Why Collaborate?
Increasingly, science and technology based companies are under pressure
both to minimise R&D costs and also to maximise the return on their R&D
investment.
A natural consequence of these two pressures is a move towards a more
co-operative, distributed R&D network approach, where the ability to
identify key collaborators and manage the process of operating in this
network environment is crucial to business performance.
Minimising R&D costs
The increasing focus on core business and underlying core competencies
mean that, in many sectors, companies are finding real benefit in out-
sourcing or collaborative ventures for particular components of their R&D
activity. This ensures access to the broad range of skills and capabilities
needed to service the R&D activity, provides opportunities to share costs
and risks of R&D investment, and allows flexible resource management,
bringing in rare or expensive skills only when they are needed. The sources
of external expertise could lie in Universities, research and technology
organisations or in other companies.
Maximising return on R&D expenditure
Recent studies suggest most medium and large companies use less than one
third of the intellectual property that their R&D generates in their own
product portfolio. Generating this IP is expensive, and maintaining it, eg by
ongoing patent costs, is expensive - so why not use it to commercial gain?
Companies who have implemented a pro-active out-licensing activity
typically see a 10-15% increase in bottom line profits.
Barriers to collaboration
So if the financial case for collaboration is so strong, what stops your
company doing this? There are a number of reasons why companies can
find it difficult to engage in this process:
a) There is no top-level strategy in the company to activate and
guide the process
b) The processes in the company are not set up to identify where
your company's IP might be of value to another, non-competitive
company
c) The networks available through your staff do not link in with the
networks outside your company in the right areas, or at the right level
d) Resources inside the company are too constrained to allow
effective, pro-active, networking
Scientific Liaison Advisory Services can help to overcome these barriers:
a) We have framework tools which allow companies to identify
and develop collaboration strategies most suited to their overall business
needs
b) We have technology roadmapping tools which allow you to
identify where your expertise may have value to other, non-competitive
companies
c) We can provide a dedicated resource to identify key networks
and contact to open up collaborative opportunities
d) We can help you manage the process of opening up contacts
and progress these to meaningful negotiation
If any of this sounds like it might have value for your company, we'd
be delighted to help:
Please contact us at:
contact@scilas.com
