Higher education institutions (HEIs) typically generate income from two main sources; student

fees and research income. In contrast, the predominant waste streams in HEIs tend

to include; (1) assignment/examination mark submission process, (2) photocopying process

and (3) the funding application process. Unintended internal process complexities and barriers

typically aggravate the challenges already inherent in the research grant application

process. Although Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been adopted by a number of HEIs in Ireland,

very few have adopted an integrated LSS approach for waste reduction in the research grant

application process. To identify barriers and waste in the research grant application process

within an Irish HEI in an EU environment, the authors used an online survey deployed to

240 academics and researchers. The survey response rate was 13%. The participating HEI

in this pilot study generated an annual income (including student fees and research income)

exceeding e240 million for the academic year 2017/2018. Using an LSS lens, this paper identified

the primary waste in the research grant application process from an academic and

researcher perspective to be; editing and revising applications, liaising and communicating

with collaborators and waiting for information. Organised thematically, the main barriers

were strategic thinking, collaborator identification and co-ordination, eligibility, process,

time and support & mentoring. The results from this study can be used to inform the next

stage of the research where empirical studies will be carried out in other HEIs to develop a

practical roadmap for the implementation of LSS as an operational excellence improvement

methodology in the research grant application process.

Due to globalized business operations, companies in different economic sectors are part of complex supply chain networks. Their value-added processes comprise product and information flows, e.g. with a focus on manufacturing, service or trade. Until the final product is delivered to the end customer, it needs to pass many different processes in cooperating organizations. As a result, there a lot of business-to-business (B2B) interactions with crossenterprise transactions, often including cross-border communications and sometimes even cross-industry trades with technological and often cultural implications. Especially the interfaces of supply chain networks are prone to inefficiencies, misunderstandings and delays due to a lack of standardized B2B transactions, which leads to waste in form of rework, errors and mistakes. In addition, new customers are hard to find for the manufacturing or trading company, since potential customers are so far limited to a regional network. The advantages of extending the customer base still need to be explored by many organizations. This paper discusses the opportunities by streamlining the communication along supply chain networks in a general fashion and then describes the application in a B2B automotive retail business. A concept of a web-based trading platform, which provides a seamless service for all steps of a convenient and efficient used vehicle remarketing business, is developed. It includes all phases, like offering and price finding in a comprehensive online platform, which also covers further activities, such as logistic services, financial transactions, and a mandatory feedback loop. The suggested B2B vehicle-trading platform enables a quick turnover of each transaction, which is analyzed and optimized based on the application of cross-enterprise Value Stream Management.