0.4 Research methodology  (Page 3/7)

Opinion Data derived from questionnaire responses from actors who are components of a member group active in the Texas/UK Collaborative compared with responses to the same questionnaire from a non-member control group who are not active in the collaborative. These member and non-member groups exist in the same university and on the same campus and indeed the same departments. They therefore undertake their activities in the same environment with the significant difference of participation or non-participation in the Texas/UK Collaborative initiative. The qualitative data generated reflected the opinions relating to value benefits of participation in a global network such as the Texas/UK Collaborative, from the perspective of individual academic/researcher actor. The non-member group acted as a control group to allow unbiased comparison. In addition questionnaires responses were collected from participants from Texas that engaged in the Swansea related initiatives within the Texas/UK Collaborative. Whether or not the data shows the participation in the collaborative to be a success from a Swansea perspective it will be short lived unless it is similarly regarded from a Texas perspective. The Texas questionnaires were evaluated with particular regard to their perceived derived value from the Swansea participation. All of these questionnaires analyzed the impact of the Texas/UK Collaborative on and from the perspective of the individual.

A second category of questionnaire was designed to collect different but supportive data. A group of 68 knowledge based companies were identified subject to the criteria of being active in the nanotechnology field; Nanotechnology being one sector where the Texas cluster is recognised as world leading. The purpose of this study being to identify the needs of the UK based nanotechnology companies and their perception of value that participation in the Texas/UK Collaborative could deliver.

Along side the qualitative data generated by the questionnaires quantitative data was harvested to reflect the academic entrepreneurial and economic impact of participation in the Texas/UK Collaborative. Traditional Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) were used to measure impact similar to those that might be applied to the RAE or in economic impact analysis. Traditional KPI’s such as employment, patents filed, new start ups, increasing profits and turnover are of course important and the impact of the collaborative were measured. However efforts were made to measure other changes reflecting the development of an open innovation culture of the region critical to a sustainable innovation system.

A subset of the membership of the four constituencies was interviewed in a semi structured manner i.e., the member group, non member group, partners based in Texas and the representatives of knowledge industries relevant to nanotechnology. The purpose of these interviews was to validate data derived from the questionnaires and secondly and possibly more importantly to further develop dialogue relating to the positive evolution of an open innovation philosophy in individuals, organisations and the region. In particular were the experiences of working within the collaborative leading to a more open global collaborative and multidisciplinary approach.