ausbiotech 2014
out of the circle - not by stopping the cycle but by
is very hard to define, and harder to prescribe, but
Research Council. It does an excellent job, but it
getting another plate spinning. We must look at the
change must be encouraged, and we need examples
creates a particular culture, and there are gaps in its
barriers to doing that,” he said.
of success to provide that encouragement.”
coverage,” he said.
He suggests a major barrier is a funding system
He says when he became director-general of
“The success rate for grant applications is
that fails to reward interactions between the discoverer
Ireland’s Science Foundation, he conducted an annual
diminishing, which reduces the motivation to work
and the deliverer, both at the clinical and company
census of foundation-funded research that asked
hard.
level. “We don’t talk enough,” he says. “As a result,
how many researchers worked in each laboratory,
“The projects that do win grants are often
researchers, clinicians and companies don’t know
how many publications they produced, whether they
underfunded, which means the universities or research
enough about what each is doing.”
were working with companies to commercialise their
institutes that host the projects have to find extra
Prof Gannon says exports from Australia’s
discoveries, and how often they met for talks with
money to support them.
biotechnology sector are very high, but tend to be
company representatives and what they talked about.
“There’s also a trend away from funding
concentrated with a small number of companies.
“What the census showed was that there was
individuals, and the number of researchers on
There haven’t been enough successes to sustain a
healthy engagement with industry at the start, and at
fellowships seems to be dwindling - fellowships are
greater breadth of corporate activity.
the end. Three-quarters of the researchers were actively
seen as just one phase of a career, rather than an opportunity to pursue an entire career in research.
The problem, he suggests, traces to the process
collaborating in jointly funded projects with industry - by
of funding Australian start-ups: companies start with
regularly asking each other questions, there was a much
“A Medical Research Future Fund would promote
relatively modest start-up capital between $2 million
better transition from discovery to commercialisation.
better connections between clinicians and researchers,
and $4 million, and the founders exit and start over
Prof Gannon believes Australia’s proposal to
by freeing up time for clinicians to do more research.
once the company’s value reaches $20-odd million,
create a $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund,
It would provide more funds for translating research
and attracts takeover suitors.
however it is funded, would not only boost the volume
through industry and provide funding for clinical trials.”
Can Australia emulate Ireland’s culture of
and quality of medical research in Australia but could
Prof Gannon said increased funding would reduce
communication between researchers and companies
catalyse the development of more commercially
the time researchers currently spend writing grant
interested in commercialising their discoveries?
focused culture in research.
applications or seeking funding. They would have
Prof Gannon doubts there is a simple remedy for
“Australia has a single funding agency for
the science-industry disconnect in Australia: “Culture
medical research - the National Health and Medical
more time to do high-quality research and become involved in commercialising their own discoveries.
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