Wellington
Maybe it's a missing part of New Zealand's innovation ecosystem, maybe not.
Given our country's small size, intense regional parochialism, and what are generally consideredto be pretty thinly spread commercialisation skills, the about to emerge National Network ofCommercialisation Centres is probably a good idea.
In the scheme of things too, its allocated $11m over four years is chicken feed.
Who knows - my crystal ball's as murky as anyone else's in this regard, but the intent of theNNCCs, currently a work in development, seeks to address some of the flaws recognised in turninggood ideas into income.
Relatively behind the scenes, the Foundation forResearch, Science and Technology (but let's call it the Ministry of Science and Innovation as itmorphs into that), has been driving a 'what should it look like/do' process for the NNCCs.
To give MSI credit, it also recognises the development of 2 - 4 of these centres is anevolutionary process, and needs to build on existing structures and expertise.
It has been specifically aimed at university and CRI commercialisation units, putting what couldbe virtual, could be bricks and mortar or could be a bit of both, entities into place by May of nextyear.
In effect the NNCCs will take over MSIs investment and management of its pre-seed funds(presently $5.3m) - picking projects with promise, funded through robust investment managementprocesses.
The commercialisation units within the CRIs and universities will remain responsible for carryingout the commercialisation work itself.
This will include undertaking market validation and establishing freedom to operate, beforemoving them further down the commercialisatoin pipeline. This could be, perhaps to establish astart-up company to sell the product, perhaps to licensing (among many options really).
The NNCC 'driver', Suse Reynolds, says a key role of the centres is to " collaborate with morepurpose." The purpose of the centres is to "build New Zealand's commercialisation capability so thatresearch organisations and businesses better identify and exploit market opportunities anddistribution channels for products and services generated from publically funded research," shesays.
"We want to leverage our expertise, while acknowledging that there's no right answer tocommercialisation," she says. "The fact of the matter is, every project and deal is different."
As well as managing MSIs pre-seed funds, the centres' aim is to improve commercialisationprocesses and capability, and facilitate local networks and more effective collaboration.
The networking's quite extensive, including:
•Local researchers
•Local firmscarrying out significant R&D
•Regional university and CRI research and commercialisationoffices
•Local incubators, angel networks, high-net-worth investors, venture capitalcompanies and the NZVIF
•Local innovation sector consultants
•Local NZTE, MSIoffices and their agents
The centres are to also link with domestic and international innovation specialists, includingearly-stage investors and the KEA (overseas kiwis) movement.
Another function is to develop a national database or repository of commercialisationopportunities, projects and IP - such that a wealthy overseas person could have a single point ofcontact to 'check things out' (sticK's interpretation).
Reynolds' noted that the NNCC process will initially be a 'push' process, which over time(hopefully not too much) will increasingly find itself getting a 'pull' from investors, businessesand entrepreneurs.
There's also some underlying tensions as MSI goes about the process of putting NNCCs in place.
A Request for Proposals process is by definition a contestable one. Quite rightly, MSI is lookingfor the people who can commercialise best. What makes this process a bit different is that MSIrecognises that if there's to be a step change in the effectiveness of commercialisation of great NZideas, then applicants will need to understand each other's processes and project pipelines, andcollaborate more effectively.
So MSI is encouraging RfP applicants to talk to each other and understand each other'sproposals.
However, MSI wants the current commercialisation practitioners' best ideas, and, heaven forbid,is even expecting them to work together.
Brave new world stuff!
As Reynolds' says, "we want the right kind of people involved, building trust. That takes timeand patience."
"But it is about believing in each other, helping each other to be flash."
Requests for Proposals are due at the end of January.