NU1246-14 PARTICIPANT HUB: Commercialisation of university research through provision of management skills to assist in successful spin-out company creation

The Participant Hub Ltd (TPH) is a proposed Survey Platform spinout company from Durham's Department of Psychology. It intends to serve the need of businesses wishing to more precisely and rapidly understand customers' needs (Business Fact-Finding). This market is currently estimated to be worth about £4.8b pa and employs 73,000 people . It is proposed that TPH will enter this market by first establishing itself in the smaller market for Academic Researchers. Academic research groups utilise on-line surveys to establish scientific facts for the purpose of publishing academic papers (Scientific Fact-Finding). By first operating in the Scientific Fact-Finding market, TPH will be able to develop the capacity and expertise to expand into the vast Business Fact-Finding market. TPH will create new survey methods, recruitment techniques, and business approaches that have the potential to serve customers more efficiently then the incumbent players in the Business Fact-Finding market.