Digitally Enabled Business Clinic - a cost-effective means of universities supporting SMEs to increase their productivity

“我们建议在诺森比亚大学商业诊所（BC）成功的基础上，对数字化商业诊所（DEBC）进行可行性研究。DEBC将使企业能够与大学生接触，并获得免费的商业咨询，提供来自一系列学科的最新知识，从而产生积极的商业成果。该项目受益于我们从诺森比亚现有BC的久经考验的模型中获得的经验。我们将创建、测试和评估商业诊所的数字化模型，这将使非常成功的BC方法能够被其他大学快速、经济地实施。利用数码媒体吸引低至中等生产力的中小企业，并提供免费咨询服务和一系列网上研讨会。DEBC将与我们的网络联系人合作，特别是NELEP，亚洲商业联系（ABC是亚洲商业联合会的一部分，在全国范围内运作）和小企业联合会，帮助我们定位/招募来自困境行业的中小企业，这些中小企业将从数字咨询中受益。该项目将惠及30-40家低至中等生产力的中小企业，为我们积极进取、富有创新精神的商学院学生提供“年轻视角”的机会。DEBC将通过数字媒体和工具提供跨职能范围的建议（包括数字营销、财务、战略管理），从而消除对昂贵的物理基础设施的需求。从我们2013年以来的经验来看，我们知道商业诊所模式是有效的。这个项目的创新之处在于，我们将测试另一种数字化模式，这种模式可以迅速扩大规模。该项目将确定DEBC概念是否为中小企业与当地大学互动，获得无偿中立建议，获取最先进的知识并具有年轻一代视角的附加价值的经济有效方式。我们将监测其覆盖范围、吸收情况和对业务成果的影响。我们将编写一份“如何实施DEBC指南”，以及一系列引人注目的案例研究，为其他地区DEBC的形成提供基础。英国产业战略旨在支持大学和企业共同创新。推出debc网络将是一种创新机制，使英国企业能够轻松连接并受益于现有技术、新知识、见解和大学商学院的新视角。”

"We are proposing a feasibility study of a Digitally Enabled Business Clinic (DEBC), building on the success of Northumbria University's Business Clinic (BC).The DEBC will enable businesses to engage with university students and access free business consultancy, providing the latest knowledge from a range of disciplines, leading to positive business outcomes.This project benefits from our experience gained from the tried and tested model of Northumbria's existing BC.We will create, test and evaluate a digitally enabled model of the business clinic, which will enable the highly successful BC approach to be implemented quickly and cost effectively by other universities. Digital media will be used to attract low to mid productivity SMEs and deliver free consultancy services and a range of online webinars.The DEBC will collaborate with our network contacts in particular the NELEP, Asian Business Connexions (ABC is part of the Federation of Asian Business which operates nationally) and the Federation of Small Businesses, helping us target/recruit SMEs from struggling sectors who would benefit from digital advice.The project will reach 30-40 SMEs of low to medium productivity, providing an opportunity to tap into the perspective of 'young eyes' from our motivated and innovative Business School students. The DEBC will provide a cross functional range of advice (including digital marketing, finance, strategic management) through digital media and tools, removing the need for costly physical infrastructure.From our experience since 2013, we know that the Business Clinic model is effective. What makes this project innovative is that we will test an alternative digitally-enabled model, which could be quickly scaled up. The project will determine whether DEBC concept is a cost-effective way for SMEs to interact with a local university, gain pro-bono neutral advice, access state of the art knowledge and have the added value of the younger generation perspective. We will monitor the reach, uptake and impact on business outcomes. We will prepare a ""How to Implement a DEBC Guide"", and a set of compelling case studies to underpin the formation of DEBCs in other regions. The UK industrial Strategy aims to support universities and businesses working together to innovate. Rolling out a network of DEBCs would be an innovative mechanism enabling UK businesses to easily connect with and benefit from existing technologies, new knowledge, insights and fresh perspectives of University Business Schools."