch: konfer-support@ncub.co.uk