Specialist applied consultancy and research

» Market research and technical testing

Through our team, you'll get access to the full range of research centres and development groups at the University of Derby as well as the specialist centres across our partner universities, specialist Research Institutes and test centres globally.

Market research

Whether you want to confirm the status of the market you are in, explore whether it's shrinking or growing, or indeed explore fresh new markets and understand the behaviour of the target customer base, we can put you in touch with experts to help you make commercial decisions based on sound market research data.

Our RES (Research and Evaluation Services) team are dedicated to providing you quantitative or qualitative research and analysis at commercially competitive prices.

Customer focus groups

Our facilities include two large observation rooms with viewing facilities for conducting attitudinal and customer focus group trials on selected target audiences.

Technical research / product development and testing

You may want to make sure you're complying with legislative standards or to assess and identify causes of failure. Or perhaps you simply want to analyse materials or systems in order to understand them more fully.

We can help you interpret the technical data to help you make your commercial decisions.

You can contact us using the online Enquiry Form or by post (Contact Us)

» Knowledge transfer partnerships

Knowledge Transfer Partnership

• Does your business have the potential to grow but lack some specific knowledge or expertise?
• Do you need to find that expertise in a cost-effective manner?
• Could your business benefit from a £60-£90,000 grant?

What is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership?

A Knowledge Transfer Partnership is a Government funded scheme that helps businesses access the UK skills and knowledge base. It provides funding for a 2/3-year strategic project within businesses.

It is a 3-way partnership between a business, a recent high calibre graduate and the university, where all 3 partners benefit. It requires a permanent transfer of knowledge from the university to the business...examples:

• Transoceanic Meats case study

The business gets:

1. A (subsidised) high calibre recent graduate to work, in company, on a strategic project with specific objectives for a 2/3-year period.
2. Access to the skills, knowledge and resources of academics and the university. (Academics commit to working on average ½ day per week on the project.)
3. The expertise of academics and researchers (across all subject areas).

Historical information shows that you can expect these business benefits:

• An increase in annual profit of around £138,000.
• A one-off increase in profit of about £98,000.
• 19 company staff trained.
• 4 genuine new jobs created.

What will it cost me?

For a typical SME (eg less than 250 employees) it will cost the business in the region of £20,000 per Associate per year.

You can contact us using the online Enquiry Form or by post ( Contact Us )

» Scientific and social research

Research centres

There are a variety of research centre within the University, with their own specialism:

• Centre for Advancing Innovation and Management (AIM)
• Centre for Psychological Research
• International Centre for Guidance Studies
• The Open Studio
• Centre for Education and Professional Practice

Research groups

• Biological Sciences Research Group
• Culture, Lifestyle and Landscape Research Group
• Signal Processing Applications Research Group - please visit the SPARG website for full details
• Identity, Conflict and Representation Research Group
• Human and Physical Environments Research Group
• Society, Religion and Beliefs Research Group

You can contact us about scientific and social research using the online Enquiry Form or by post (Contact Us)

» Expertise directory

Browse our list of subject specialists within the University to find out if there's an expert for your area of work.