Download Exploiting academic expertise - Kapteyn Astronomical Institute

EXPLOITING ACADEMIC EXPERTISE
This is a topic which is currently of great
importance and great interest.
Why is it interesting?
• 80% of astronomers have left astronomy after 3 years
Most astronomers would like to be able to use their knowledge and training in
their future careers.
What aspects of their training are of most value in the wider community?
• Technology Transfer
Government and industry would like to be able to get commercial benefit from
investment in higher education, especially in scientific areas, through the
creation of dynamic and successful enterprises.
Enhancing the value of existing businesses.
Creating new start-up enterprises that are fast-growing and successful.
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Creating new start-ups
• What do Google, Cisco, Yahoo and Sun
Microsystems have in common?
Answer: they all began life at Stanford University.
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Examples from astrophysics
• AS&E – Riccardo Giacconi
In 1959, Dr.Riccardo Giacconi joined AS&E. AS&E developed innovative
technologies based on X-Ray science in the fields of defence, education,
medicine, non-destructive testing, and security.
Riccardo Giacconi is a well known Nobel Laureate and Director of Institutes.
• Pixon – Amos Yahill
Founded by a team of leading astrophysicists in 1997, Pixon® LLC is an
innovative provider of image-enhancement solutions for critical applications in
astronomy, defense, security, medical imaging, microscopy, and other fields.
Amos Yahill made significant contributions to the study of cosmic flows in the
1980’s and 1990’s.
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Creating new start-ups
• It is always good to point to successes, and there
have been many of these.
• However, in the UK, only 2% of start-up companies
are successful.
Why is this?
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Creating new start-ups
• Why do European attempts to replicate the US model
fail to achieve the same level of success?
There have been many articles and papers published about this, mostly
by economists, and people in business and government.
The failure is blamed on weak links between business and universities,
on funding methods in universities, on lack of incentives for European
academics, on intellectual arrogance by European academics, etc. etc.
Basically, they don’t know, but there are many theories.
All studies agree, the role of academics in commercialising their
discoveries is critical.
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THE VALENCIA REGION
innovation in real time
Scientific American, June 2006
• a 26 page advertising section promoting the region, the
universities and in particular the new network of Science Parks
which have been set up to encourage technology transfer.
• The Valencian government has created the Regional Ministry of
Enterprise, University and Science in order to ensure the
competitiveness of the region.
This is just one of many government investments around Europe to try
to engage academic scientists in the commercial exploitation of their
work.
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Creating new start-ups
• Look at it from the scientist’s point of view:
What ingredients are needed for a successful start-up?
Present a personal point of view of the problems that Bernard and I
encountered, and on the basis of our experiences and observations,
how I think the technology transfer process can be improved.
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Our experience.
• What was easy?
- creative ideas
- getting encouragement
- basic management
- getting funding
- recruiting development engineers
- making a prototype
- stimulating interest
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Our experience
• Where were the traps?
-
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being naïve - unaware of all the issues and problems
being gullible - believing what people told us
being willing to do things for free
being an academic - culturally different from business
being vulnerable
being unprepared for dirty tricks
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Our experience
• What was missing?
-
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knowledge and experience of the commercial world
understanding everything about sales
knowing the difference between marketing and sales
knowing how to recruit a good salesman
making a product instead of a prototype
identifying and getting enough paying customers
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Our experience
• What would have helped.
- knowing more about the commercial world before starting
- in particular, appreciating the crucial importance of sales
- getting help and funding for product finalisation
- customer (and therefore product) identification
- testing
- documentation
- polishing and packaging
- making scalable
- getting help to find a good salesman
- getting some early customers
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Re-assessing TT
• Why is the US more effective in creating start-ups?
Because it has such strong home market.
Many reasons have been given for the comparative success of the US,
and there would elements of truth in most of these.
From the point of view of a scientific entrepreneur, this is most
important factor.
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Some suggestions
• Marketing money
Funding for start-ups should include money reserved for initial
marketing and sales.
Venture capitalists don’t encourage this, because they know they can
use that stage to oust the founders.
• Enterprise fairs
Many governments hold trade missions to promote overseas sales.
Why not hold enterprise fairs within the country to draw local customers
to new products within the Home Market?
• Subsidies for initial sales
Active participation by regional or national governments to promote and
subsidise pioneer customers would help get start-ups going.
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Our experience
• The last chapter?
Not there yet!
We have a 3-year plan:
- sell the company
- make ourselves redundant
- do astrophysics and ???
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Please contact me if you would like any further information.
Dr. Janet Jones
Managing Director
Astraguard Limited
Tubs Hill House,
London Road, Sevenoaks,
Kent TN13 1BL, UK.
Tel: 01732 458100
email: [email protected]
www.astraguard.com
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