€8.5m boost will benefit industry and universities

THE country’s universities have received an €8.5 million boost to strengthen poor links with business and ensure taxpayers get the maximum return from State investment in research.

Enterprise and Employment Minister Micheál Martin yesterday said there is room for improved collaboration between universities and industry. But, he said, new technology transfer staff in five colleges, for whom he announced the funding, will work hard to address the issues. Among these are difficulties faced on intellectual property, including copyright and patenting of research outcomes.

The Government has announced significant increases in research spending for third-level in recent years, through Science Foundation Ireland, the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions and other schemes.

Dr John Hegarty, provost of Trinity College Dublin and chairman of the Irish Universities Association, said the new staff aim to convert public investment in research into wealth for business and for society.

“Intellectual property is a murky area and technology transfer is a complex, labour-intensive process but the investment in a new cavalry of professionals will help guide us forward and make a huge difference in utilising our research,” he said.

Dublin City University President Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski said there have been understandable conflicts in the past between business and academics: “If you’re working on a medical drug, for example, you want to get them to the patients. But companies want profit and universities may want long-term investment, so reaching agreement can be very complex.”

“Universities are managing public property, to ensure there’s a reasonable return for the taxpayer in these investments. Businesses need to go prospecting for projects that can be commercialised but we can now let them know what we’re doing,” he said.

The staff at National University of Ireland Galway, NUI Maynooth, University College Cork, University College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland are being funded under an €8.5m package, with further appointments due soon. The investment is part of a €30m initiative unveiled last year and managed by Enterprise Ireland to strengthen technology transfer and help Irish companies benefit from research being funded by the Government.

Announcing the details yesterday at UCC yesterday, Mr Martin said there is a long journey ahead, but the new staff will spearhead the drive to commercialise the ideas and technologies produced in Irish research institutions.

“If we are to remain a world leader in the high-tech sector, then strong links between our researchers and our entrepreneurs is vital. I look forward to seeing a marked increase in patents, licences and start-up companies as a result of this latest investment in the knowledge economy,” he said.