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Dr Kevin Cullen, CEO, NewSouth Innovations delivered this presentation at the 2013 Towards Research Excellence conference. In its 3rd year event attendees met under the theme “From Impact to Excellence – An analysis of the challenges confronting the research sector.” From the challenges of refining regulatory frameworks toward research standards to the concepts of measuring real world impact and funding/investment returns, bridging the gap between current research output and productivity whilst securing the long term sustainability of the research workforce, remains a critical priority for securing Australia’s future prosperity. For more information about the annual event, please visit the conference website: http://www.informa.com.au/researchexcellence
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Dr Kevin Cullen CEO NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited University of New South Wales
Publish or Perish?
What About Engagement & Impact?
NewSouth Innovations
Today I will talk about….
- The system around research, knowledge transfer and impact.
- The things I see researchers incentivised to do
- The things I think we want to see researchers do
- The reasons why they don’t
- What we can do about it!
First, the system we are operating in….
NewSouth Innovations
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Publications
Processes
Materials
Technology
Know-how
Innovation
Skills
New
Knowledge
Researchers
Teaching
Networking/
Events
Consultancy
Professional
Development
Collaborative
Research
Contract
Research
Licensing
Company
Creation
KE CHANNELS
Knowledge Flow
Jobs
New Products
New services
Turnover
Profit
R&D
expenditure
% turnover from
new products/
services
IMPACT
Research
Start-up
Spin-out
Society
Government
Policy-makers
Entrepreneurs
Small Co’s
Big Co’s
USERS
OTHER
FACTORS
OTHER
FACTORS
NewSouth Innovations
Key Points
A perfectly designed system?
• The ERA has focussed on the left-hand side of the system, looking at
research outputs – created by researchers with no need to involve
research-users.
• The Impact Pilot was focussed on the right-hand end of the system, looking
at the impacts – created by research-users with no need to involve
researchers.
• What about all those activities in the middle?
NewSouth Innovations
There are a range of University/Industry
Engagement Activities.....
- Actually, lots of people are doing them
- Why, if not incentivised/rewarded?
- How important are they from a policy
perspective?
,
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The Range of Objectives
Student enterprise
Licences Contract research
Spin-outs
SME networks
Consultancy
yes
no
no
?
yes
no
?
no
no
?
yes
yes
yes
no
no
?
yes
?
Public Good Academic Reasons
Revenue/Profit
Collaborative Research
Licences
Spin-outs
NewSouth Innovations
,
The Returns from these Activities
Research
SMEs/Students
Public Good
Commercialisation
Knowledge Creation Making Money
NewSouth Innovations
The area that policy makers around the world care most
about is innovation for Public Good.
-SME Engagement
-Innovative start-ups
-Entrepreneurship
$ Profit
Public Good
Money Losing Activity
NewSouth Innovations
But the policy/support environment is based on the
commercial model.
$ Profit
Making Money
NewSouth Innovations
From the University Perspective
- At the left we are agents of economic development, seeking to
maximise public good – society and economy are the beneficiaries
- At the right we are venturers, seeking to maximise financial returns
to the University – University is the beneficiary
- In the middle, we are co-creators of knowledge – company and
university both benefit.
- These are really very different, done for very different reasons.
Those focused on Public Good are unfunded and cost money.
NewSouth Innovations
So……
Even when researchers go beyond publication and seek to
engage…..
….the funding mechanisms and measures are perverse here too!!!
And this fails to recognise where the majority of knowledge exchange
and flow of knowledge between universities and the
economy/society actually occurs.
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The University Revenue Curve actually looks like…
$ Revenue
Public Good Research Making Money
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Research spectrum – financial picture
$M
$10M
$20M
$30M
$40M
$50M
$60M
Outreach R&D Contract Licensing Spin off
2011 2010 2009Example:
UNSW data
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It doesn’t make sense!
- We have created a system that encourages researchers NOT to engage
- If, despite this, they do engage, we DO NOT encourage activities that policy-makers everywhere say they want.
- We DO provide funding for commercial opportunities (very, very rare)
- We give very little support to the major channels of knowledge exchange through collaboration (ARC Linkage has been cut)
- We give NO support to those important Public Good activities!
- We then start trying to measure the IMPACT of research done 15 years ago and created by people outside the university…..
NewSouth Innovations
So what should we be doing?
- Encourage and recognise knowledge dissemination
- Provide funding mechanisms to support engagement with industry.
NOTE, This money can be channeled through industry
- Measure the extent of engagement and reward this through the
funding and/or ranking mechanisms ($ and/or
reputation)….algorithms exist.
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In closing
• Companies and researchers actually like speaking to each other and
working together on things of common interest….
• We have removed the incentives and made it difficult and scary (IP)
• We need to create incentives and make it easy and fun (EasyAccess IP)
• We need to fund things that will enable Economic Development
(SMEs/students) to get universities playing to a key strength
• We need to appreciate and applaud all the good stuff that is happening….
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Thank you for listening
Dr Kevin Cullen
Chief Executive Officer
NewSouth Innovations
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
