Jumpstarting a new community

The shortcut - getting a new community out of a Box

Informal Self-Study Area Library City Campus West Northumbria University

So having dealt with strategic and organisational issues, for those that wish to proceed the good news is that it is easy to jump-start a new KT 2.0-style community. The community already exists - it's predominantly UK-based, most of the members have already been tested by other university Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTOs), and they know the routine.

If you are using the Cloud9 platform it's as simple as opening up a link from your community to the New Opportunities Group already being used by others. This is simply the flick of a switch and you can share opportunities with a community of entrepreneurs and experts. If you are using one of the other platforms listed in 'Organising your community' then it is still straightforward to invite the existing community into your new network.

Each new university community that joins the network brings the benefit of new opportunities, enhances the attractiveness of the market place, and potentially brings its own contacts to the global network. Hence the expansion is a truly plus-sum game. It is also possible to create sub-communities with a regional or domain focus basis an this has the potential to take years off the process of creating a functioning KT community and a market of skilled entrepreneurs interested in working with universities.