Fundamentals of Supporting Consultancy

12:00 - 13:00    Registration

Please collect your badge at the ASTP Hospitality Desk

13:00 - 13:30    Lunch

13:30 - 14:00    Welcome and introductions

Introduction to Course Directors, course programme and objectives.

14:00 - 15:00    What is consultancy and why should we support it?

This session offers a general introduction to what is meant by consultancy in the University/Research Institute context and the numerous benefits that can arise from it as well as the benefits that can be derived from University support of this activity. We will look at the difference between consultancy and research activity and hear some examples of demonstrable impact from consultancy for society, the economy, the university and the researcher.

15:00 - 15:30    Coffee Break

15:30 - 16:30    Introduction to consultancy policy and its implications

Having a policy that structures how researchers engage with the consultancy service is an important part of establishing a functioning, professional service. We will look at two scenarios: designing a policy from scratch and updating an existing policy. We will draw on real life experiences to consider what makes a good policy and how to get buy-in.

This session will include a group discussion and you will need to have reviewed either your own university’s consultancy policy or a consultancy policy from another university that you found online.

16:30 - 17:30    Risks and Mitigation

With consultancy activity comes a number of risks for the researcher and the University. We will discuss what these may be and some approaches to manage or mitigate them.

19:00 - 22:30    Networking Dinner

09:00 - 09:30    Recap day 1, intro day 2

09:30 - 10:30    Exploring the Legal issues and key contractual terms

This session will highlight why consultancy contracts are so important for managing risk and aligning expectations of all parties. It will also cover some of the key clauses to be particularly aware of.

10:30 - 11:00    Coffee Break

11:00 - 12:30    Different operational models

There are many different ways of setting up your operations which will depend on a number of factors such as local and country regulations, university policies and governance as well as organisational culture.
Here we will hear about two different operational models one from Cambridge Enterprise Consultancy Services and one from the UCD Consult and will discuss the pros and cons of different approaches.

12:30 - 13:00    Different operational models discussion

Participants will have an opportunity to contemplate their own institutional set up for supporting consultancy and sharing their experiences and thoughts about the models their institutions have or would like to develop.

13:00 - 14:00    Lunch

14:00 - 15:30    Marketing your offering

This session will consider channels of internal communication which can be used as important marketing tools to develop stakeholder relationships and raise the profile of the consultancy support offered and the benefits of engaging with you. We will also briefly explore approaches to external marketing to assist with increasing business development.

15:30 - 16:00    Coffee Break

16:00 - 17:30    Negotiation Tactics

In this session we discuss the theory behind negotiations and some basic tools for planning and carrying out negotiations in order to make negotiations less daunting and more effective. This session will build on the some of the legal and contractual issues discussed earlier in the day and will include a group exercise drawn from a real consultancy contract negotiation.

17:30 - 17:45    Wrap up of day 2

09:15 - 09:30    Recap day 2, intro day 3

09:30 - 10:30    Evaluation, efficiency and sustainability

How do you ensure your operation is efficient and sustainable especially as the business grows? Here we look at ways of evaluating your performance to inform improvement, ways of improving efficiency and handling high deal flow on limited resources.

10:30 - 11:00    Coffee Break

11:00 - 12:00    Real life experience of developing a consultancy service from scratch

Starting a brand-new consultancy service is akin to starting your own business and as any entrepreneur will tell you – it’s a rollercoaster ride. Hear first-hand of the ups and downs, the fun and the fear experienced in University College Dublin, the first Irish university to establish a consultancy service.

12:00 - 12:30    Course summary and wrap-up

12:30 - 13:30    Lunch & Farewell