Published on December 09, 2021
Professions in technology transfer: Relations Manager
Communication with technology companies and, ultimately, acquisition of development partners from industry is indispensable in the transfer of promising research results to industrial application. With the KIT Business Club (KBC), KIT contributes proactively to the interconnection of industry and research in the field of innovation. We met the Industry Relations Manager and head of the KIT Business Club, Dr. Markus Florian Bauer, for an interview. He tells us how he brings the two worlds together in the business network and what the job as Relations Manager entails.
How did you become a relations manager?
Markus Bauer: Like many colleagues in our department, I am a career changer. The profession of Industry Relations Manager is not a classic apprenticeship, but an interface activity with very different facets and key competencies. Therefore, the profile could vary greatly in other organizations. My natural science background - I studied and did my doctorate in the interdisciplinary geosciences - definitely helps me in day-to-day business, i.e., in networking different players from science and industry on various topics.
The KIT Business Club was established by the KIT Innovation Management Department starting in 2009. I started there in 2012 as a relations manager and have been the technical manager of the network since 2019. With this offer for companies, we provide a personalized entry point that strengthens the link between technology and science. Member companies can contact the experts from KIT with technical questions, and as a service, we establish the connections precisely.
What do you like about your job?
„Definitely the versatility. There are very few routines, which makes my job interesting and varied in the long run. I'm constantly confronted with new, exciting technology topics and never stop learning. Especially meeting and interacting with diverse people and companies makes working as a relations manager interesting.“
Dr. Markus Bauer
What are the requirements for this profession? What skills should you have?
Markus Bauer: As a "relationship manager", you should definitely have strong communication skills and be empathetic, as well as be able to think and work in a service-oriented manner. Curiosity about different topics and problems is an essential point for this job, as you always have to develop yourself further. Coordinative skills help to create connections between different areas and assignments, because this allows you to find better solutions for the client. Presenting results in context is also very important for the exchange, and to keep everyone up to date.
What exactly does your job as relations manager involve?
Markus Bauer: What definitely differentiates my job from many others is that the daily tasks are very dynamic and widely spread. For example, it involves answering many email inquiries, attending scattered meetings with many topic changes in between. Dealing with individual requests usually spans only a few days and often involves multiple feedback loops between the company and scientific teams.
Long-term projects include, for example, the organization of thematic events and the preparation of so-called 'Research Matching Reports' for our member companies. The preparation of these reports is an essential part of our work. For the reports, we share information on search fields with the companies, and then the research phase begins for us at KIT. We generate a report and present it and the collected knowledge to the company representatives. If necessary, we organize meetings or visits to KIT institutes and laboratories following the report. The overall process extends over several months, depending on the scope of the topic.
Why does KIT need a Industry Relations Manager?
Markus Bauer: The KIT Business Club considers itself a contact platform and service unit with the aim to establish a long-term and trustful communication between companies and KIT and to initiate cooperations on this way. As Industry Relations Manager and manager of the KIT Business Club, I and my team ensure that companies quickly and personally find the right contact point, new interfaces, and trends for cooperation. In view of ever shorter development cycles and complex products, this is an important service especially for innovative companies with a broad range of topics, which is financed by the membership fee. In return, we offer institutes and researchers of KIT good access to industry via our network. A direct opportunity to enter into dialog on future trends and issues.
The interview was conducted by Dominic Mack.
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