5Conclusion
88.Our inquiry has highlighted the major issues on the topic of technology transfer, but it is clear that we are not the first to do so. Problems in this area, as well as potential solutions, have long been identified and understood. Indeed, the evidence base is strong and well-developed due, in no small part, to a succession of high-profile, often Government-sponsored reviews (at least 12 at the last count) reporting over the last 15 years. While successive Governments have made sustained efforts to illuminate the obstacles to research commercialisation and technology transfer, it is disappointing to see these endeavours tail off, and enthusiasm dwindle, when it comes to taking action to address these obstacles.
89.Our key finding is that successes in identifying the challenges associated with technology transfer have yet to be matched by progress in tackling the underlying problems. Instead, the ‘review culture’ in this field has obscured an ‘implementation deficit’ and a sluggish pace of change. The eighteen month delay between Dame Ann Dowling publishing her review into Business-University Research Collaborations, and the Government formally responding to her recommendations, is symptomatic of this inaction.
90.The Government, has recently sent several strong signals—through the establishment of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the forthcoming Industrial Strategy, and the creation of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund—that it is serious about technology transfer. Together, these three developments present a valuable opportunity to break this cycle of reviews, and shift the Government’s focus towards taking actions that will help to foster technology transfer. At the same time, the Government must be careful not to damage the UK’s pre-eminent position in academic research in pursuit of ever-greater commercialisation.
91.Finally, it is important to re-emphasise that the vast majority of innovations do not start as discoveries in academic research. While the attention on technology transfer in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper is welcome, the Government must not lose sight of the UK’s broader innovation landscape. As Professor Nightingale explained:
there is a big world of innovation out there that [the Green Paper] is not focusing on, and that needs to be addressed. If we focus only on that small bit [university research], we may distort the system and not fund and support bits of the UK innovation system that are very successful.160
92.To ensure the current momentum in advancing technology transfer is maintained, the Government should task UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) with publishing annual progress reports against the recommendations made in Dame Ann Dowling’s review. Those reports should highlight what actions have been taken, and how the UK’s technology transfer ecosystem is developing.
160 Oral evidence taken on 22 February 2017, HC (2016–17) 991, Q3 [Professor Nightingale]
10 March 2017