1. Business and Community Engagement (BCE) Overview
Extending IT Support for External Engagement
Rob Allen
JISC Services BCE Manager
16 July 2009
Joint Information Systems Committee Supporting education and research
30/07/2009 | slide 1

2. JISC Activities
JISC
 Innovation Programmes (e.g. Digitisation)
 Services (c.40, e.g. JANET, 6 Advisory Services)
 Provides and develops ICT facilities and resources;
 Provides support, advice and guidance; spreads good practice;
 Creates collaborative networks at home and abroad.
JISC is driven by
 The needs of the community it serves
 Supporting the aims and objectives of the JISC’s funding partners
 Political drivers e.g. DIUS’ Employer Engagement (Leitch) + Innovation Nation
 Support for HE provision beyond HEIs (FE colleges, work place)
 Working in collaboration with e.g. HE Academy, Becta, internationally,
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 2

3. JISC Business and Community Engagement (BCE) Programme
 Developed in response to JISC’s Fifth Strategic Aim 2007-09:
– To develop and implement a programme to support institutions’
engagement with the wider community
 The JISC BCE Programme supports institutions in their engagement with
the wider community. It aims:
– To enhance institutional efficiency, effectiveness and opportunities in
business and community activities
– To improve access to institutions’ knowledge assets for business and
community organisations.
What is BCE?
Business and Community Engagement (BCE) is the strategic management
of relationships with external partners and clients,
and of the related institutional services (e.g. knowledge exchange, workforce development).
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 3

4. Business and Community Engagement
Diversity of scope of engagement and outcomes
Business Community
Private Public Cultural Social & civic
sector sector landscape arena
Competitiveness, Efficiency, Cultural Resources &
growth cohesion enrichment & opportunities
quality of life
ENHANCING INNOVATION & PRODUCTIVITY
DELIVERING ECONOMIC & SOCIAL BENEFIT
Note: This diagram does not represent scale of activity
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 4

5. What is BCE?
 BCE involves:
– Innovation and knowledge exchange
– Strategic partnerships
– Workforce development and lifelong learning
– Public and community engagement
– Employer engagement
– External Service provision and delivery
 Objective: to deliver benefits to economy and society - and the institutions,
e.g. a more highly skilled workforce, a more efficient, dynamic and sustainable
economy and a more cohesive, knowledge-enabled society, (see Innovation Nation)
BCE is fundamentally about solving problems and creating opportunities
through external engagement.
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 5

6. Business and Community Engagement – Enabling effective interaction
BCE PRACTITIONERS
Prognosis and diagnosis of opportunity, need
Service-orientated, External access
interoperable to HE and
systems (e.g. CRM); innovation
cohesive IT information
BUSINESS &
HE and FE infrastructure; resources
KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY
& EXPERTISE DEMAND
Research, Virtual collaborative Problem/need
Education facilities for or opportunity
institution/
external partner
co-development
JISC: Supporting BCE; enhancing infrastructure and service-provision; breaking down barriers
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 6

7. Examples of Institutional BCE Activities
 Core: Knowledge Transfer/Exchange and Employer Engagement – the constituency is external
 Activities are both research-led and education-led - with emphasis on service provision and
demand-led service. Examples:
• Consultancy services;
• Collaborative research; Contract research
• Start-up companies and spin-off companies
• Alumni services
• CPD and training services;
• Workforce development services; Work-based learning; Work placements
• Lifelong learning;
• Enterprise facilities, activities and education
• Incubation facilities and services;
• Licensing of content and knowledge assets
• Regional development and Regeneration
• Events, festivals & facilities utilising the institution’s intellectual assets, such as
• public lectures; performing arts events; exhibitions – museums/galleries; museum
education.
• Social entrepreneurship/corporate social responsibility;
• Volunteering schemes;
• Public service activities such as:
• Food and diet improvement; Health awareness programmes; Problem solving - crime,
narcotics etc.; Services for targeted groups e.g. IT for the elderly.
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 7

8. JISC Business and Community Engagement Programme –
Streams and Key Work-packages
Employer
CRM 1 - ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Engagement
Online Tools VREs*
2 - FACILITATING COLLABORATION
for BCE for BCE
Embedding Supporting
3 - ENABLING CHANGE
BCE Training & CPD
Extending Business 4 - ENABLING Facilitating SME
Access Mgt Info Resources THE INTERFACE Open Innovation e-empowering
Awareness 5 - EMBEDDING AND COMMUNICATING BCE Comms. &
in BCE in JISC Marketing
6 - NEEDS ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION
Needs Analysis Formative +
Summative Evaluation
*Virtual Research Environments
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 8

9. JISC Services
 JISC TechDis JISC Netskills JISC InfoNet
 JISC Legal JISC ProcureWeb JISC Digital Media
 Working collaboratively on projects in:
– Business and Community Engagement
• Including tailoring/repackaging materials for BCE audiences
– Curriculum Design and Delivery (FE and HE)
– HEA Collaboration
 Supporting JISC Innovation Programmes (including e-learning eg e-portfolios,
users and innovation – web2access, web2rights)
 Advice, guidance, resources, information and support, good practice, staff
development, research and development
 Working with senior managers to practitioners, representative groups,
professional bodies
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 9

10. Projects/Topics
1. Embedding BCE
how are employer engagement , knowledge transfer and other functions organised and
integrated (or not) within the institution and how does this impact on their
effectiveness?
2. Awareness of BCE
are core institutional support functions (eg IT, HR) fully aware of the needs of staff
working these functions?
what institutional barriers are there to supporting these activities?
3. CPD and Staff Skills
do staff supporting these functions within an institution have the right skills (including
technology-related skills) to enable them to work most effectively
4. Online collaborative tools
what tools are in use to support collaboration between institutions and their partners
Joint Information Systems Committee 30/07/2009 | slide 10