Consultancy excellence
Knowledge-to-impact consultancy
Surrey Innovation & Enterprise Hub handles all administrative aspects of university consultancy, from scoping and costing projects to contract setup and invoicing. We support both advisory and facilities-based consultancy, helping staff build partnerships, apply expertise to real-world challenges, and enhance their professional reputation while the university manages all operational details.
Initiate your consultancy project
University consultancy supports staff to:
- Build new partnerships with organisations, paving the way for deeper collaborations
- Enhance research and teaching activities
- Apply their expertise to tackle real-world challenges
- Address key challenges facing organisations today
- Drive impactful outcomes that make a difference
- Influence policy and shape the future
- Generate follow-on research and knowledge exchange initiatives
- Enhance their reputation and build a strong professional profile.
As defined by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), consultancy is the provision of expert advice and work, which while it may involve a high degree of analysis, measurement or testing, is crucially dependent on a high degree of intellectual input from the higher education provider to the client (commercial or non-commercial) without the creation of new knowledge.
University consultancy involves the use of university resources and is recognised and supported by the university and submitted on Worktribe. We support two types of consultancy:
- Advisory consultancy involves only minimal use of the university’s resources and facilities such as office facilities.
- Facilities-based consultancy utilises the university’s resources, equipment and facilities, and draws upon and applies existing knowledge and expertise.
University consultancy is fully supported by the University, including support to:
- Scope the project: define the project’s goals and objectives, deliverables and timescales
- Cost the project: determine the financial requirements
- Undertake due diligence: evaluation of the potential partner
- Price and negotiate the contract: ensure fair and beneficial terms
- Set-up the project: get everything in place to start smoothly
- Raise and chase invoices: handle all billing efficiently
- Collate feedback: gather insights to improve and refine
- Create case-studies: showcase successful outcomes
- Provide reports: keep everyone informed with regular updates
- Manage the relationship: foster strong, ongoing partnerships
- Identify further opportunities: discover new avenues for collaboration.
All staff working on consultancy projects are expected to have read the University Consultancy Procedure.
Further information on how to initiate your consultancy project is available in the consultancy top tips guide.