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between basic research and clinical trials, a gap that new hot topics in academia: industry-university
limits innovation and results in fewer therapeutic partnerships and engagement. Carbonell focused
options for patients. Brown focused on two innova- on how industry-university partnerships can be used
tive solutions to this problem: focused philanthropy to inspire the next generation of inventors. As he
and corporate crowd funding. Focused philanthropy notes, young innovators are driven by important
takes advantage of the $99 billion philanthropy-based problems and inspired by key role models and men-
funding that is available—five times the amount tors. Industry-university partnerships fulfill these
offered through NIH grants—to gather academic needs, Carbonell argues, by providing students both
and corporate partners around a specific disease focus with real-life problems to solve through their own
to accelerate drug discovery to help patients. In cor- innovative activity and with mentors who can guide
porate crowd funding, a variety of businesses, large them in their development and careers. In turn, this
and small, are invited to pool their money around a benefits universities by creating an entrepreneurial
specific disease focus, once again to spur innovation culture, something that has been proven in the case
and move discoveries across the funding gap. These of Carbonell’s own NC State, which is ranked ninth
efforts are bearing fruit, with an expected $150 mil- in the U.S. for licenses to industry and third in start-
lion to be raised over five years to develop a range of ups launched. Duerk took a more longue durée view,
drugs for treating cancer, high blood pressure, and offering a synopsis of the historical development
drug and alcohol addiction, among other ailments. of industry-university engagement, including new,
The day’s first panel discussion, a governmental emerging models. Duerk notes that such engagement
relations information session, took on the import- began as philanthropy from industry leaders who
ant and topical question of how we as academic had developed personal relationships with univer-
innovators can effectively communicate the value sity presidents, and, while certainly beneficial for
of innovation in the new political climate. Led by universities, this model was decidedly one-sided. In
Elizabeth Dougherty of the United States Patent and the 1980s, spurred by the Bayh-Dole act and industry
Trademark Office, panelists Dana R. Colarulli, Robert divestment of research infrastructure, these relation-
V. Duncan, Jessica A. Sebeok, and Michael A. Waring ships became true partnerships as industry found
had a spirited discussion on what, if any, changes research collaborators at universities and universities
were needed during this political transition period found licensing homes for many inventions that had
to effectively keep innovation and invention at the been waiting in the wings. Starting in 2000, the lim-
forefront as new policies and budgets are considered. itations of the Bayh-Dole era of industry-university
Citing a political climate that has become increas- collaboration became apparent, and new models have
ingly polarized, all of the panelists highlighted the emerged, with the single focus of technology transfer
centrality of overcoming partisanship to the success having been replaced by a broader and more holis-
of innovation initiatives and endeavors. Specifically, tic corporate partnership scheme—one involving
they argued that education and communication are at educational opportunities, internships, and talent
the heart of increasing bipartisanship and promoting pipeline improvements—which has greatly improved
innovation activity in any administration. The more the quantity and quality of industry-university part-
effectively we can tell stories of innovation and its nerships for both sides. The future looks bright as
positive impacts on health care, the economy, and we see new developments on the horizon, includ-
myriad other areas, the more we will gain buy-in and ing interdisciplinary, multi-investigator teams and
support from our government officials in promoting multi-university collaborations, which will enable
an invention and innovation agenda that will benefit us to tackle ever-greater challenges and problems.
society as a whole. Continuing with the topic of academic and cor-
Ruben G. Carbonell of North Carolina State porate partnerships, the second panel discussion for
University and Jeffrey L. Duerk of Case Western the session, “Innovative Approaches to University-In-
Reserve University took up the theme of the chang- dustry Collaboration,” focused on the importance of
ing innovation landscape by focusing on one of the these relationships in the face of dwindling federal