Vice-Provost's View: Farewell UCL

It has been a great privilege to be Vice-Provost (Enterprise) at UCL and inevitably as I pack my bags to make the long trip from Gordon Street to the Wellcome Trust on Euston Road, I have been reflecting on the last five years.

So much has changed and so much has been achieved by UCL.

From the beginning

Former President & Provost Malcolm Grant had the idea of appointing a Vice-Provost dedicated to enterprise. It is a relatively unusual post, and I'm bound to say that I think it's a good idea! Enterprise can and does touch on (and enhance) all facets of university life. Enterprise is as much about improving the student experience as it is about the application of research, academic consultancy and collaboration with business.

In 2011 we published our strategy for enterprise. Our vision was to establish UCL as a national and global leader in enterprise and innovation. Our approach was to encourage, promote, facilitate and support a culture of enterprise across the whole institution. Our plan was to develop a diverse range of innovative enterprise activities and, through an extensive range of collaboration and partnerships, make a positive difference to society.

So how did we do?

The numbers suggest that UCL has made extraordinary progress towards our goals - effectively doubling many of our activities.

Enterprise-related income accounts for at least £167 million of UCL's turnover - we could not do without it. Our more than 1,000 contracts with industry are now worth £118 million, more than double that of 2011. Our collaborations and partnerships with industry underpin a remarkable £312 million of our research council grant portfolio.

Our technology transfer company UCL Business (UCLB) focuses mainly on licensing, but has helped some of the UK's most impressive spinout companies. More than 1,000 academics are registered with UCL Consultants, helping companies, governments, non-governmental organisations and others benefit from the expert advice of our community. We established UCL Life Learning - enabling thousands of students to access courses online. UCL Advances provides 60,000 learner hours to budding and established entrepreneurs each year.

UCL is by any measure in the top five UK universities for enterprise. We are the number one recipient of translational awards from the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust. We have the second most extensive network of industry collaborations with the research councils and the third largest set of industry contracts. And for our work with entrepreneurs UCL Advances has received a number of awards including a Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion for Tim Barnes, Director of UCL Enterprise Operations and UCL Advances. I'm pleased to say that we have advised many hundreds of budding student entrepreneurs, leading to the creation of more than 200 student companies.

Perhaps the most obvious recognition of UCL's excellence was in the Research Excellence Framework 2014 where UCL was by many measures number one for impact, which also generates significant quality-rated (QR) funding.

It's not just about the money - it's impact!

Enterprise is about much more than money. It is about the UCL community making a difference to society. Underlying the numbers and the rhetoric of impact, there are important examples of what the UCL community is doing to make a difference to society.

There are thousands of enterprising projects making a real difference to society, right now. These might be the development of new treatments for cancer with companies such as Autolus, Spirogen or Biovexx or for multiple sclerosis with Canbex. It might be through innovative partnerships and licensing to develop treatments for eye disease, or rare diseases such as amyloidosis.

But it's not just in health of course; there are inspiring projects across UCL. Many involve collaborations with technology players such as Intel, Cisco, Elsevier and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers covering the Internet of Things, Big Data and Smart Cities and internet naming conventions. Artists, anthropologists, filmmakers and colleagues in many other fields are integral to projects such as the Slade Print Fair and the MyStreet documentary project.

Stick to the plan (but be flexible)

In our strategy we set out in some detail what we wanted to achieve and we tried to stick to it. But having a plan should not imply inflexibility, and the great thing about UCL is that you never know what is around the corner. No one could have predicted the emergence of Number 10's Tech City as an initiative. I was pleased to have been able to play a small part in this, and with Cisco and DC Thompson we created IdeaLondon - an innovation centre in Shoreditch - supporting more than 25 digital and creative start-ups.

Of course, despite our best efforts, not everything went to plan. We wanted to raise an investment fund to support spinouts. We had hoped to generate 500 companies, and we'll probably get about halfway there. But I think it's fair to say that we succeeded more than we failed, by sticking to the plan - and by being flexible. Sometimes we failed because we were unrealistic about the resources required. As someone once said to me, "A plan without resource is fantasy".

The rise and rise of London and UCL East

What was unexpected (to me at least) was London's emergence as possibly the number one global city of the last five years. London 2012 shone a spotlight on the capital, particularly East London, and the world liked what it saw. Following the games the Mayor, Boris Johnson, conceived of a project - Olympicopolis - borne out of a desire to create a lasting legacy. He and others realised the critical importance of world-class universities to the vision, and UCL became a founding partner.

I was asked to lead UCL's contribution during the first phase. It was an exciting, uncertain and challenging period as we attempted at pace to make an academic and financial case to UCL and to government to establish a second campus, UCL East. Our vision was and is simple - to recast the way a modern campus works, breaking down the silos of education, research, enterprise and public engagement. We aspire to create a place where anything is possible and which embodies the spirit of aspiration, ambition and access - a fitting and enduring legacy for 2012.

I was delighted when the plan for UCL's investment was approved and when government funding for Olympicopolis was announced in the National Infrastructure Plan in 2014. We were lucky - we had a great team and we stuck to an agreed plan. I am looking forward to seeing the project completed, and hope for an invitation to the opening ceremony!

With the arrival of President & Provost Michael Arthur, UCL developed a bold and ambitious strategy, UCL 2034, with a strong commitment to London. I was delighted to be appointed as Vice-Provost for London as well as enterprise. Of course there is much overlap but I think it is far-sighted of UCL to specify the need for a London strategy. The successes of UCL and London are inextricably linked and we have much to offer and to gain from closer links with the London networks and communities. I wish my colleague Chris Husbands every success as he picks up the London portfolio.

Chemistry and the Francis Crick Institute

I have said very little about my own academic research activities at UCL - the reason I was appointed in 2003. My research group in Chemical Biology has continued and even though I have been a little more remote, we made some exciting discoveries and are busy with our own 'translational agenda' to develop the next generation of biological therapeutics based on this work.

My chemistry background led to my involvement with what became known as the Francis Crick Institute. I greatly enjoyed working with a very large number of people on that project and I am delighted that there will be chemistry facilities within the Crick. It has been a great project to be involved with, even if only at the margins. Mind you I probably know a little bit more about delivery logistics and loading bay design then I ever expected! I am really looking forward to seeing the building complete and great science emerge.

And finally - thank you

When I took up the reins in 2010, I was really lucky to inherit from Mike Spyer a great team of experts who were able to gently guide their new Vice-Provost. The team has changed a little, but not so much. All those who work in my office, and in UCL Advances, UCL Business, UCL Consultants, Corporate Partnerships, the Industry Partnerships group and the Translational research office, have done an incredible job in delivering an enormous agenda. The success that we have had is also linked to the terrific efforts of the Vice-Deans (Enterprise) and I am very grateful to them, and many other members of the academic and professional services community. It's also been a pleasure to have been part of the UCL Senior Management Team. I have made many friends and learnt a great deal.

I must also mention the two President & Provosts whom I have had the privilege of working for. Firstly, Malcolm Grant, who took a chance in appointing me and then provided a lot of guidance, support and reassurance. More recently, Michael Arthur has been incredibly generous in his support for my career and I will be ever grateful to him for the advice and friendship over the last couple of years. They have both been great to work with!

I am also very grateful that the Wellcome Trust and UCL have agreed to allow me to maintain a professorial position at UCL. It's great to know I'll continue to be part of this fantastic, inspiring community, which I know will continue to go from strength to strength.

Thank you all!

Stephen Caddick, Vice-Provost (Enterprise) and Vernon Professor of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology

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