TECHNOLOGY transfer is not as smooth sailing as some expect but a journey that would bring a lot of benefits to society and technology, an executive said.
“Academic-based research generates a significant return on investment for local, national and global economies,” according to John Fraser, president of Burnside Development and Associates Inc. “In addition to jobs created by start-up companies, product sales for companies and the evolution of new industries, academic-based research creates jobs directly through the hiring of principal investigators, research teams, lab technicians and others whose work supports the research. Indirectly, research creates jobs and new industries.”
However, Fraser said not all partnership between academe and business would experience smooth sailing along the way because the two institutions have their own culture.
Companies are not keen to share information, while academe gives a premium on disseminating information they believe would benefit the people, he explained.
As expected, companies tend to look at the bottom line results, while academe values more the recognition they get from their peers, he added.
Being the funder of a project, Fraser said a company defines the direction of the program, while academe prefers to have a data-centric approach to the research.
The two institutions also have a different approach in terms of promoting the product to the market, according to Fraser.
“Companies value attribution by patents, while faculty favors the value of publication,” he said. Above all, Fraser stressed that academe and industry must communicate the value of technology transfer to the public sector. “It should give the value of the impact [lives saved] and outcome. It should also use statistics to gain public support,” he said during the recently concluded 2015 Philippine Innovation Summit.
Fraser, who heads the technology transfer business firm based in Tallahassee, Florida, cited several examples of products developed in universities in the US that gained commercial success through the transfer of technology program between academe and the private sector. He cited Gatorade and Crest toothpaste.
Fraser also cited the Sirve SA, a Santiago, Chile-based seismic engineering firm co-founded by Juan Carlos de la Llera. De la Llera developed the system while doing his research at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica.
In order to excel in research, Fraser said a university must first build its database so it can develop products that can contribute significantly in saving lives, improving the quality of life and enhancing productivity and global competitiveness.
Furthermore, Fraser pointed out that the university also needs to put up a technology transfer office in preparation for the collaboration.
“Technology transfer offices play an indispensable role in facilitating one of the most critical components of a robust innovation ecosystem and strong collaboration between academe and industry.”
“When a license agreement or contract is signed, it marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between a research institution and its industry partner,” he added.
Fraser said its quite important to highlight the key factors of a successful technology transfer. For a start, a project must give emphasis determinants such as filing of patents, number of researchers engaged and disclosures.
After a five-year to seven-year span, he said it is now right to evaluate the number of licenses signed, research fund obtained and the creation of startups.
When the project has reached the 10-year to 12-year cycle, Fraser said it is the best time to assess the jobs generated by the start-ups and the investment results of the research collaborations.