Academic CRO/Industrial Collaborations in Drug Discovery (Track)




Productive Government, University and Industry Relationships in Research

Wyatt R. Hume
Provost, United Arab Emirates University

Abstract:

In striving to create new intellectual property that will lead to new products and new markets industry can work alone.  Universities can work alone.  Government can work alone.

Industry can conduct its own research, hire its own scientists, and set up its own laboratories.  Sometimes that can work very well.

Universities can conduct research at the same time as they educate and train students.  When they do it is usually a good thing.  Universities might try to sell some of their research results, or they may try to develop their own businesses.  Occasionally that works, sometimes spectacularly well, but not often. 

Government agencies can employ their own research scholars, or have them seconded to them from universities, or they can use consultants.  Sometimes that works well, but not often, and rarely for the long term. 

But the three – industry, universities and government - can work extremely productively and well together.

When the three do work well together their society changes, usually for the better.  Each of the three – industry, universities and government – can benefit in consequence, as their society reaps benefits.  One of the most enduring benefits can be increased levels of local, human capability in each of the three.

This presentation will focus first on the principles behind productive relationships that have developed in states and countries around the world over the last 150 years, and the benefits to society that have happened in consequence.