Bob Hodgson

Bob is an economist with more than thirty years experience of economic assessment, policy formulation and analysis, project evaluation and implementation across a wide variety of sectors, institutions, regions and countries.

He has specialized over the last twenty years in the role of technology in development and the drive from new science to improve competitiveness and productivity especially within programs to stimulate private sector involvement with research and higher education institutions and the incubation of new firms from the knowledge base.

In 2000, he established the UK arm of Zernike, an international technology services group which offers seed funding of new technology based firms (over 350 firms in last 10 years), the management of incubators and specialist technology oriented premises (20 properties in 6 countries), technology commercialization internationally and advice at the regional level on establishing technology commercialization programs. Before creating Zernike UK, he was the Deputy Chairman of the Board and executive director responsible for leading international work in high quality economic and technology development at the Segal Quince Wicksteed Limited for 13 years.

Bob is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Creativity Capital and Innovation (IC2) at the University of Texas at Austin and a regular speaker at international conferences. He sits on an international panel advising the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in Portugal on international alliances with prestigious universities.