An academic perspective

A university-industry collaboration manager is skilled in the art of matchmaking for scientific impact. The premise is simple: either the academic is looking for industry partners to translate fundamental research or industry is seeking academic partners to further their R&D. The problem is to find ways to meet the right people. It is not a secret that, unless you have published in the top scientific journals and / or come from a top world ranking university, it is likely that industry will not know about you. Therefore, if you wait in your lab, it is unlikely you will establish connections with the industry. My advice: be proactive, seize opportunities and, to ensure the smooth running of the collaboration, follow the processes (which will be discussed in my next blog: How to make it work)

First contact.

Academics are experts at collaborations with their peers. I come from academia and I know the prospect of meeting industry for the first time can be daunting.  However, unlike aliens, industry is more approachable than you think.  The language might be different but you will use the same skills you developed for academic collaborations. The first step is to identify the industry scientists who share your research interests.  The scientists will have publications in peer reviewed journals and they will be attending conferences.   You can look for them there.  Patents are not necessarily something academics will look into but another way to search for scientist is to look at who has patents in your field of research.  You can find info about patent in the UK Intellectual Property Office website and you can search published patents in Espacenet.  Your academic network is also important, as your colleagues may be able to introduce you to industry scientists.

Identifying the scientists who share your research interests is the first step and it is fairly straight forward.  The problems often arise when time comes to connect with industry scientists.  Finding the contact information from the internet or publications is not always easy and cold calls are, well, not so effective. Fear not, there are other options.  If you have the opportunity to meet someone at conferences, do not hesitate to talk with them (make sure you have a way to leave your details e.g. business card).  If they give you their details, contact them as soon as you return to your office.  If you cannot find a way to meet the scientist you have identified (or you don’t know where to find someone matching your interests), you can, as shown on the picture above, contact your university-industry collaboration manager who acts as a broker. As a collaboration manager, my role is to establish relationships with the Academic liaison and business managers of companies and to understand the needs of industry.  Therefore I can enquire on your behalf inside the company hence facilitating the connection between academics and scientists.

Keep the conversation going!

Academics are looking for the best collaborators; so are the scientists from industry. Once you have established you have shared interests, the discussions should lead to solid science, top expertise and clear problems. Set well-defined objectives and, most importantly, do not overpromise. Be prepared to work outside your immediate research interest.   There might be great chemistry between the academic and the scientist but, the project has to match  the needs of the company and that can change without warning.  When the company’s focus change, your current discussion might die out so don’t be discouraged; keep your relation with the scientist alive and try to create new links.  Throughout the conversations, let the industry lead the way, listen to their needs and keep an open mind.  After all, they are the expert on translation; you might be surprise where it will take your research.

Keys assets for success.

Any connection will grow if the relationship is built on trust and communication.  Remember that scientists’ key assets are their access to market, the challenge they bring to you and their translational expertise. The quality of your research, blue sky thinking and your unique expertise are your key assets to move the collaboration forward. Ultimately, as in any good relationship, you and the way you communicate with and respond to your industry collaborator are key to your success.

 

About the author

I trained as a system neuroscientist and I worked as an academic for many years in Canada, the UK and Denmark. I venture into industry with my own company and, for the last few years, I have been a University-Industry collaboration manager in the Health and Pharma sector for the University of Southampton.