Riposte

It is very painful to hear, as I have had to over the last two days, in important policy forums, complaints about how difficult universities are for industry to deal with and, in particular, our unreasonable positions on intellectual property. This is painful, even when my own institution is excepted, because I know how much has been done, across the sector, to try to address the issue. Even assuming that some of this is a legacy of past poor practice it warrants a response and, perhaps a more robust, less apologetic response than has been given hitherto.

First, though universities have radically changed the way that they engage with industry, industry  has largely failed to adapt their modes of engagement or to professionalise their interactions with universities. The responsibility for awkward, prolonged and overly legal discussions must, at the very least be shared.

Second, research is costly. World class research infrastructure and talent are expensive to acquire and maintain. If industry requires access to it, it must pay the cost. Intellectual property is part of a discussion about cost. It is part of the balance of potential returns that each party must figure into the overall equation. There is a good argument to say that universities over value retaining intellectual property that they are poorly placed to exploit. It is then a matter, surely, of being explicit about the other means by which a suitable return will be secured.

Third, there is a false view that industry has 'already paid for the research', presumably through taxation. It is true that universities receive core funding, at least in the UK, from government for research (dependent upon research performance). They also compete for research monies nationally from funding councils. This does not however, at least in the UK, cover the costs of maintaining a world-class research infrastructure and workforce. At the moment, and barely sustainably, teaching cross-subsidises research. Students benefit because research enlivens the teaching and drives global reputation, adding value to their degrees, but this is a narrow and tenuous link. Universities place the bulk of their research output in publications that can be readily accessed by anybody with a library subscription and a computer. The researchers can be met at conferences and meetings for the price of airfare and registration. This is the work that has been already paid for and universities have sought the widest dissemination for the outcomes. It is only where industry wants to direct research and retain advantage over their competitors that they must pay in addition.

There, I feel better now.