Brief:
As part of our overall analysis of activity in the Life Science clusters in the Northwest, Oxford and Cambridge, we were keen to understand the levels of peer-to-peer academic and academic/industry collaboration. This was assessed both between the clusters and externally for each cluster.
Approach:
We used a variety of exploratory techniques to examine the interactions across the network that covers the three clusters. These measurements assessed characteristics such as the strength of relationships, path distances for interactions and information flow across the network to generate a visual picture. The data shows that Cambridge has the highest level of collaborative activity - both with the other clusters as well as externally, followed by Oxford and, finally, the Northwest. This is an interesting finding when set alongside the fact that the level of research funding into each cluster is highest in the Northwest and lowest in Cambridge.
Conclusion:
This highlights the fact that successful clusters are not simply built on funding alone. It is critical that the right behaviours are engendered within the cluster if it is to grow and thrive.
Impact: Identification of collaboration behaviours supported cluster analysis.
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