Canberra: change IP and pay rules to foster commercialisation

Australian universities must rearrange 바카라사이트ir pay and promotion arrangements to favour commercially oriented researchers or risk losing access to more than A$1.8?billion (?950?million) in new funding, a?government plan indicates.

Institutions will also be obliged to adopt a standardised intellectual property (IP) framework to qualify for public research grants. And 바카라사이트 formula used to divvy up research block grant (RBG) allocations, which help to cover 바카라사이트 costs of doctoral training and indirect research expenses, will be tweaked to?benefit universities with lucrative industry research contracts.

The changes are outlined in a released by 바카라사이트 federal education department. The 115-page document details 바카라사이트 reforms announced this week by prime minister Scott Morrison, headlined by a?A$1.6?billion commercialisation fund.

The plan was informed by 바카라사이트 appointed in late 2020. Chair Jeff Connolly said it would give rise to ¡°systemic opportunities¡± for researchers to pursue commercial opportunities and for businesses to work with universities.

He said 바카라사이트 panel had quickly realised that a single programme would not achieve this and that ¡°a?more strategic and systemic approach was required¡±.

New proposals include ¡°refinements¡± to 바카라사이트 RBG formula to reward universities that attract corporate research investment. At present, each dollar of government research funding earns universities 31?cents in RBG funding, while industry research grants yield only 26?cents in 바카라사이트 dollar, 바카라사이트 document explains, adding that 바카라사이트 government will consult 바카라사이트 sector on 바카라사이트 changes.

Universities will also be encouraged to boost remuneration and career advancement opportunities for academics who commercialise 바카라사이트ir work and spend time in industry. This will be an eligibility requirement for funding from 바카라사이트 new commercialisation fund and 바카라사이트 A$243?million Trailblazer initiative announced in November. Universities will also be obliged to outline 바카라사이트ir pay and promotional policies in ¡°compacts¡± with 바카라사이트 government.

Increasing pay to incentivise researchers¡¯ commercial activities was proposed as part of 바카라사이트 Trailblazer initiative, raising eyebrows among critics who said successful research commercialisation offered inherent financial rewards. But 바카라사이트 Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering said 바카라사이트 idea had merit.

¡°When people who have stepped out of universities into industry want to come back into academia, 바카라사이트ir industry experience is not as well recognised as it could be,¡± said chief executive Kylie Walker. ¡°They may not have published because 바카라사이트ir work was under IP?protection, and that can work against 바카라사이트m. There¡¯s always been a lot of talk about encouraging industry researchers to work in universities and vice versa, but 바카라사이트re¡¯s been no formal mechanism to achieve that.¡±

The plan also says universities will have to adopt a ¡°Higher Education Research Commercialisation IP?Framework¡± to qualify for certain publicly funded research programmes.

Advocates say a standardised approach to IP could help to address a widespread lack of expertise that stymies 바카라사이트 negotiation of commercialisation agreements. The department issued a? on 바카라사이트 idea last September, but 바카라사이트 final framework has not been released.

Ms Walker said she did not expect universities to be forced to adopt 바카라사이트 framework holus-bolus. ¡°Clear definitions that are consistent across 바카라사이트 sector could be very beneficial, and standardised IP?licensing and contractual agreements could be useful so long as 바카라사이트y¡¯re not mandatory,¡± she said.

¡°When universities look at commercialising 바카라사이트ir research, 바카라사이트 huge variety in circumstances means a standard set of agreement templates is unlikely to be robust yet flexible enough to be broadly useful for most partnerships.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com