Collaborate with us

There are a number of services on offer to businesses through Cardiff Met, these include:

• Access to state of the art facilities— we can put you in contact with the relevant staff to arrange the use of our specialist facilities which include FabLab , the International Centre for Design and Research (pdr); ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre and the National Indoor Athletics Centre (NIAC). If you want to hold a conference or event here at Cardiff Met our Conference and Hospitality services team can help you book our rooms and catering.
• Entrepreneur/Start up support—The Centre of Entrepreneurship can offer information on entrepreneurship and Start up support.
• Training and professional development—The Centre for Work Based Learning can bring university education to the workplace.
• Student & Graduate opportunities— There are opportunities for work placements within your business and our Careers Services ​offers further relevant information for employers.
  

The team can also liaise with you to identify the academic or team that can work with your company on the following areas:

• Marketing and business services
• New product development
• Research & development
• Design, prototyping & batch manufacturing
• Knowledge transfer

Getting the right advice can make all the difference between success or failure. Here at Cardiff Metropolitan University we have expertise that encompasses a multitude of industries that can help you develop your business with tailored solutions through consultancy and development projects.

Working with Cardiff Met on a consultancy basis is an excellent way to develop a relationship and improve your processes, products and services. Our academics from across the University's five schools and our commercial units can support businesses by using their existing expertise to address a diverse range of challenges. Consultancy is just one of the principle routes for knowledge transfer, providing real business benefits which originate from our research strengths.

How Research & Innovation Services can help

The Research and Enterprise Services (RIS) team can identify the academic expertise that you require. Below are a few areas that RES and our academics can help you with:

• ​New product and/or service development
• Research and development
• Analysis, testing and validation work
• Supply of expert advice and opinion
• Feasibility and scoping studies
• Market research
• Technology road mapping
• Design, prototyping & batch manufacturing

If your business is facing a challenge that requires know-how that does not yet exist, a Cardiff Met academic may be able to help you move forward by carrying out relevant research on your behalf. Our team in Research & Innovation Services can identify the academic expertise that you require and get the process started.

There are a number of funded opportunities available ranging from national to international funded projects, from pure research to research engaging business. These schemes are primarily funded through government organisations and charities but also through internal funding opportunities here at Cardiff Met. Through collaboration with businesses we can secure funding from these schemes.

Here are a number of funding opportunities for you to consider:

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

​A KTP is a partnership between a company, university and a graduate (Associate) who work together to deliver a strategic project for the business which the company would be unable to do without the knowledge and expertise provided by the University. For more information on KTPs please follow the link below:

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships​

Who can apply: Large and small companies. ​

European Funding for Research & Innovation

The Research and Innovation Services can work with you to identify any European funding available for collaboration. To find out how we can help you please contact Rae DePaul.

Who can apply: Large and small companies depending on the funding.

We recognise that the financial cost for SMEs of generating new ideas, technologies and processes to achieve competitive advantage can be high. Cardiff Met offers SMEs a range of schemes to drive their business forward. We understand you may have plans for growth but find it a challenge to find the right type of business support, or people with the right skills. Below are some ways we can help:

Consultancy

The Research and Innovation Services (RIS) team can identify the academic expertise that you

specifically require as an SME. Get in touch with the team to discuss how we can help:

Contact the Business Team

Training for your staff

The Centre for Work Based Learning can work with you to identify training for you and your staff. They

focus on developing the workforce through applied and practical learning solutions which can be

bespoke to your needs.

Innovate UK funding

There are a number of funding opportunities available for SMEs through innovate UK with some schemes specifically targeted to SMEs. The schemes available include Innovation vouchers, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Competitions and more, a full list of their funding opportunities can be viewed here:

- Innovate UK funding page​

Work with our students

Get benefit from the training and ideas of our undergraduates, postgraduates and recent graduates through a number of schemes here at Cardiff Met. Further information is available on our Careers Services pages.

Use our facilities​

SMEs can make use of our conference and hospitality services; use our commercial units and hire our laboratories.