COMPANIES around the world are set to benefit from the expertise of York University scientists under a new £1 million "brains for business" fund launched by the Government today.
The scheme is aimed at encouraging academics to help firms tackle technical and research problems and to forge stronger links between higher education and industry.
It will see university experts receiving fellowships, worth up to £25,000 a year for four years, in return for helping companies develop business plans.
Dr David Goodall, of the University of York's chemistry department, will be York's fellow.
He plans to meet senior scientists within companies to raise awareness of the expertise available at York. For example, if the university wanted to develop a prototype piece of equipment, it could work with a manufacturing company, which would be able to commercialise the item, and a user company which would use the equipment.
Dr Goodall said he planned to work in three areas in which the university had particular expertise and where scientists from different departments were already working together - post-genomic technology, cell science and informatics.
One of his main targets will be to work with heads of other science departments at York to develop university-business partnerships to the value of £1 million a year.
He said: "Our target is to work with Science City York to make York the Cambridge of the north. This news is a very big feather in the cap for York."
Updated: 15:18 Tuesday, September 18, 2001
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