Increasingly, "knowledge" and "innovation" appear to be recognized as significant driving forces of economic growth, social development, and job creation. "Knowledge exchange" and "innovation" have become buzz words that are often the subject of both public and economic policy. As a result of this, a myriad of programs and other initiatives have been created and designed by some governments to assist and persuade industry and commerce to move towards a knowledge-based production. Additionally, in much of the current innovation literature there is an underlying assumption that there is a potential for increased collaboration between industry and universities, with an assumption that universities are an important source for accessing external ideas. This paper will report on and examine an illustrative selection of different government and research funded initiatives and partnership projects undertaken by the UK-based Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (JIIC) with a wide range of jewelry small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). It will include examples of the successful, the less than successful, and the ones that exceeded all expectations, and will report on the Centre's experiences in the development, delivery and participation in these initiatives. It will also consider the value of this interchange of knowledge and its impacts and results, both commercially and through "softer" outcomes.

Author: Gay Penfold