Wellington
As a national network of commercialisation centres comes into being, to help speed and improvethe transfer of good university ideas into sellable products and services, it is worth rememberingthe challenges that face such an endeavour in a small market such as New Zealand.
A February 2010 Centre for Entrepreneurship (Otago University) Working Paper Series called
However, there was a wide diversity of opinion about what sectors should be targeted and how commercialisation should be organized, coordinated and improved.
The study concluded that companies face high transaction costs when trying to effectively accessand commercialise innovations developed by universities and research institutes given the broadarray of organisational capabilities, objectives, approaches and measures utilised by theirtechnology transfer offices.
The study’s finding suggest that a uniform approach to measuring the effectiveness of TTOs mayhelp align missions, reduce transaction costs and enhance the effectiveness of commercialisationstrategies and practices.
The May 2010 budget allocated $11 million over four years to the establishment of a nationalnetwork to bring together existing expertise from the commercialisation units already attached topublic research organisations.
The purpose of the national network of commercialisation centres (NNCC) is to share and leveragethis expertise, and develop critical mass where needed in order to increase successfulcommercialisation of publically funded research.
The Otago University paper outlined some of the challenges that need to be addressed in thesetting up of the NNCC. Recurrent concerns included:
•Lack of support resources: “Ibelieve that most innovation and technology transfer in New Zealand, particularly in a universitysetting is managed without adequate resources.”
•Risk aversion: “A lack of jobopportunities when ventures fail means a very risk adverse [sic} culture.”
•Capital andmanagement concerns: “Good ideas based on niches but poor access to capital and managementexpertise,” and “our researchers are world class (if they stay) but management often misguidedand inept.”
•Incentives need modification: “Amend the PBRF to allow credit for researchthat is successfully commercialised.”
•Industry links need improvement: “We are not goodat getting alongside industry.”
•Market and labour limitations: “Small market, limitedpools of investors for initial funding, and the tyranny of distance,”, “small pockets of greatskill but too small to be effective,” and “…..extremely small number of firms able to developand maintain the major structural shifts required for effective new product development.”
The creation of a NNCC, given the need for it to be co-operative and collaborative, while alsobeing competitive will be a challenge. Is there a New Zealand way to overcome our obstacles?