Comments on: Wellington IS the World… http://www.diversity.net.nz/wellington-is-the-world/2008/11/10/ Commentary and Analysis for User-Centered Technology Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:02:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul Spence http://www.diversity.net.nz/wellington-is-the-world/2008/11/10/comment-page-1/#comment-13283 Paul Spence Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:00:36 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/wellington-is-the-world/2008/11/10/#comment-13283 And for those interested....the entrepreneur presentations are now available on our Youtube channel. http://www.youtube.com/user/UPW2W And for those interested….the entrepreneur presentations are now available on our Youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/UPW2W

]]> By: Falafulu Fisi http://www.diversity.net.nz/wellington-is-the-world/2008/11/10/comment-page-1/#comment-13084 Falafulu Fisi Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:03:58 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/wellington-is-the-world/2008/11/10/#comment-13084 Yes I agree that commercialization of research is vital to NZ's competitiveness in the technology sector. I am still amazed at the lack of enthusiasm amongst some of our entrepreneurs in not seeking partnership with University R&Ds. There are a couple of reasons I think why. First, entrepreneurs are not aware of such potential to seek help or advisory role from University R&Ds, ie, most don't even know that University R&Ds are waiting for a knock on their doors from entrepreneurs. Second some entrepreneurs don't think that they need help at all, since they think the technology that they have developed, is there all to it, ie, there is no need to engage with University R&Ds in expensive exercises & collaborations. Here is an interesting comment from Auckland University Computer Science HOD, Prof. Hosking, that was published in the NZ Herald, last year (2007) by IT journo Simon Hendery. <i><b>John Hosking, professor of applied computer science at the university and a driving forces behind Extenda, says one problem is that senior technology staff in New Zealand businesses tend not to have post-graduate or often even degree qualifications. As a result, the companies they work for, while often successful at selling a single idea, can struggle when it comes to continuing to grow through innovation. “Although they [the technology managers] are bright and innovative, they haven’t been exposed to research methods as you would through doing a masters or PhD,” he says. “We’d like to open their eyes to what research can do to make companies grow quicker. Obviously we’d be interested in helping them do that research - we’re quite open about that - but the name of the game is to raise a research culture within their companies, and allow them to grow quicker, be more innovative and avoid this one-product wonder trap that they get into. </b></i> Prof. Hosking's comment is right on the mark here. To compete in the global level, one has to take advantage of R&D work that are coming out of our Universities. As someone like me who read lots of different peer review journals in computing, mathematics, economics/finance, engineering & science which are useful for my own work, I do witness valuable knowledge that are just being rotten and lying unused (though not all of them) in the literatures without being grabbed & developed for commercialize use. Since entrepreneurs don't have the know how or time to scour the technology peer review literatures, the best they can do is connect with University R&Ds. This is what University R&D groups do, they scour the peer review literatures on a continual basis (depends how often those new journal issues are coming out) looking for new solutions or improving existing solutions. These University R&D groups know what is going around the world, since they read the latest researches that are coming out from say, China, Argentina, UK, US, Taiwan, Europe, which are being published in international reputable research journals. So, for businesses to link up with University R&Ds is a very good idea. They basically act as one's eyes to the world. The fact is, sometimes our entrepreneurs have developed some technology where they claim or think that is a world beater. Unbeknown to them that what they've developed was in fact not something world beater, because it has already been done before, ie, their technology has been publicly been available in the literatures prior to them being aware that it has been done before. I see this all the time being reported in our news media. The advantage of linking up with University R&Ds is that you will always one step ahead of any potential emerging competitor from the other corner in the world. Yes I agree that commercialization of research is vital to NZ’s competitiveness in the technology sector. I am still amazed at the lack of enthusiasm amongst some of our entrepreneurs in not seeking partnership with University R&Ds. There are a couple of reasons I think why. First, entrepreneurs are not aware of such potential to seek help or advisory role from University R&Ds, ie, most don’t even know that University R&Ds are waiting for a knock on their doors from entrepreneurs. Second some entrepreneurs don’t think that they need help at all, since they think the technology that they have developed, is there all to it, ie, there is no need to engage with University R&Ds in expensive exercises & collaborations.

Here is an interesting comment from Auckland University Computer Science HOD, Prof. Hosking, that was published in the NZ Herald, last year (2007) by IT journo Simon Hendery.

John Hosking, professor of applied computer science at the university and a driving forces behind Extenda, says one problem is that senior technology staff in New Zealand businesses tend not to have post-graduate or often even degree qualifications. As a result, the companies they work for, while often successful at selling a single idea, can struggle when it comes to continuing to grow through innovation.

“Although they [the technology managers] are bright and innovative, they haven’t been exposed to research methods as you would through doing a masters or PhD,” he says.

“We’d like to open their eyes to what research can do to make companies grow quicker. Obviously we’d be interested in helping them do that research – we’re quite open about that – but the name of the game is to raise a research culture within their companies, and allow them to grow quicker, be more innovative and avoid this one-product wonder trap that they get into.

Prof. Hosking’s comment is right on the mark here. To compete in the global level, one has to take advantage of R&D work that are coming out of our Universities.

As someone like me who read lots of different peer review journals in computing, mathematics, economics/finance, engineering & science which are useful for my own work, I do witness valuable knowledge that are just being rotten and lying unused (though not all of them) in the literatures without being grabbed & developed for commercialize use. Since entrepreneurs don’t have the know how or time to scour the technology peer review literatures, the best they can do is connect with University R&Ds. This is what University R&D groups do, they scour the peer review literatures on a continual basis (depends how often those new journal issues are coming out) looking for new solutions or improving existing solutions.

These University R&D groups know what is going around the world, since they read the latest researches that are coming out from say, China, Argentina, UK, US, Taiwan, Europe, which are being published in international reputable research journals. So, for businesses to link up with University R&Ds is a very good idea. They basically act as one’s eyes to the world. The fact is, sometimes our entrepreneurs have developed some technology where they claim or think that is a world beater. Unbeknown to them that what they’ve developed was in fact not something world beater, because it has already been done before, ie, their technology has been publicly been available in the literatures prior to them being aware that it has been done before. I see this all the time being reported in our news media.

The advantage of linking up with University R&Ds is that you will always one step ahead of any potential emerging competitor from the other corner in the world.

]]>