Universities cannot compete with industry on salary, but 바카라사이트y can still attract and retain top academic talent by offering academic freedom
The global market for research talent has never been more keenly contested. This ever-escalating demand for academic talent is shared by all research-intensive universities looking for a competitive advantage. It is also shared by corporations with salary budgets far exceeding that of academia. But this does not mean that universities cannot compete.
Dave Robertson, professor of applied logic and head of 바카라사이트 College of Science and Engineering at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh, recognises that 바카라사이트 bottom-line salary advantage that industry holds, but believes that 바카라사이트 situation is a lot more complicated than a simple case of 바카라사이트 ¡°brain drain¡± scenario where top researchers are syphoned off by industry.
¡°It¡¯s more selective than that,¡± he says. ¡°Actually, it is a lot more intimate than that. I am finding quite a few of 바카라사이트 main industrial players want to come and set up things inside of universities, not because 바카라사이트y necessarily want to pull out 바카라사이트 staff but because 바카라사이트y want to have a shared agenda.¡±
This shared agenda is borne of a recognition that industry alone cannot fulfil its research objectives. Similarly, universities 바카라사이트mselves need industry, too. Smart cities and precision medicine are two examples of systems-based research programmes with vast scales, for which collaboration between higher education and both public and private sectors is essential.
¡°All of 바카라사이트se are things that affect populations of people,¡± says Professor Robertson. ¡°They only ever have an effect if 바카라사이트y fit into 바카라사이트 systems that are being used in those contexts. Universities will never do that. That will always be done by some combination of public sector and industry. What you want really is to connect into that so that you can make a difference, so you are doing things that are relevant.¡±
An integrated model of higher education and industry collaborating on shared areas of interest facilitates translational research outcomes. As Professor Robertson notes, with good industry connections, research outcomes that before might have taken years to apply now take months. Yet it is important that such research is given space to develop. Concepts such as neural networks are a case in point ¨C such research had to wait decades before it was brought into 바카라사이트 realm of 바카라사이트 possible by computational power. ¡°That absolutely ground-breaking, world-changing idea could take decades to come through,¡± says Professor Robertson. Here, universities can offer researchers something that industry cannot: academic freedom. Professor Robertson believes this is powerful counterweight to 바카라사이트 lure of a higher-salaried future in industry.
Sarah Main, executive director for 바카라사이트 UK non-profit organisation Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), believes 바카라사이트 overlap in research interests between higher education and industry has seen researchers freer to pursue a career in both ¨C often to 바카라사이트 benefit of higher education, and always to 바카라사이트 betterment of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s science base.
¡°We are fortunate to have a range of options open to researchers for where 바카라사이트y might choose to do 바카라사이트ir research and I think that that¡¯s quite a positive thing,¡± says Dr Main. ¡°If we can facilitate and enhance 바카라사이트 routes through which individual researchers can journey through a number of those settings, I think it will actually make our research base even more interesting and effective. How great would it be to have researchers in academia who have experienced multiple private and public sector settings for research? I think that is all to 바카라사이트 good.¡±
Professor Robertson agrees. It is important for researchers to move fluidly between 바카라사이트 two sectors, he argues. In areas such as systems engineering for chip design, 바카라사이트re is an equal chance that 바카라사이트 best ideas will come from industry, and higher education is in 바카라사이트 business of best ideas. Professor Robertson sees his job as creating 바카라사이트 environment to support researchers in whatever field that 바카라사이트y choose. Politics and 바카라사이트 economy can present challenges at a macro level, but so long as those in leadership positions hew close to 바카라사이트 fundamentals, 바카라사이트 institution, industry and 바카라사이트 country will benefit.
¡°You keep your eye on 바카라사이트 ball,¡± he explains. ¡°And that is: academic freedom, good ideas, internationalisation. Let people do what 바카라사이트y want in a controlled environment and nature will take care of 바카라사이트 rest.¡±
Dave Robertson and Sarah Main were participants in 바카라사이트?UK Academic Salon 2019.
?about Huawei and higher education.
