The Innovative Research Universities backs the government’s research commercialisation proposals and has an idea on how to pay for some of them

The IRU “sees considerable value” in government setting major themes to lead its investment in commercial outcomes, as occurs with the Medical Research Future Fund.

“MRFF experience points to keeping the scope of the mission broad to allow a wide variety of options for take-up across research and industry players.”

The lobby also likes the “stage-gated” method of weeding out good ideas that do not pass development milestones.

And it saddles up one of its favourite hobby-horses to demonstrate where uni-industry collaboration can occur. (Concentrations of research infrastructure on inner-city Group of Eight campuses has always irked the IRU, (CMM September 12 20116)).

“IRU members have invested heavily to create innovation precincts at the edge of campuses, bringing in the external parties and providing a location for former students and staff to remain linked to the universities as they turn research outcomes into commercial returns … They are particularly important around the IRU members for our location in the mid to outer suburbs of the major Australian cities and several of the larger provincial cities and towns. The use of research to drive commercial outcomes should not be an inner-city habit. Its reach has to be national.”

The IRU also has an idea to encourage industry to partner with universities on research, the government should act on a recommendation in the Ferris, Finkel, Fraser review of the R&D Tax Incentive (delivered to the Deakin Government in 1905). “In 2020-21, the government will invest $2.6bn into business sector R&D. However, 99 per cent of this is via the R&D tax incentive, essentially without strategic coordination. There are no direct incentives for industry to collaborate with our world-class universities.”