Surviving and Prospering in the Current Research Environment

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Surviving and Prospering in the CurrentResearch
Environment
OPPORTUNITIES DOWNSTREAM

• Ron Dickinson
• NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
• Director, Centre for Studies in Drug Disposition
• Department of Medicine
• The University of Queensland at RBH

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Opportunities Downstream
Combining Investigator-Initiated And Contract
Research - Maximising Outcomes

• non-prescriptive
• personal experiences
• fashion and flexibility
• university research then and now

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The Golden Years of University Research(the
1960s and 1970s)

• ample funding
• ample infrastructure support
• ample research support staff

• era of individual researcher
• era of investigator-initiated research
• publish glory for self, institute and
  country
• commercialisation of research
• industry money

a bit grubby
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The New Era of University Research(from mid
1990s)

• little university funding (competitive)
• little infrastructure support (strategic
  initiatives)
• few research support staff (strategic initiatives)

• era of groups, units, centres and institutes
• era of commercialisation of research
• investigator initiated OK
• competitive funding (NHMRC, ARC etc)
• commercialisation of research
• industry money

fashionable
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My Experiences

• high school discovered home chemistry sets
• - research not routine
• - research-only career
• 1973 UQ (PhD) chemistry (unemployable)
• 74-76 CSIRO pharmacology
• 77-80 USA drug metabolism
• 80-82 France skin pharmacology
• 82- UQ (NHMRC drug disposition
• Research Fellow)

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The Golden Years - personal

• 1969 B.Sc. Hons
• (UQ Chemistry)
• brilliant purple
• colours

A new sensitive and specific test for the
detection of aldehydes Formation of
6-mercapto-3-substituted-S-triazolo
(4,3-b)-S-tetrazine. Dickinson and Jacobsen,
Chem Comm 46 298-9, 1970.

• The dream The Dickinson-Jacobsen Test
• for Aldehydes

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• The reality letter from Aldrich Chemical
  Company
• We are now marketing your compound under our
  trade name Purpald.

• no glory
• no patent
• no money

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The New Era Personal

• gt 1982 NHMRC Research Fellow
• (UQ Dept of Medicine at RBH)
• Research group 3 investigators
• 8 total
• Supported by UQ and NHMRC

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• 1984 - pharmaceutical industry
• - small contract research studies ?
• Yes - supplement investigator-initiated
  and grant-funded research

• 1997 became Centre for Studies in Drug
  Disposition
• 2002 30 FT staff
• 2002 spin out clinical trials company
• Q-Pharm Pty Limited

• synergy and buffer

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Synergies and Buffers
Investigator-Initiated and Contract Research

• Synergies - contracts follow investigator-initiat
  ed res.
• - professional credibility
• - spin-offs to investigator-initiated res.

• Buffers - for research people (highly-trained)
• - flexibility and stability

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Commercialisation of Research
know-how
IP

• Contract research
• consultancies
• Service function
• (can retain control
• more easily)

• Patents
• Development
• Venture capital
• (caution re control)

UniQuest
Both streams can maximise outcomes for
investigator-initiated research
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Combining

• Investigator-Initiated Research
• Commercialisation of Research - contract
• - consultancies
• - IP

• To maximise outcomes
• cant do it alone
• gain synergies
• gain buffers
• now fashionable

• opportunities differ