December 2011 - Issue #14
Talk a trigger for innovation
Story by Alexandra Roginski
View articles in related topics: Industry Collaboration, Commercialisation
Dr Bruce Whan has been cultivating industry research partnerships at Swinburne University of Technology for 12 years.
His expertise has been crucial to the development of 22 start-up companies, which have attracted $17 million of investment. Prior to joining Swinburne, he spent two decades in industry.
With experience on both sides of the fence, his advice for how universities and industry can partner to drive innovative research is simple: get talking.
Once a conversation has started, seemingly insurmountable hurdles can easily be cleared.
“Things like ownership of intellectual property and cost can be seen as stumbling blocks. But they don’t need to be. We have some fairly straightforward procedures where we can work out a mutually satisfactory solution to those sorts of issues,” Dr Whan says.
“It really does hinge on the relationship between the researcher and the people in the company. You have to understand each other’s priorities and needs and work towards addressing them,” says Dr Whan, Director of Swinburne Knowledge (the university’s commercialisation team). That connection can begin with something as simple as chatting with someone from industry at a conference and keeping in touch.
“A researcher is more driven by the intellectual challenge, the reputation and success, and generating some income. Whereas the business is more about getting outcomes that will add value to their business, and getting that in a timely and well‑managed fashion.”
The focus on building the relationship from the outset of a research project, even while shaping the research model, is a big shift from the more established process of commercialising a university’s intellectual property when it is an end-product of research funded by a government body such as the Australian Research Council.
There are many examples of industry drawing on Swinburne’s research expertise and knowledge ranging from the partnership with Boeing and Australian aviation suppliers in a major Swinburne-based research and training facility to consultancies such as that provided by microbiologist Associate Professor Enzo Palombo to Dairy Food Safety Victoria.
Dr Whan stresses that while Australia fares reasonably when it comes to commercialisation of research, with average outcomes similar to those of the US, there is room for improvement, particularly in the area of industry-focused research, where there is significant potential for universities to add value.
In the UK, the government is taking steps to stimulate industry interest in university knowledge. After some years of pilot activity, the government now provides a stream of funding to support a broad range of knowledge transfer activities, aimed to create economic and social benefits in the UK.
“Teaching and research are the primary missions. But the extra UK funding stream recognises that economic development, engagement with industry, and transfer of knowledge into the community are key parts of what universities do,” Dr Whan says.
