S&T Committee to Seek Answers to Technology Commercialization

The United Kingdom government recently published an Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth. The strategy describes how it will work with business to hasten private sector growth. The government also published its strategy for the life sciences, outlining how it makes the UK a place for life sciences investment.

The difficulty in translating research into commercial application has often been raised in inquiries of the Science and Technology Committee. Hence, the committee will conduct an inquiry into how the Government and other organizations can improve the commercialization of research. Written submissions are being sought on several questions, among them:

1. What are the difficulties of funding the commercialization of research, and how can they be overcome?
2. Are there specific science and engineering sectors where it is particularly difficult to commercialize research? Are there common difficulties and common solutions across sectors?
3. What, if any, examples are there of UK-based research having to be transferred outside the UK for commercialization? Why did this occur?
5. Should the UK seek to encourage more private equity investment (including venture capital and angel investment) into science and engineering sectors and if so, how can this be achieved?

A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to scitechcom@parliament.uk and marked "Bridging the "valley of death"" by February 8, 2012.

More information can be found on the parliamentary website at http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/have-your-say/take-part-in-committee-inquiries/witness/ and http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/111215-new-inquiry---bridging/.