Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries
Printable version

Improvements needed to the commercialisation of university research

Increased investment in Research and Development (R&D) by business is crucial if university research is to be transformed into successful commercial products, the Science and Technology Committee reported yesterday.

The findings form part of the ‘managing intellectual property and technology transfer’ inquiry, which explored the role of universities in commercialising their research.

The Committee found that while there is not a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to successful technology transfer, universities, and their 'technology transfer offices', need to share best practice. They recommend the soon to be established UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) should take a pivotal role in developing and sharing good practice in commercialising university research.

Science and Technology Committee Chair, Stephen Metcalfe MP, said:

"When we began our inquiry, progress had stalled on improving the UK’s rate of ‘technology transfer’, and translating our world-class research into commercial success stories. It is very encouraging to see that our work already appears to have helped refocus the Government's attention on this important matter. I welcome the emphasis on commercialising our first-class research in the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper and the funding it has announced to incentivise universities to engage in technology transfer".

Increasing the R&D intensity of UK businesses

The Committee is concerned, however, that previous attempts to increase research commercialisation disproportionately focused on the 'supply' of research by universities, rather than on the level of 'demand' from businesses. R&D tax credits were highlighted in the inquiry as an important tool that could stimulate and incentivise spending on R&D, though both the eligibility and claims process were identified as complex.

Stephen Metcalfe MP, said

"Without a healthy commercial demand for R&D, the scope for universities to engage more in technology transfer is limited. Progress on this front is disappointing. The overall R&D intensity of the UK business sector is still too low compared to other OECD countries. Encouraging British business to invest more in UK R&D should be a key goal of the Government's Industrial Strategy

We also want to see action from the Government’s review of R&D tax credits. It should consider how the qualification and claims process for both the SME, and large company, schemes could be simplified so that they explicitly support business R&D in collaboration with universities".

Further information

 

Channel website: http://www.parliament.uk/

Share this article

Latest News from
Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries

Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story