National Physical Laboratory role in uniting government, business and academia
We are pleased to introduce our new Accelerator Member, National Physical Laboratory (NPL). NPL is the UK’s National Metrology Institute (NMI) and is responsible for maintaining standard measurements across the UK and the wider world. Headquartered in Southwest London but with regional centres across the UK, they are part of a global network of NMIs. UIIN’s Tasha Day spoke with Leah Chapman and Linden Fradet, to hear about NPL’s tailored triple helix engagement strategy and how they are contributing to national and international resilience in measurement science and innovation.
Leah and Linden are both University Liaison Managers (ULMs) at NPL; their team is dedicated to developing and strengthening relationships with stakeholders across the UK. They are responsible for engaging academic stakeholders and delivering metrology solutions for real world problems. Their remit is broad, encompassing knowledge exchange, brokerage, and business development, as well as bringing industry on board through triple helix collaboration.
Uniquely positioned at the intersection of government, business, and academia, NPL plays a strategic role not only in delivering scientific and commercial impact, but also in shaping national and international measurement policy. While a significant portion of their funding comes from the UK government, NPL complements this with a strong portfolio of commercial activities, working with businesses as actively as with universities to tackle some of the UK’s most pressing challenges.
Supporting NPL’s role between industry and academia
NPL have been working to understand the laboratory’s role within the broader ecosystem. As a national laboratory, NPL occupies a unique space between industry and academia. NPL’s position in the middle of these two sectors presented an opportunity to drive meaningful connections across these stakeholder groups. In seeking forum and personal development to support this goal, ULMs found that university-focused and industry conferences lacked the balance NPL sought, often leaning too heavily towards one side.
Discovering UIIN was an amazing find because it’s an organisation that not only navigates both sides but also understands the complexity of working across them.
Leah Chapman, University Liaison Manager at NPL
The UIIN Conference provided a platform where Leah and Linden could collaborate, learn from others, and enhance their unique roles. And UIIN’s training opportunities provide an opportunity to take their practice to the next level, providing valuable support for their ongoing work at NPL.
Developing an engagement strategy and communicating impact
Over the past seven years, Leah and Linden have developed NPL’s academic engagement strategy. Their goal has always been to create a clear, actionable strategy that is brought to life through a strong regional presence and effective relationship-building. Having ULM presence outside of London’s headquarters has given them valuable insights into local strengths, enabling more impactful collaborations, particularly with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their respective regions.
Being based in the regions has been crucial for bringing our strategy to life. What’s written on paper doesn’t become real until you build relationships and highlight regional strengths that others outside those areas may not see.
Linden Fradet, University Liaison Manager and PGI Operations Manager at NPL
NPL’s approach to collaboration is highly tailored, depending on the specific needs of each partner. Whether engaging with academia, industry, or government, they adjust their delivery and model of engagement according to the local ecosystem and sector specific requirements.
Communicating impact externally and internally is a key part of Leah and Linden’s job. It is important to communicate back to the headquarters regional strengths and the local impact of their work. Externally, it is also important to raise awareness about what NPL does and the value it offers, particularly given that not everyone fully understands the breadth of its capabilities. This awareness-raising is crucial in their engagement strategy, which emphasises not just seeking collaborations but also helping potential partners understand NPL’s unique contributions.
Lastly, a core part of their mission is to build national scientific and technical capability by investing in local infrastructure. By strengthening regional foundations, NPL contributes to the UK government’s broader agenda, ensuring the country is equipped with the scientific infrastructure and measurement expertise necessary to address national priorities, drive growth and improve productivity.
NPL’s contributions to national and international priorities
An example of NPL’s infrastructure contributions to national priorities is the development of National Timing Centre nodes in regionsacross the UK. These nodes are part of the UK’s precision timing infrastructure, which is essential for things like financial markets and national security. These nodes are located with university partners, showcasing how NPL works with academic partners to not only support research, but also help apply it to real-world industry needs. It’s a prime example of how NPL’s regional engagement feeds into a national mission, with each location contributing to a wider, connected system.
Another tale of NPL’s real world impact, their ‘’jewel in the crown’’ of academia and industry engagement, is the Postgraduate Institute for Measurement Science. The programme supports around 200 doctoral students each year, with around 40% of studentships being co-funded by industry. Through the programme NPL collaborates with approximately 35 academic institutions, including deeper partnerships with some, such as strategic partners the University of Strathclyde and the University of Surrey, where 150 joint projects have been funded between the universities, NPL and industry partners. The programme also has a strong track record when it comes to alumni outcomes, with graduates successfully working across industry and academia, or even staying at NPL as measurement science experts.
Overcoming instability and funding challenges
One of the key challenges is the natural turnover of people in key roles, which has led to periods of instability at NPL in building and sustaining partnerships. Despite this, Leah and Linden have been a consistent force within the organisation, providing continuity through all the transitions, facilitating new partnerships and keeping the momentum alive. By regularly organising committee meetings, they’ve been able to foster a shared vision and bring new people on board, ensuring that progress continues even in times of change.
Funding presents another issue – it is difficult to enable scientists to collaborate without direct funding mechanisms. As a national laboratory, NPL is often perceived as a source of funding support. However, that is not always the case, and managing expectations around what NPL can provide has been an ongoing challenge.
Recently, however, there has been an increase in access to regional funding for example, with the introduction of the Innovation Accelerator funding. With £10 million allocated to various innovative collaborations across the UK. this funding has been transformative for NPL. It’s opened up new opportunities for partnerships with both industry and academia, providing a much-needed catalyst to make collaboration a reality.
Building resilience amidst uncertainty
Universities are facing a particularly challenging time. The political climate is unstable, and recent events have shown how vulnerable research and funding is to political shifts. NPL are focusing on finding ways to build resilience in these turbulent times, looking for strategies that allow them to adapt, support universities and industry to thrive despite the unpredictability ahead.
Leah Chapman and Linden Fradet
If you would like to learn more about NPL and their initiatives, you can contact Leah Chapman or Linden Fradet or visit their webpage.
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In our brief, Building Strategic and Sustainable University–Industry Partnerships, we explore how institutions can move beyond transactional collaborations to forge long-term, mission-aligned partnerships that drive innovation and societal impact.
In the podcast How Boundary Spanning Agents Shape the Future, we delve into the pivotal role of individuals who bridge academia and industry, breaking down silos and fostering networks that enable transformative collaboration.
Tasha Day (author) is a Project officer at UIIN, where she undertakes research activities and creates content on a wide variety of topics including entrepreneurship education, sustainability and research valorisation.
