Academic researchers in universities and research organisations play a pivotal role in driving scientific breakthroughs. However, the transformation of such discoveries into societal impact remains a challenging process. One way to help academics bridge this gap effectively is through dedicated professionals with a role in technology transfer or business development.
Unfortunately, although many research institutions have these supporting roles, there is often still a gap between the researchers and the technology transfer managers that limits efficient collaboration.
In the conventional approach, technology transfer managers operate at a distance from research. There is a clear-cut separation between research and business activities, and the technology transfer managers do not mingle too much with the technical development. They do sometimes visit the laboratory but do not spend much time there. Ad-hoc meetings with the researchers are held to discuss project progress, interactions with potential partners, or intellectual property management. While this approach allows for a certain level of collaboration and support, it may not be the best approach in some cases.
In contrast to the conventional approach, integrated technology transfer advocates for closer proximity between technology transfer managers and academic entrepreneurs. It encourages business development and technical development to get fully ingrained into one. In this approach, the role of the technology transfer manager shifts from supporting the academic team to being part of it, working side-by-side with the researchers daily. Such tighter collaboration fosters a stronger sense of trust and creates an informal channel for the free flow of ideas.
By immersing themselves in the technical development activities, technology transfer professionals gain a deeper understanding of the academic team and of the technology itself, allowing them to provide more valuable contributions.
At the same time, a seamless blending of business and technical activities also provides advantages to the researchers. It provides a stronger focus to prioritize value-adding activities that have a higher chance of contributing to bringing the technology closer to market and also cultivates the entrepreneurial mindset of the academics helping them boost their business acumen and skillset.
Every entrepreneurial team is different and the optimal approach to technology transfer may vary depending on its unique composition.
Some teams are naturally balanced in their technical-commercial strengths and already have a figure that leads the commercial development of the scientific venture. In such cases, the integrated technology transfer approach may not be the best choice. However, in cases where such a figure is absent and the team strongly leans towards the technical side, the integrated approach can bring balance during the incubation process.
The mission of technology transfer professionals is to help academics translate their research into viable independent ventures, but the form of this help depends on the actual team’s needs.
In the integrated approach, the technology transfer or business development managers become part of the team temporarily assuming the role of the first chief commercial officer of the initiative. Conversely, in the conventional approach, they serve as external advisors and guides.
Naturally, everything comes at a cost and the integrated approach also has its drawbacks and limitations. For instance, in a university or research centre, there are generally more entrepreneurial ventures than technology transfer managers and thus multiple projects must be supported simultaneously.
The intense and demanding characteristic of the integrated approach requires dedicating more resources to each project which potentially impacts the scalability and sustainability of the system. The integrated approach could also potentially disrupt academic’s work as the business development activities occupy more space in the core day-to-day operations.
It is also important to acknowledge that the projects are led by the academic; it is the academic’s journey to transfer knowledge and not that of the technology transfer managers. At some point, if a new company is constituted, the academic will have to step up to lead the spin-out or complement the team with other members in charge of the true commercial efforts. Alternatively, the person who acted as a business developer during the incubation process within the academic institution can also decide to jump into the new company and join the founder team to continue pushing the initiative ahead.
In conclusion, breaking down barriers between science and business can start within the research organisation itself. In particular, the shift towards a holistic and integrated technology transfer has the potential to enhance the success rate of certain entrepreneurial endeavours originating from academic institutions.