University Research Commercialisation Consultation Paper

On 14 April 2021 the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia made a submission to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment’s University Research Commercialisation – Consultation Paper.

While the Academy supports targeted initiatives to encourage research commercialisation, we emphasise this should be funded in addition to, not at the expense of, basic research. It is crucially important to ensure Australia continues to invest for the long-term in basic and public good research, which may not lead to a commercial outcome.

In response to the Consultation Paper, the Academy made the following three key points:

  1. The criteria for selecting university research commercialisation ‘missions’ should encompass economic, social and environmental impact
  2. The scheme should consider the whole innovation and research commercialisation system – including supporting policies, markets and social conditions
  3. The scheme should consider targeted support models to address barriers in the social sciences to further unlock service-based opportunities