Government Recommendations for Technology and Innovation Centres May Fall Short

CAMBRIDGE, England, March 31, 2010 - PraxisUnico, the UK's leading research commercialisation organisation,
invites comment on a statement from the organisation's Chairman, Professor
David Secher, on Government policy on knowledge transfer. Lord Mandelson has
accepted the recommendations of the recent Hauser Report. This report
proposes development of a network of technology and innovation centres that
will help deliver the industries and jobs of the future.

In his statement Professor Secher assesses the significance of the Hauser
Report to knowledge transfer and research commercialisation, "It is clear
that Lord Mandelson, who commissioned the report, favours the German system
of Fraunhofer Institutes. Previous attempts to copy that system in the UK
(e.g. Faraday Centres) have failed and Hauser is careful to explain that what
works in Germany may not be appropriate here. He notes that in the UK since
2008 the Regional Development Agencies and devolved governments have invested
more than GBP150m in over 50 Technology Innovation Centres. Whilst some of
these have already shown signs of success and sustainability (e.g. advanced
manufacturing in Sheffield), many have been constrained by insufficient
funding, duplication and a too narrow geographical focus. They have also been
constrained by the dimensions of the existing UK industrial base."

Secher concludes, "Is there a danger that the biggest breakthroughs might
fall through such a network? When César Milstein invented monoclonal
antibodies or Fred Sanger DNA sequencing, these would not have met Hauser's
criteria. The recognition of the importance of serendipity and the ability
flexibly to set up (and close down!) centres, as science develops, must be
taken into account. It is the ability to create demand which marks some of
the greatest developments, not simply being a narrow servant of the market.
Most importantly, the investment needs to add to university knowledge
transfer and improve the demand from British industry for new research (as
identified so clearly by Richard Lambert in his 2003 report). To build a
knowledge economy we need, not a reinforcement of old industries, but an
industrial base that is aligned with our research potential; that can build
on the success of university knowledge transfer; and that fosters a demand
creation agenda."

Notes to Editors

1. Professor Secher's full statement is at
www.praxisunico.org.uk/news

2. Hermann Hauser's report is at:
berr.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/10-843-role-of-technology-i
nnovation-centres-hauser-review.pdf

(Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste
this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the
space if one exists.)

3. The Hauser Report proposes a national network of sector-based centres
to "close the gap between universities and industry though a 'translational
infrastructure' to provide a business-focused capacity and capability that
bridges research and technology commercialisation."

4. Secher also proposes that the centres should be called "Hawking
Centres" or "Hauser Centres", rather than "Clark Maxwell Centres", as
suggested by Hauser.

About PraxisUnico

PraxisUnico is a not-for-profit educational organisation set up to
support innovation and commercialisation of public sector and charity
research for social and economic impact. PraxisUnico encourages innovation
and acts as a voice for the research commercialisation profession,
facilitating the interaction between the public sector research base,
business and government. PraxisUnico provides a forum for best practice
exchange, underpinned by first-class training and development programmes.

www.praxisunico.org.uk

    For further information:
    PraxisUnico
    Lee Willmott
    Communications Officer
    Tel: +44-(0)1223-422085
    lee.willmott@praxisunico.org.uk

For further information: PraxisUnico, Lee Willmott, Communications Officer,
Tel: +44-(0)1223-422085, lee.willmott at praxisunico.org.uk