1. Why join the UK Innovation Forum?
  2. What categories of membership are there?
  3. Which research institutions participate in the UKIF?
  4. Who can join?
  5. Who cannot join?
  6. What do you get when you join?
  7. Are my personal contact details available to members and visitors?
  8. Can I supply services to the forum membership?
  9. How much does it cost?
  10. How many countries are represented?
  11. Can I come to meet you?
  12. Can I advertise on the UKIF website?
  13. I have forgotten my login details – what can I do?
  14. Payment issues, cancelling membership, complaining…
  15. Cancellations and Refunds

Why join the UK Innovation Forum?

  • The forum’s institutional members will advertise here when they need management expertise to help them commercialise the innovative technologies produced by their academic staff. This will provide full time positions in spin-out companies, NEDs, project work, mentoring and so on
  • Individual members will also advertise for staff for the companies in which they work
  • Not all institutions will have a clear idea as to the best use for a new technology (e.g., would a new widget be more useful in aerospace or automotive?), so they will also open discussions with forum members about new technologies and members will be able to guide and fashion their commercial application
  • Discounts are available to UKIF members when seeking funds from selected angel networks
  • UKIF provides a news digest of items related to technology innovation and future trends to help members identify opportunities and select markets

What categories of membership are there?

Institutions; corporates; professionals; individuals; academics/students.

Which research institutions participate in the UKIF?

As at August 2010, we are now endorsed, or directly supported, by 3 national research councils, 14 universities, 3 Seed Funds and 16 other bodies. Many more are discussing membership with us or have indicated that they will be joining. A full list is available here.

Who can join?

Anyone whose skills and experience are relevant to the purpose of the forum (please see the question above).

Who cannot join?

The UKIF is intended to provide a space for a meaningful exchange between individuals with a common purpose. For this to happen, we are obliged to exclude individuals and organisations that may wish to be a part of the UKIF but who do not fulfil the entry criteria.

What do you get when you join?

Jobs:

The primary purpose of the forum is to allow UK research institutions to contact the business people with whom they would like to discuss the commercialisation of their new technologies. The forum’s management sees this as it’s most important task.

The staff of the UKIF will contact individuals directly when we learn of opportunities that appear relevant to the individual for association with, or employment in, spin-outs, or for the licensing of technology from member organisations.

There is also a job board, which members are encouraged to check for themselves.

Discussion:

The forum provides a bulletin-board, allowing for the posting of responses and discussions around these. Individual members are strongly encouraged to look at these regularly, as it is likely that projects that lead to spin-out opportunities will emerge from these discussions with forum members in which the academic institution concerned explores the applicability of technologies to various sectors and applications.

News:

We will post items of news from member institutions and the wider world relevant to the forum.

Are my personal contact details visible to members and visitors?

The only details generally visible is the name you choose to be known by within the forum. Other information, such as CV details that we capture when you join, is made available to some of our institutional members so that we can aid them in approaching appropriate individuals for specific opportunities.

Can I supply services to the forum membership?

Companies and organisations that wish to offer services to the members of the UKIF community can only join in exceptional circumstances. Please follow this link.

How much does it cost?

Individual membership costs £125 per annum, or £30 p.a. for academics or students. If you are employed by a research institution, or company or other organisation, and are involved in the commercialisation of technology, please call or email us for more information about the pricing of our services.

How many countries are represented?

UKIF represents only UK research institutions, but welcomes individual members from around the world.

Can I come to meet you?

We are a national organisation and our staff travel around, visiting our institutional members and using facilities all over the country for speaker meetings and face to face discussions. We would be very happy to meet individuals who are interested in the forum when we are in your area.

Can I advertise on the UKIF website, can I do that?

At the moment we do not allow anyone to place advertising on the site except our institutional members.

I have forgotten my login data – what can I do?

Contact us via email at gro.fi-kunull@pihsrebmem

Payment issues, cancelling membership, complaining…

Contact us via email at gro.fi-kunull@pihsrebmem

Cancellations and Refunds

To minimize our administrative costs and to keep the cost of UKIF memberships low, all memberships are prepaid. Except when we have made an error (see section below ‘when can refunds be made?’), there is no full or partial refund of Membership Fees because membership gives immediate access to free or discounted Member services/products that are available to UKIF members only, including access to other members and access to extensive databases of technologies and other facilities such as substantial discounts at events and through our partner purchasing schemes.

Memberships are valid for 365 days (366 days in a leap year) from the date of notification by the UKIF confirming to the member by email that the membership status has been granted. UKIF memberships are sold “as-is” and without any warranty or guarantee. While you may cancel your membership at any time, you will not be refunded for any unused or remaining portion.

When can refunds be made?

Refunds on membership subscriptions will be made only in the following circumstances:

  • Where a UKIF processing error has resulted in the UKIF overcharging the member for a subscription.
  • Where a processing or system error has resulted in, or allowed a duplicate membership record to be set up and charged.
  • Where a member has contacted the UKIF to cancel or amend a membership payment but where the UKIF has been unable to process that request in time to prevent further payment being taken, providing the cancellation request was submitted prior to the payment collection date.
  • Where a processing or transaction error attributed to the UKIF has resulted in the member incurring bank charges.

Contact us via email at gro.fi-kunull@pihsrebmem