JISC

This evaluation was commissioned by JISC with the aim of investigating ‘the extent to which JISC’s current developments and services support higher education institutions’ Third Stream activities and to identify new areas of work or services that are appropriate for JISC to develop.’

Executive summary

The survey phase of the research was conducted through an online questionnaire and through interviews conducted during May and June 2006. The survey was aimed at staff throughout the UK working in a range of settings in higher and further education considered to be part of Third Stream activity, such as Business Schools, Centres for Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer Partnership offices, Enterprise and Innovation services, units involved in community engagement, continuing education and lifelong learning. By the end of June 124 questionnaires had been completed and there had been conversations with staff from 38 institutions.

Findings from the survey related to four main issues: the nature of the 'Third Stream'; findings relating to current use of JISC services, and perceptions and understanding of JISC and its services; findings relating to suggestions about the potential application of current JISC services to Third Stream activities, and specific requests for additional services.

Particular conclusions were that:

• respondents who were aware of JISC services were very positive about them, but levels of awareness of JISC services were generally fairly low
• significant numbers of respondents requested information or support which is already available through one or other of the JISC services
• there appears to be a significant opportunity to develop mechanisms to identify common issues for and needs of practitioners, and to share good practice in Third Stream activities
• there is an opportunity to support knowledge exchange about approaches to Customer Relationship Management, to partnership and to engagement between business and community sectors
• the research strongly demonstrated the huge diversity that exists in terms of approaches to and types of Third Stream activity

The outcomes from the survey informed discussions at a Think Tank organised by JISC and held at York on 22 June 2006. Presentations and discussions at the Think Tank endorsed and reinforced the conclusions which emerged from the survey. The need for clarity of definitions and boundaries was a strong theme in discussion especially around the term ‘Third Stream’ itself and also in respect of the legal implications of applying JISC services in new and particularly commercial contexts. There is a question, too, about what JISC can and cannot do about such activities as providing platforms for hosting websites.

Particular messages that emerged from the Think Tank included:

• good possibilities for applying existing services in Third Stream contexts
• considerable demand for applications which could support partnership and sharing of good practice
• a clear need for JISC to be more accessible in terms of building relationships and improving communications with Third Stream practitioners
• technical language can be a barrier to participation by some Third Stream practitioners
• an opportunity to extend existing good practice associated with the brokering role of the Regional Support Centres
• a need for JISC to be forward thinking about penetrating a new ‘market’.

Evaluation report

3 September 2006

The final report on the evaluation synthesised findings from the survey (including further responses made subsequent to the Think Tank) and from the Think Tank itself, and made the following recommendations.

1. We believe that the survey and associated Think Tank event have demonstrated the potential for JISC services to support HEIs in their Third Stream activities and that a case should therefore be made to HEFCE for funds to support this development.
2. Further analysis of correlations within the survey data should be undertaken in order to inform qualitative analysis of the trends which have emerged from the survey through interviews with correspondents.
3. A comprehensive User Needs Study should be conducted consulting stakeholders at institutional and practitioner level within HEIs, as well as representatives of the funding bodies.
4. Ways in which JISC could support Customer Relationship Management processes should be explored.
5. Ways in which JISC could support networking and partnership working in Third Stream activities should be explored.
6. Ways in which existing JISC services could be exploited in Third Stream contexts should be discussed by the relevant staff.
7. There is a need to support a change process within JISC to enable articulation with what would be a new strategic agenda involving:

• inclusion of a Third Stream objective in the strategic plan
• promoting understanding of the Third Stream environment as a potential area of activity to current JISC staff
• establishment of a staffing resource within JISC with relevant expertise
• activities to raise awareness of JISC, its existing outputs and services with Third Stream practitioners, including the revision of existing of JISC publicity materials and production of new materials to promote the application of JISC services in the Third Stream context in a way which ensures greater accessibility to this information for non-technical people
• investigation of the legal position in relation to the use of JISC services and development outputs in the commercial context
• exploring how to extend the interface between JISC and HEIs to ensure that information about use of JISC services is clearly communicated to all potential mediators
• exploring the potential for the Regional Support Centres and other bodies within JISC to provide a brokerage and liaison service to support the wider use of JISC services