ISA to hold tech transfer summit


8 Mar 2004

The Irish Software Industry is to host a debate on the controversial issue of research commercialisation.

The event, aimed primarily at ISA members, is to take place in the IBEC offices on Baggot Street on Monday 15 March at 6pm. The topic is: ‘The Commercialisation of IP from Universities’.

The issue of how to get Intellectual property from the lab or workstation to the marketplace is one of the most important and challenging facing the Irish software issues, says John Shiel, chairman of the ISA’s Competitiveness Subcommittee.

“The issue of commercialisation of IP from universities is a huge issue. The models that we have are outdated and are not going to work in a modern economy.”

The issue of university-industry technology transfer was recently highlighted by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC). In its recent submission to the Enterprise Strategy Group – the economic think-tank appointed by the Tanaiste Mary Harney last year – one of the NCC’s main recommendations was that the Government should commission a detailed review of the barriers to greater networking and collaboration between industry and the third level sector in research “which, despite numerous initiatives, remains at the levels reported over a decade ago” said submission said.

By Brian Skelly