The government’s plan to accelerate research from lab to market involves  IP rules that is easily understood and implemented. It’s not there yet.

The Innovative Research Universities wasn’t happy with the original prop in October. It still isn’t.

The unhappiness originated in September, when the feds proposed a Higher Education Research Commercialisation IP Framework (CMM September 22) designed to keep it simple and speedy (CMM September 22). Alas, the KISS was not welcomed, with critics suggesting it would enforce compliance rather than enable opportunity (CMM October 19).

The feds came back with a starter version, for the “trailblazer universities” programme (CMM November 25, February 3) but the IRU now wonders whether the original framework is intended to apply “across all commercialisation activities’ by January.

The lobby says it won’t further comment on contents until timing and coverage is sorted and there is “a fuller stakeholder consultation” with a pilot to test the IP framework.