George Longmore, Research Assistant at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Founder of The Petri Dish.
Maxime Mistretta PhD, CTO and Cofounder of Spore.Bio

With a combined experience of over a decade in research, from the development of emerging technologies in microfluidics at the interface of academia and industry, to witnessing first hand the translation of frontier research into the pharmaceutical industry for Parkinson’s disease treatment - collaborations between academia and industry have constantly underscored our journeys as early career scientists.

Industrial partnerships with academic institutions are valuable, under-exploited resources with clear mutual benefits. Collaboration is not only crucial for driving innovation and bringing groundbreaking research to life, but can provide an influx of diverse expertise, and financial benefits to both parties. As science and technology are evolving faster than ever before, collaboration between academia and industry has never been more important. Based upon our research, there are a number of reasons that come to the fore. Academics are pioneers of new technologies and theoretical breakthroughs, with their research laying the groundwork for innovations that can change industries and improve lives. While academics excel in knowledge creation, industries have the tools and processes to scale these ideas, turning them into marketable products. They ensure that innovations are not just theoretical but also practical and deployable. It’s in this point- this schism between each- that we see the real need and value in collaboration.

It’s important to note that these collaborations are not without complexity and obstacles. Here, we look to delve into the challenges presented by these partnerships, but ultimately to provide insight into how we can best deploy them as a valuable tool to realise the value of research.

Collaboration Strategies

There are two primary types of collaboration. First, leveraging technical expertise, where partners combine their specialised knowledge and skills to achieve specific technical objectives or solve complex problems. Second, emphasising driving new innovations from academic research into industry. This involves transferring cutting-edge research findings and theoretical advancements from universities and research institutions into practical, real-world applications.

Leveraging Technical Expertise

Historically, academia has served as a fertile ground for pioneering scientific advancement. The discovery of Penicillin by Alexander Flemming and elucidation of DNA structure by James Watson, Francis Crick, and Rosalind Franklin at the University of Cambridge have become cornerstones of medical, health and biotechnology research. Academic researchers have long positioned themselves as key opinion leaders (KOLs) and experts in their fields, where they have more specialised and in depth knowledge of specific processes.

University labs are often the birthplace of cutting-edge tools and technologies, making research institutions essential in helping industries improve their products and processes. For instance, in 2018, access to advanced microscope tools like the Titan Krios^TM, one of the few available in Europe, enabled the Institut Pasteur to delve deeper into cell structure exploration. Such systems can be highly valuable for industrial partners, allowing them to tackle complex questions that would be beyond their internal capabilities. This type of collaboration is more common and has a proven track record for success, with clear objectives, defined roles and ownership agreements.

A major challenge arises in establishing these types of partnerships.
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However, academia focuses on the publication of research, whereas industry requires data to be proprietary.

The publish or perish culture is a recurring pressure experienced by academic researchers. Academics need career progression, exposure, and are constantly driven by the need for additional funding, creating a pressure cooker to publish as much and as quickly as possible. On top of this, a focus on quantity over quality has been cited by industry as a major issue. Linked to the reproducibility crisis, irreplicable output is thought to cost the preclinical research industry alone around $28billion per year.

There’s a number of conversations emerging that fear this constant pressure, ratio of effort to reward, and lack of translation of research into real world impact, is driving talented scientists away. Dr Jesse Zondervan, a Geoscientist turned founder, describes this crisis as a ‘mass exodus of brilliant and talented scientists to scientifically unfulfilling roles’, or more rigid research settings with commercial or tenure oriented outcomes. He continues that although the loss of personnel is quantifiable, there is ‘an untold loss of innovation and subsequently societal impact’.

This could be an opportunity for industry, however. Funding mechanisms, albeit private, public, or charitable, should evolve to provide academics with the freedom and time necessary to produce high-quality, impactful research. Dougie Allen, director of Aquahydra, is a KOL in sustainable aquaculture practices, focussing on the provision of data and science driven innovation. In this space in particular, longer term planning and adaptability of research to global requirements is key for its survival, leading to industrial collaboration and implementation of impactful aquaculture reform. Allen emphasises,

Funding bodies and investors need to exert more patience when making their investments, especially for projects at the academic and scientific innovation interface. These require time as well as interdisciplinary collaboration and inventive funding models.

