Linking academic research expertise to the needs of Canadian business depends on universities initiating projects, responding quickly to market needs and improving communications among researchers and companies, according to panelists discussing issues in university and industry research at the recent Pacific Rim Conference on Communications, Computers and Signal Processing at UVic.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council President Dr. Tom Brzustowski moderated the discussion with Brent Sauder of the B.C. Advanced Systems Institute, Ibrahim Gedeon of Northern Telecom, Dave Hunter from the IBM Pacific Development Centre, Dr. John Madden of the Canadian Cable Labs Fund, and Science Council of B.C. President Dr. Jim Reichert.
Intense competition means most information technology companies are focused on their own survival and usually don't have the time or the resources to conduct basic research. "In many cases companies don't know they need (university research)," says Sauder. "Because time is limited for industry, it's up to faculty members to make the first step."
Describing ASI as a "technology welcome wagon" for firms new to the province, Sauder says battles over ownership of intellectual property have prematurely ended too many partnerships. He says ownership issues can be resolved in ways that are realistic and beneficial to all parties.
The panel also considered how to justify spending public money on projects that ultimately benefit private companies. Brzustowski says the answer lies not in royalties or fees for governments but in the economic activity flowing from successful research. "Value added to the economy is the return on public investment" in research programs, says Brzustowksi. NSERC, the largest federal provider of research grants, contributes more than $400 million annually to basic and project research and advanced training initiatives at Canadian universities.
"Responsiveness is the central theme," says Reichert who adds that academic research has to be flexible enough to adapt to opportunities that can be different in scale and complexity.
Hunter, a 1966 UVic grad, notes that IBM is pleased with its association with academic researchers (Dr. Nigel Horspool, Computer Science, is currently a visiting professor at IBM's Development Centre in Vancouver). However, Hunter adds that it's sometimes "difficult to tap into" research initiatives and calls for better coordination of communication and access to academic research.