Commercialising University Research; Threats and Opportunities

21st October 2009

On 2nd May Isis presented a seminar at the John W Kluge Center at the Library of Cogress in Washington DC.

The opportunity for the seminar was provided by Oxford’s Professor Raymond Dwek, visiting Chair of Science and Technology at the Kluge Center, and was presented for the main part by Professor Tim Cook, Managing Director of Isis from 1997 to 2006. Professor Dwek introduced the seminar; Professor Baruch Blumberg, APS, Dr Mark Frankel, AAAS and Tom Hockaday, current Isis Managing Director, contributed to the presentation.

Commercialising University Research; Opportunities

The event described the strategies and tactics that Oxford University has developed over a ten-year period to address the conflicting demands of the traditional university responsibilities of teaching and research, with the so-called third stream needs of more direct economic development.

The approach has been based on a clear policy definition of the ownership of Intellectual Property Rights, and the allocation of university resources to encourage, and support researchers in protecting and commercialising inventions. The result has been a marked increase in disclosures and successful commercial development, through licences, consultancy and spinout companies, generating returns to the researchers, university and regional economy.