Open up university IP to SMEs, says Cambridge don | Business Weekly | Technology | Biotechnology | Business news | Cambridge and the East of England

abernard102@gmail.com 2012-10-05

Summary:

"Leading Cambridge academic Andy Hopper has urged the Government to give SMEs open access to science & technology IP created in UK universities. And he has called for more engineers to be embedded in the heart of government, starting with the appointment of an engineering tsar to steer economically critical infrastructure developments. Prof Hopper, who heads Cambridge University’s Computer Laboratory, makes his double call tonight in his inaugural address as president of Europe’s largest professional society for engineers and technicians – the Institution of Engineering and Technology. He says: 'Taxpayers are already funding the creation of innovative IP in our universities so it seems reasonable to make it more freely available to SMEs best positioned to add value and commercialise it. Universities should be incentivised to kickstart the development of new technologies and products by openly assigning the required IP to dynamic British businesses at minimal extra cost. In return, maybe the university could get a one or two per cent shareholding.' Prof Hopper believes this will be a big boost for the engine room of the UK economy – small and medium sized enterprises. He also wants to see more engineering advisers embedded in government, following the recent example of the Department for Energy and Climate Change. With a raft of massive engineering projects in the pipeline, such as smart grids, High Speed 2, faster broadband networks and new or expanded airports, Prof Hopper believes that the lack of engineers at senior levels in Government is 'the elephant in the room.' He is calling on the Government to create a Chief Engineering & Technology Adviser role so that national infrastructure projects get the expertise they desperately need and to ensure the UK is able to harness advances in technology..."

Link:

http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/academia-a-research/14604-open-up-university-ip-to-smes-says-cambridge-don

From feeds:

Open Access Tracking Project (OATP) » abernard102@gmail.com

Tags:

oa.new oa.policies oa.licensing oa.comment oa.government oa.universities oa.copyright oa.uk oa.patents oa.engineering oa.colleges oa.economics_of oa.economic_impact oa.iet oa.societies oa.hei oa.libre

Date tagged:

10/05/2012, 11:11

Date published:

10/05/2012, 07:11