Science gets real: from problem to lab innovation to real-world impact
Industry, governments, and the public increasingly expect universities to translate research into real-world impact, but Australian researchers need more training, funding, and other expert support to meet these expectations, according to a panel of experts from the University of Melbourne.
Ken Jefferd, Managing Director of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation for the University of Melbourne, moderated discussion between panellists Professor David Gardner AM, the Scientific Director of Melbourne IVF, Dr Stacey Rudd, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Chemistry, and Dr Shi Tang, a Research Fellow at Exciton Science. The panel was convened for the third event in the 2023 Science at Melbourne series, entitled ‘Science gets real: from problem to lab innovation to real-world impact’.
“We brought this panel together to showcase examples of high-value research impact,” said Mr Jefferd. “We also wanted to explore the factors that helped or hindered these researchers to move their innovations out of the laboratory and into use, to solve real-world problems.
Left to right: Mr Jefferd, Dr Rudd, Professor Gardner and Dr Tang.
“Publicly funded universities have a duty to focus on public impact. Research commercialisation delivers a high return on public investment,” said Mr Jefferd.
“Commercialisation is just one form of research impact and has sometimes been considered a dirty word, but it means creating new products or services to help people, protect the environment, build sustainable infrastructure and industries, and create new high-tech jobs.
“To achieve this, researchers need expert support and funding to cross the infamous ‘valley of death’ between idea and income from end users.”
Dr Rudd explained how she binds radioactive metals to anti-cancer drugs so that patient scanning can reveal how effectively the drugs are hitting their tumour targets, enabling doctors to customise treatments and increase survival rates.
Motivated by the mounting global infertility crisis, Professor Gardner developed new culture media for in vitro fertilisation containing a combination of antioxidants that increase the number of embryos available for treatment.
Dr Tang works on Perovskite solar cells for space applications, such as powering satellites, and expects the first in-orbit test in early 2024.
The Science at Melbourne event was presented online as well as in-person at the Science Gallery Melbourne. A combined audience of more than 200 engaged in a Q&A following the presentations.
“The pathway to impact varies,” Mr Jefferd said. “Options include open-source sharing, research contracts from industry, licensing University IP to a business, or creating a spin out company to develop the commercial potential of IP.
“We need to provide entrepreneurial and commercialisation training for our PhD students and early-career academics, so they better understand these options.
“The University of Melbourne is investing heavily in an ecosystem that promotes innovation and commercialisation. We support students and academics who take this path, we have a dedicated team of tech transfer professionals, innovation spaces such as Melbourne Connect, two new venture capital funds – Tin Alley Ventures and the UoM Genesis Pre-Seed Fund, accelerator programs, and a growing number of partnerships with companies, governments, non-profits, and other organisations.
“Pure or discovery research remains essential to deepen our fundamental understanding of the universe that enables breakthrough innovation,” Mr Jefferd said. “Australia is already a global leader in discovery research and has the potential to lead in real-world impact too.”
View the recording of the presentations and discussion.