Research & Innovation and Sustainability

1. Research & Innovation and Sustainability Dr. Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah Universiti Sains Malaysia

2. PRESENTATION FLOW • Research and Innovation - definitions • Sustainability - definitions • Ensuring research leads to innovation • Ensuring R&I helps sustainability • Some issues for thoughts

3. Research and Innovation - definitions

4. INNOVATION BY DEFINITION Edward D. Roberts: “Innovation = invention + exploitation” Invention process covers all efforts aimed at creating new ideas and getting them to work. The exploitation process includes all stages of commercial development, application, and transfer, including the focusing of ideas or inventions towards specific objectives, evaluating those objectives, downstream transfer of research and/or development results, and eventual broad based utilization, dissemination, and diffusion of the technology-based outcomes”

5. SO WHY DO WE NEED TO INNOVATE? • Ensuring that as many of our research work has impact, i.e., being used by the society. When a product from research is commercialised, it is being recognised and is being used. It therefore provides the best return of investment (ROI) • Innovation when successful will also have socio-economic benefits • drives the knowledge economy • contributes to the nation’s and world’s economy • create job opportunities • other socio-economic benefits (health, environment, wealth and general well being)

6. ENTITIES OF INNOVATION Research Development Commercialisation lecturers/ researchers IP rights (ownership + inventors) + rewards inventor postgrads Partner/ IP Assignee Business plan Research funds and activities Technology transfer office Industry laboratories & Equipment Funding Business model Research Management Quality research results Appreciated prototypes Bridging fund IPr issues Management team Market Research support Clear mechanisms Luck

7. From research to innovation • Nature of research • Fundamental • Applied • Product – based • Challenge • Maximising the number of research work done that leads to invention and finally becomes candidate for innovation

8. DIFFERENT RESEARCH APPROACHES • Build up on someone else’s fundamental work • The most common way • You will have competitors • The Fundamental to product research • Cluster-based approach • Collaborative • You have more control • Z to A research approach as opposed to A to Z approach

9. A to Z approach Start with objective statements Deliverables that met the objectives Need to find the applicability and suitability of the product Finding place in the market for the product Jigsaw puzzle approach Z to A approach Start with problems statements Problem statements arising from market studies and technology fore-sighting Objectives statements defined according to problem statements Time line is according to window of opportunity Resulting products are readier to enter the market APPROACH TO RESEARCH

10. LOOKING @ R&I AS A PROCESS

11. Sustainability - definitions • Context of sustainable development • A widely-used and accepted international definition of sustainable development is: 'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' – • Globally we are not even meeting the needs of the present let alone considering the needs of future generations. Challenge

12. Scope of Sustainable Development • Environment • Social • Economic

13. QUESTION • How Research and Innovation should address sustainability? • Problem statement must be correct • The Z to A approach • Clear goals in mind • Environmental gains • Economic benefits • Social impact • Clear action plan to ensure the research and innovation journey leads to the intended recipient

14. TYPICAL RESEARCH DOMAIN Products, processes, technologies and findings related to: • Research “From waste to wealth” • Improvement in productivity (eg. increase in yield per unit of input) • Improvement in processes (eg. savings in energy, waste etc) • Producing enablers, new technology, new policies etc • Reduction in detrimental effects to environment, society and the economy • Healthy lifestyle, environment etc • And many others

15. The Bigger picture • Research and innovation must address issues of sustainability • The driving force behind the problem statements of researches must ultimately address sustainability issues • The challenges of innovation must be overcomed • Only will research and innovation be supporting sustainability

16. SOME ISSUES FOR THOUGHTS • Research results must have an impact • Impact to whom? • Publication in journals • Publications alone • Citations • Conference deliberations • Adoption for technologies • Adoption for products • Adoption for policies • Adoption by industry • Adoption by government/authorities

17. DRIVING INNOVATION Experience @ Universiti Sains Malaysia

18. SETTING THE GOALS • Mission statement • USM’s mission statement • Vision statement • Renewed vision • R&D vision/Innovation vision

19. SETTING THE GOALS:USM ASPIRATIONS • Continue to serve its mission • To achieve global acceptance and recognition, while continue being a local focal point (GLOCAL) • To be recognised as a research university • Ultimately, to be known globally as an excellent research university

20. SETTING THE GOALS:USM’s MISSION • To lead and innovate towards international excellence through: • the creation and dissemination of knowledge and truth • quality pursuits towards academic and professional excellence • comprehensive individual development, and • with full commitment towards the fulfilment of the societal, national and universal aspirations

21. INOVATION AGENDA

22. THINKING OUT OF THE BOX – Drive towards Innovation • Innovation and Entrepreneurship • “If USM is serious about its global endeavours, it needs to exploit its innovation to gain competitive advantage. The factors and suitable types of innovation must be intelligently selected, properly nurtured and effectively managed” – VC USM, 2003

23. THE USM WAY • History • USM had a strong history in research • USM had individuals who knew the value of IP and the benefit of commercialisation • USM knew the importance of institutional backing for technology transfer effort, and set up the Innovation and Consultancy Centre (PIP) • USM then innovated through setting up a holding company which it fully owns, USAINS Holding Sdn. Bhd to be the marketing arm of USM • Throughout this history, USM accumulated experience on the business of technology transfer

24. THE TURNING POINT • What was • Organisational setup (PIP and USAINS) • IP guideline • Some little experience • What were needed • culture of innovation • enablers for innovation

25. TOWARS AN INNOVATION SYSTEM • Coming up with a framework for R-D-C-E-P • Getting support • Looking at ways to operationalize this framework • processes and enablers • organisational setup – the setting up of the Innovation Office and restructuring of Research and Innovation Division • human capacity and capability – planning and training issues • Innovation flow • Intellectual Property policy - introduce • mechanism and guidelines – establish and practice

26. UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA • Basic • Applied • Publications • Patents/IP • Products Increasing industry input © USM 2003

27. R&I @ USM USAINS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Institutes Services Supporting Schools & Centres

28. MODELS OF COMMERCIALISATION • Licensing • Joint Venture + Start up companies • EQ USAINS

29. USM’s COMMERCIALISATION FLAGSHIPS • Diagnostic kits • First IPO success – Mlabs • Direct licensing ventures • Direct marketing by USAINS – EQUSAINS programme

30. CONCLUSIONS • Research and innovation will have more meaning if it helps to address the issues of sustainability • The challenges of research and innovation must be addressed • Research results and innovation successes must be in ultimately helping the sustainability issues • Question on the ultimate impact of research and innovation must be answered

31. Innovating towards sustainability cefrhn@eng.usm.my VISIT PECIPTA 2007