Dr. Tomas Remenyi1, Dr. Max Wilkinson2, Dr. Carina Kemp3, Mr. Rajiv Cabraal4, Dr. Hamish Holewa2, Mr. Steve Taitoko1
1Eratos, Richmond, Australia, 2Australian Research Data Commons, Canberra, Australia, 3Amazon Web Services, Seattle, United States of America, 4CSIRO, Clayton, Australia
Biography:
Dr. Tomas Remenyi has a decade of research experience delivering useful climate services within more than 50 projects across a range sectors including natural hazards, emergency services, tourism, energy, and agriculture. Tom has a dynamic mix of science and commerce training that allows him to view both the research and commercial sectors from a unique perspective. A ‘systems thinker’ Tom is always trying to figure out what the blockers are to positive change within society across multiple sectors. Dr. Remenyi has recently transitioned into the commercial realm to help be a bridge over the research-commerce divide.
Abstract:
Commercialising ideas originating from academic research is challenging and often dependent on the convergence of several key elements. A valuable new idea or finding requires significant effort to mature into a product or service. It needs a capable team, with balanced skills, shared vision and positive culture. This convergence must operate and be nurtured in the wider context of organisation strategy. Aligning these elements is difficult and often causes conflict through unrecognised purpose or ill-defined governance. In Australia there has been limited guidance for those navigating this endeavour and despite interest in developing commercialisation pathways, funding programs have not been structured to support these efforts effectively. To address these issues, we propose a new framework that aligns cross-sector expectations and needs. This framework will build coherence across the sector and help those wishing to commercialise research navigate the necessary inputs and obligations of key participants. Adapting NASA's Technical Readiness Levels (TRLs) to focus on broad academic sector relevance, we introduce "The X-Readiness Levels Framework" for public comment and input. Our framework aims to include all important elements of research commercialisation and present them in a way that can assist with structuring research funding to support the transformation of fundamental research into useful, usable tools that are readily available and supported.