It’s essential that an improved alignment of incentives is set in order to further academic and industry collaborations worldwide, advancing outcomes and driving science

Technology Transfer

Another key area in which academics and industry must align to ensure the full potential of emerging knowledge and technologies is realised is at the tech transfer intersection. The  misalignment in culture between academia and industry is dissolving promising innovation through funding and commercial resourcing. Scientists oftentimes focus more on understanding the mechanisms and asking "why," while industry professionals prioritise practical solutions and ask "how" – one party is hypothesis-driven, whilst the other is outcome-driven.

Spearheaded by Dr. Isabelle Buckle from Pasteur Institute, DARRI (Technology Transfer and Industrial Partnership Department ) provides support and guidance to scientists to enhance project development and establishes a portfolio of innovative projects for strong collaborations with academia. These collaborations have proven their strength through the successful commercialisation of vaccines, such as Hepatitis vaccines, in partnership with Big pharma. Many of these collaborations have fostered drug development programmes through to clinical phase testing, with others providing the opportunity to spin-out, and foster start-up creation.

However, not all institutions have the capacity to internally develop market ready technologies. The "Death Valley" is a well-known trope for those limited in resources, or where inadequate funding limits appropriate tech readiness levels for private investment. BIOASTER, a microbial research technology institute founded by the French government, is part of a group of institutes responsible for bridging this gap. Its role is to help industries derisk technology before internal absorption and optimise it for industrial development, as explained by Dr. Christophe Vedrine, Head of Bioassays, Microsystems, and Optical Engineering Unit at Bioaster. Dr. Vedrine has more than 7 years in industry roles and 10 years at technology transfer interface between academia and industry, both as a researcher and team leader.  

BIOASTER has been involved in numerous long term projects, like ERA4TB, a 6-year project, integrating the non-profit Institut Pasteur, and GlaxoSmithKline. Together, they work towards developing new treatments for tuberculosis. BIOASTER also collaborates with prominent entities like QIAGEN, a key player in the molecular diagnostic industry, to create innovative assays against infectious diseases. Similarly, the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) in Belgium has several technology transfer initiatives. These ensure that emerging technologies developed in non-profit institutions with high potential are identified, validated, and scaled to industry standards. Their commitment to innovation extends beyond R&D- strategic partnerships and collaborations are leveraged to develop their own internal catalogue of technology. Third-party centres such as these, facilitate the advancement of technology and serve as a bridge between academic research, and market ready technologies.

Communication appears to be the major driver of positive change moving forward. Academics may learn how to present their research in a way that highlights its practical applications, making it more attractive to industry partners. This includes training in entrepreneurship, market research, and techno-economic analysis. WilBe, the home of scientific founders, is dedicated to exactly this, where talented and motivated scientists are provided with vital business skills and entrepreneurial practices to realise the full commercial potential of their research. Subsequently WilBe also offers support and resources through investment in scientific founders who have demonstrated the applicability and potential impact of their work. Devika Thapar, Co-Founder of Wilbe, states, "By providing scientists with the education needed to innovate and elevate their work, we empower them to realise the full potential of their research. This approach not only benefits individuals but also enhances the capabilities of their teams and institutions."

From an industry perspective, whether scouting strategically or opportunistically, publications with commercial potential are naturally more attractive. Jesse Zondervan, who is a founder in residence at WilBe, has been at the forefront of UN policy implementation and application into sustainability and climate science, expresses disillusionment with academia due to the lack of direct engagement, action and execution. "In academia, the focus is often on producing research outputs without necessarily considering their scalability or market application. This misalignment can be a major barrier to industry collaboration." This didn’t dissuade Jesse from science, however, but drove him to follow his goal of direct global and societal impact from his research.

A Universal Call to Action

The outcome oriented, proprietary nature of industry is needed for competitive production, commercial capacity, and speed to market. Whereas the hypothesis driven, inquisitive nature of academia has proved crucial in positioning researchers as key knowledge creators and drivers of innovation. It is within this contradiction that the essence of this article lies.

From the experiences of KOLs across diverse fields, it is clear that small changes can be implemented to better align incentives, behaviour, and outcomes. Incorporating considerations of commercial application during the academic research process will show that researchers are aware of the future implications of their innovations to society, giving them the language to speak confidently to industry partners, and engage meaningfully. Private, public, and charitable funding mechanisms need to be more educated on the scientific research process to provide increased freedom and time, reducing pressure and driving research quality.

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Picture from rawpixel.com on Freepik

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