Establishing fruitful cross-sector collaborations in research

Two scientists share their insights on what makes a valuable and productive partnership.

7 August 2023

Partnerships with industry and non-profit organisations can provide academic researchers with access to vital funds and proprietary resources such as user data, as well as facilities, networks and market insights. Companies and non-profits, meanwhile, benefit from the knowledge, expertise and perspective of academics. At the same time, such collaborations may bring concerns, such as firms wanting to protect intellectual property, for instance, or researchers worried about potential conflicts of interest.

Nature Index spoke with two researchers who are involved in cross-sector partnerships about how to maximise the benefits of working on scientific projects.

Jemin Hwangbo: Share the fruits of labour

Mechanical engineer, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology/Samsung

Samsung is the largest business group in South Korea, in terms of revenue. From what I understand, they work with academic researchers in two different ways. When they have a specific business objective they want to achieve, they specifically seek an academic expert or consultant for the project. As part of their corporate social responsibility, they also administer research grants through the Samsung Future Technology Fostering Project, similar to a government grant, where they put out a call and interested researchers can apply for it. Usually, the call is related to an area they are interested in, such as electronics. I am a recipient of the latter grant.

The grant from Samsung, roughly but not limited to US$1 million, pays for materials for my research and enables me to hire seven people to design and improve the control of navigation robots, but the benefits are worth more than that. Every two years, I get to meet other experts sponsored by Samsung in my field when we present our research progress to the company. This is a great opportunity to stay updated with cutting-edge research and seek out potential collaborators.

I also get to attend annual meetings for all Samsung grant recipients and the Samsung Global Technology Symposium, which showcases research from initiatives like the Samsung Future Technology Fostering Project. In 2023, the symposium was held at the Samsung Seoul R&D campus in April where about a thousand participants presented research spanning areas in artificial intelligence, computing and biomedical devices. Such presentations are often useful for my own research. I have attended talks on artificial intelligence (AI) to learn about natural language and image processing, for instance, which has enabled me to learn new tricks in AI, which is outside my expert domain, and apply that to my research in robotics.

The collaboration also benefits Samsung’s reputation as it brands them as supporting academic research that has a positive impact on society. Talented graduates from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) who are working on Samsung-sponsored projects also go on to work in the company, and I think that can be partly attributed to the positive image of the company.

To make academic-industry collaboration work, it is important for both parties to share the fruits of their labour. In my case, any patents that may emerge from my Samsung-sponsored grant belong to KAIST and not the company. Samsung can, however, license or buy the patents from KAIST if it believes the technology will benefit them, giving them priority over their competitors. Twice a year, I have to submit a concise report to Samsung summarising my progress. I think this format is great because it allows researchers to focus on the science and not spend too much time on administration.

Vincent Cros: Find equally committed partners

Physicist, Unite Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales

My lab near Paris is jointly supported by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris-Saclay University and Thales, a French multinational company that designs and manufactures electrical equipment and systems for the aerospace, defense, transportation, and security sector. This model of collaboration started in the mid-1990s and was designed for academic researchers to explore ideas that could be translated into innovations in areas such as telecommunications. The success of this unique long-term collaborative model has since been expanded, and today there are more than 200 joint labs involving CNRS and different companies in France.

I am a believer in working on fundamental science and using that to generate economic development and to address societal challenges. Working in the joint lab between CNRS and Thales enables us to achieve these multiple goals. My lab has today several research areas — namely spintronics, oxide electronics, high-temperature superconductors and neuromorphic technology — and multiple projects have since been transferred to Thales for further development. For instance, my lab has developed nano-oscillators, which are ultra-compact sources of microwave signals for use in neuromorphic computers, devices that attempt to mimic the neural processes of the human brain.

Another example of technology transfer is high-temperature superconducting materials. Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity without resistance, and this helps to reduce energy loss and prevent heating. However, superconductors need to be cooled to a very low temperature (-270 degrees Celsius) with liquid helium which is expensive. High-temperature superconductors can be cooled by liquid nitrogen and conduct electricity without resistance at a higher temperature (-196 degrees Celsius). High-temperature superconductors can be used to develop high-performance analogue devices for signal processing, such as filters or antennas for the telecommunications industry.

Working within the Thales research centre has practical benefits. The company supports PhD students in my lab to work on problems relevant to the industry. I believe that when students receive training under this environment and get to interact daily with industry counterparts, it enables them to enjoy the best of both the academic and industry worlds and work on meaningful problems that will transform society. My lab also enjoys special access to Thales’ infrastructure including technological clean rooms, allowing for the fabrication of micro- and nano-electronic devices. At the same time, colleagues from Thales can access state-of-the-art CNRS measurement equipment or advanced imaging techniques.

Collaboration between academic labs and companies can take on many forms. Some are short-term contracts where the companies have a specific problem they want the academic labs to solve. In my lab, the collaboration between CNRS and Thales has lasted for 28 years because the two parties share an equal commitment to the process of scientific discoveries and translational research.

Beyond the strong connection between academia and industry inside the lab, we have a strong culture to promote external collaborations. For example, as a CNRS director I oversee a major project called PEPR SPIN. This is part of a national programme that aims to trigger a new generation of spintronic devices that transfer data and signals faster than electronics, have higher data storage density and greater energy efficiency. An important objective of this initiative is to improve networking and company investment in basic research, creating potential opportunities that can have positive societal impact. I believe this is key to the success of academic-industry collaboration.