An Enterprising University

Roger Ford

Chair of Innovation and Technology Strategy

University / Industry Technology Transfer

Technology ‘Spin In’

An effective way of achieving technology development and

commercialisation

The Universities as ‘Intellectual Property’ Generators• Universities in the UK are heterogeneous

with different roles and responsibilities• Not all Universities have the same abilities

or skills• Their contribution to Innovation may be at a

different stages in the Technology Transfer process, dependent on their history and experience

The Key Roles of a University

These have always been

Teaching

&

Research

In future in some institutions there may be an increasing move towards

Teaching & Scholarship

The Government’s Expectations for the Universities

In addition to Teaching & Research

their activities should include

‘A third leg’

Enterprise & Innovation

The transfer of the ‘know how’

in Universities into

UK Ltd

Achieving Academic Enterprise

• The objectives of the Government are clear

• The desire of the Universities to comply is supported by strong financial considerations

How the Universities achieve these

objectives within their existing structures

is neither easy nor obvious

University InventionsThe Arguments

• Research often generates inventions• Therefore there must be masses of great ideas

lying around in Universities waiting to be exploited!

• Since invention is the intellectually most difficult part of innovation why don’t the Universities undertake the whole of the innovation process?

• Innovation is however multifaceted

University Inventions

Come predominantly from their

‘Research Portfolio’

Funding for this activity comes mainly from the public purse, because of this and their

desire to sustain their programmes, universities look for academic rather than

commercial excellence

Drivers for University Research

Largely ‘Curiosity’ driven

Principally instigated and led by individuals

Level of funding derived from the

Research Assessment Exercise

Funding agencies such as EPSRC and the EU however give excellent opportunities to individuals for the exploitation of IPR

You start here

Innovation appears deceptively simple!After all, it only requires a good idea, doesn’t it?

“GOOD IDEA”

© DAH:2001

Innovation is actually very complicated!Survival on the wild uncharted sea of uncertainty?

Productdevelopmentand costing

Funding

Businessvision

Partnershipand ownership

issues

Businessplan

Managementteam

IPR

Regulatoryapprovals

‘Fitness forpurpose’

accreditation

Marketresearch

Manufacturingarrangementsestablished

Routes tomarket established

Productvalue

Developmentplan

Prototypes

© DAH:2001

The journey begins!

What is the nature of the ‘know how’ available in Universities?

• Highly innovative ‘ground breaking’ research in a rapidly developing area

• Invention or development in an industrially established area of science or engineering

• Application of a well developed academic understanding of science or engineering

What is the nature of the ‘know how’ available in Universities?

• Highly innovative ‘ground breaking’ research in a rapidly developing area

• Invention or development in an industrially established area of science or engineering

• Application of a well developed academic understanding of science or engineering

The Wider Innovative Capability of a University

• The ability to undertake fundamental research is not always linked to the ability to undertake technology ‘demonstration and development’

• The complex and variable skills needed to achieve innovation and exploitation may not predominate only in major research lead Universities.

Invention or Development in a technologically established areaInventions in this area are normally much more difficult to develop and licensing must

be a preferred option

This is the type of activity in which many of the newer universities are involved

Does this activity need to be tied to an ‘inventive’ step in the same University?

Academic Consultancy• Perhaps this is in fact the perfect precursor

to a full blown collaboration or licensing arrangement

• Enables the academic to become more closely involved with potential licensees in a low risk environment

• Can be made to fit in well with both University and Business Organisations

• This uses the University academic in a highly effective way

‘Spinning In’ Technologies

Innomet Ltd

The University has worked with a lone inventor to • Establish the Company• Raise equity (£300K)• Develop the technology• Build manufacturing capability (In Salford) • Acquire Equity

The need for Industry to acquire Technology for Business Growth• Historically large scale industry has

retained substantial scientific capability via a global network of R&D centres

• These are being replaced by an emerging ‘New Ecology’ of Technology-Creating Organisations from Universities, Government Labs and and technology rich start up companies.

An Industrial Perspective Working with Universities in established

manufacturing industries

• Difficult to gain a research active academic’s interest

• Usually ‘spinning in’ technology to use specific University skills

• Difficult to establish success criteria

• Definition of IP and ‘Know How’ in this area is difficult.

An Industrial PerspectiveWorking with University Academics

• Aware that there are large amounts of ‘Know How’ in Universities just as in Encyclopedias. Difficult and time consuming to extract the detail.

• Difficult to focus academics on specific industrial problems

• Suffering from the problem of ‘short term’ focus

If however the ‘New Ecology’ is going to work both Industry (large and small) and the Universities will

have to find ways to overcome these problems

Conclusions• The problems of ‘Technology Transfer’ are difficult

and as varied as the organisations involved in the process.

• It is vital however that as industry down sizes its R&D that if the ‘new ecology’ for industry and thus society, to acquire new technology, is to work, then there must be a greater dialogue and understanding between our Universities and Industry.

• Development and Demonstration of Technology can however be achieved by the ‘spin in’ of technology into an appropriate University.

An Enterprising University