About the Awards
Evaluation Criteria
Applications submitted for consideration for the Awards should refer to running or finished programmes, projects or initiatives.
Those candidates in the design or early development phases for which it is not possible to measure or assess the impact or the results have less possibilities to succeed. However, they might exceptionally be considered or mentioned as “promising initiatives” (emerging cases) when the innovation potential is considered particularly high.
- The eligibility of the applications submitted will check if:
- The Application Form and the Authorization by the Legal Representative are completed correctly and has been presented on time following all the instructions and guidelines.
- The information provided is accurate and up-to-date
Eligible submitted applications will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- a. University-Industry cooperation
Cooperation is defined as involving two to more parties willingly working together for some mutual benefit. Such relationships may be short or long term and may involve one or more projects or areas of activity relevant to the parties involved.
The nature and intensity of the relationship involved in the University-Industry Cooperation is a critical parameter which must be clearly enunciated in a qualitative and where ever possible a quantitative manner. Thus, cooperation goes beyond the provision of a service by one party for the other solely for financial remuneration eg a consultancy contract or licence of a patent, is not considered to be cooperation in the RUISNET sense of the meaning.
Additional considerations that may also be important include, for example:
- The level of commitment and involvement of the cooperating parties. For example, instead of having a number of individual research contracts with SMEs the project may involve a wider integrated programme of collaboration with such organisations representing a larger and longer term commitment and extent of cooperation.
- Participation of different "stakeholders" in the promotion; the management and operation of the project; the nature of the interface.
- The level of formalization and contractual arrangements of the project, such as the financial and infrastructure benefits.
- b. Regional impact
University-Industry collaborations can have an impact on and contribute to the strategic ambitions and development of the region in which they operate. The nature of impact will depend on the aims, objectives and design of the project, and the social, economic and physical environment in which they operate. Impact is defined, in strict terms, as changes and effects that would not occur in the absence of the project/case being delivered – this is called the ‘net impact’. However, the ‘gross impact’ of changes taking place is also worth recording – as are direct outputs from a project - as the net impact of a project/case cannot easily be isolated (n.b. even direct outputs, such as people being trained, may have occurred without the project/case). Both positive and negative impacts should be recorded, as should quantifiable measures and more qualitative experiences, opinions etc.
The project/case must therefore clearly reflect the influence or impact it has had or potentially may contribute to one or more aspects of the economic, social and/or cultural development and fulfilment of their respective regional strategies and polices.
- c. Innovative character
These may refer to, for example, the methodology and processes adopted, pedagogical implications, organisational dimensions, economic and/or technological considerations, and social matters.
There are numerous definitions of ‘innovation’, however for RUISNET cases it is regarded as any example of new methods of university-industry collaboration (UIC) and proven successes as a good practice.
The interest in innovation is more in the strategy of collaboration rather than in its final product (although the latter can be cited as proof of innovative success). This can be in (a) ways networks are set up, (b) ways individual businesses are engaged, and/or (c) structures through which collaboration is implemented.
- d. Transferability
Transferability is defined in terms of ‘policy transfer’, i.e. whether good practice in the particular regional case has any relevance to another region or country. National structures and contexts mean that it cannot be assumed that a good project in one place will also be good in another. There is also a difference between actual transfer and transferability. Evidence of the latter is equally valid, based on a clear analysis of the destination industry, region or country.
The description should be written in sufficient detail so as to enable others to use the good practice and assess the degree to which it may be employed by different types of organisations operating in different environments.
- e. Sustainability
Consider not only the economic/time continuity but also the relationships that the case has generated, including secondary effects: continuation of and further development of the project concerned; long term effects of the project on its target beneficiaries.
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