Tech Transfer Talk
Podcast
The podcast that discusses the many facets of technology transfer with industry leaders
Welcome to Tech Transfer Talk!
Recent Episodes
Episode 13 – Time and Timing
We are delighted to share episode #13 where Cameron, our podcast host, reflects on the range of themes we have had through our first 12 podcasts and in which he specifically explores the importance of time and timing in tech transfer.
Episode 12 – After the licensing deal…building the HealthSenseTM operating business
In our discussion with Ed Fish, Vice President and General Manager at Bay State Milling, we hear about some of his experiences and reflections on the post-deal journey and moving from a licensing deal to an operating business. This podcast follows on from our discussion around business accountability and the need for driving technologies to sustainable returns. In the context of tech transfer being built around relationships, exploring the post-transaction experience is important as we think there is some misunderstanding around the investment, time, risk and complexities of bringing technologies through from license to revenue.
Ed provides some terrific examples of how they managed unforeseen challenges and in turn built new forms of value and protection to the licensed technology and the assets they are continuing to build in North America.
Episode 11 – Relationships vs transactions and the Vice Chancellor’s challenge with David Mitchell
In our discussion with David Mitchell, former CEO of the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, and more recently the founder of Find My EV, and currently the advanced manufacturing adviser for Katalis in Jakarta, we dive into the importance of relationships, how these contrast with transactions and the systemic challenges in the tertiary sector that creates tech transfer challenges for commercialisation specialists, and indeed Australia’s ambitions to deliver impact from national science investment.
This podcast is particularly timely in our view. With an increasing focus on generating returns from Australia’s science investments and research communities, the formation of relationships between the research, technology transfer practitioners and industry should be at the heart of sustained performance. However, it appears to our guest that these connections are rarer than they should be or could be, through an innovation culture that has generally lapsed into transactions and processes, rather than one underpinned by relationships and principles.
From these observations, this podcast explores what could be missing and sets a challenge for research sector leadership on how the foundations on which science is created need to be reinforced through relationships in order to build a more productive technology transfer community and engagement with industry.
Episode 10 – Culture, clock speeds, leadership with Allison Haitz
In a podcast recorded a few years ago, I chatted with Allison Haitz, currently Biotechnology Programme Director at Givaudan about R&D, technology transfer and commercialisation. These were originally released in three parts exploring the issues of R&D culture and clock speeds (Part 1), Management, leadership and balance (Part 2) and Equilibrium, academics and policies (Part 3).
We are taking the opportunity to relaunch these as a single podcast, with thanks to Allison and the team at R&D Today, to share some of our thoughts in light of Spiegare’s newly minted Service Partner Membership of Cooperative Research Australia.
Episode 9 – Innovation accountability and the CVO with Stephen Angus
In our discussion with Stephen Angus, of Snowy Advisory, we hear about some of his experiences and reflections on the importance of accountability in innovation and we explore a new role for companies actively investing and undertaking innovation – the CVO.
This podcast is particularly timely in our view. Innovation, as a word, is arguably becoming tired, misplaced and misused in a range of government and private sector forums. What we are also seeing is innovation tending towards a performative activity, with social media and contests providing stages on which actors can perform. The short timeframe programs that abound across the private and public sectors are tending towards the vanilla and undifferentiated, producing many applicants, some participants, few winners and occasional successes. However, businesses are rarely built in 12 weeks! And when the innovation actors have left the stage and the day-to-day needs to be implemented, with operational realities replacing the euphoria of presentations, pitches and performances, how do participants perform in the mid to long term? Not just with today’s idea, but do they have the tools to seek out and secure success for the next ideas that emerge through their experiences?
From these observations, this podcast has sprung to seek out what could be missing to drive success beyond the performative innovation that we are seeing. We see the need for honest conversations, business discipline and accountability. We believe that these (cultural) settings, embodied in the notion of role of the CVO – Chief Veracity Officer, can start to reorientate these phenomena over the mid-term. We hope that catalysing this discussion will contribute to that process.
Episode 8 – Feedstock production, refinery processes and federal policies with Paul Bryan
In the second of our two part series with Paul Bryan, formerly of Chevron, US DOE, SANDIA and now with Origin Material, we hear about some of his experiences and reflections on the role of feedstock, its implications on refinery processes and the role of (US) federal policy the emerging biobased economy.
Episode 7 – The right bio-STUFF and the role of the desperate customer with Paul Bryan
In the first of two episodes with Paul Bryan, formerly of Chevron, Sandia National Laboratories, and the US Department of Energy (DOE), we hear about some of his experiences and reflections on the role of feedstock and its importance in the emerging biobased economy. Paul also reflects on technology transfer opportunities and pathways from his many decades of engineering research experience. In our conversation, we touch on the importance of the right bio-STUFF and the role of the desperate customer.
Episode 6 – 40 years of tech transfer relationships with Lindsay Adler
Lindsay Adler, recently retired from CSIRO, shares some of his experiences and reflections in building research and commercial partnerships ,and the benefit of his many decades experience in commercialising ag & food technologies around the world. In our conversation, we touch on the importance of enduring relationships, team based tech transfer and partner performance management.
Episode 5 – Turning new leaves? Innovation in Australian Agriculture with David Moore
In this episode with David Moore, recent doctoral student and former General Manager of Hort Innovation Australia Limited, we explore some of his experiences and reflections in dealing with the research and innovation communities, getting perspectives on how innovation has been historically undertaken in Australian agriculture, and thoughts on how to improve outcomes from investments made across the innovation system.
About Us
What Tech Transfer Talk is All About…
Tech Transfer Talk is a series of podcasts discussing aspects of the many facets of technology transfer. Cameron Begley, Managing Director of Spiegare Pty Ltd and Director of Agtechcentric Pty Ltd explores a range of technology transfer and commercialisation experiences, challenges and insights with a range of guests from around the world. Through these conversations, the insights from our guests hopefully help those listening in their endeavours in taking science from the bench to the world.
Hosted by…
Cameron Begley
Managing Director of Spiegare Pty Ltd and Director of Agtechcentric Pty Ltd