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International Women's Day: women take charge in science commercialisation

Tuesday, 8 March 2005

Breaking with the tradition of purely academic research, four female scientists studying for a Masters degree at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide are at the forefront of developing science into commercial enterprise.

These innovative women - Dr Alexandra Bush, Dr Stephanie Agius, Ms Cheryl Pope and Ms Bernadette Swart - are undertaking the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide's Master of Science & Technology Commercialisation degree.

Run by the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s Education Centre for Innovation and Commercialisation (), this program is the first of its kind in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥.

The efforts of these four women and their colleagues at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide aim to give ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ a competitive edge in a global market place.

Dr Alexandra Bush, Research Scientist with the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), has been chosen by the Cooperative Research Centre for Welded Structures (CRC-WS), to advise on the commercialisation of its technologies. (The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ is a core participant of the CRC.)

"What I hope to achieve is to effectively and efficiently convert scientific innovation for greater economic and social benefit," Dr Bush says.

Another of ecic's Masters students, Dr Stephanie Agius, has had an extensive international research career, and has recently been appointed the Commercialisation Officer for the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (based at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide's Waite Campus).

"One of the Centre's core competitive advantages lies in the ability to develop and implement its innovation, and the Masters of Science & Technology Commercialisation provides me with the knowledge vital to accelerating the commercialisation process," Dr Agius says.

Fellow peer Ms Cheryl Pope is the project manager at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Sheep Industry CRC, and is equally aware that the health of the nation's innovation landscape is dependent on the commercial training of researchers.

"It's so obvious. We need this course to make scientists aware that their research results can become a commercial reality," Ms Pope says.

Child and Health Research Institute's Ms Bernadette Swart, like many of these women, holds down a full-time job and has family commitments as well as devoting time to postgraduate study with the ecic.

"I believe that scientists today need to balance fundamental research interests with commercial awareness," she says. "You need to wear both a scientist's cap and a business cap."

Fostering these skills in entrepreneurship and the commercialisation of innovation, ecic is a new and unique postgraduate school within the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide.

"Wealth creation, long-term economic growth and social wellbeing all depend on bringing new technologies to fruition, doing it quickly, doing it well," says ecic's Acting Director Mr Antonio Dottore.

The graduate school also has a "footprint" on the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Technology Park in Sydney, where it offers articulated programs to Masters in Project Management through Professor Vernon Ireland.

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