Experts Discuss Barriers and Opportunities for Translating Research Findings

Read the recap of the ARDC’s latest leadership forum, where a panel of industry leaders and entrepreneurs share their insights into the opportunities and barriers for research translation in Australia.
Professor Chennupati Jagadish standing on the stage in front of an A R D C branded backdrop, Murray Hurps speaking, Dr Jia Yee Lee, Kyaw Kyaw Soe Hlaing and Alessandro Luongo listening
Panellists of the 25 September ARDC Leadership forum. From left: Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, Murray Hurps, Dr Jia Yee Lee, Kyaw Kyaw Soe Hlaing, Alessandro Luongo. Photo: Renne Nowytarger / ARDC

Experts came together at the most recent ARDC Leadership forum, held on 25 September 2024 at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on Gadigal Country, to share the barriers and opportunities for translating research findings into commercial innovations and effective government decision-making.

The ARDC Leadership Series provides decision-makers in academia, government and industry with a platform to discuss the various data challenges encountered by Australian researchers. This edition was attended by over 130 participants in person and online, and was facilitated by Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, President of the Australian Academy of Science. It featured discussions with expert panellists:

  • Murray Hurps, Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
  • Kyaw Kyaw Soe Hlaing, General Manager of ICT and Digitalisation at the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)
  • Dr Jia Yee Lee, Director of Strategy and Alliance at BioNTech Australia
  • Alessandro Luongo, Program Director at Digital Health CRC.

In his opening remarks, Professor Jagadish emphasised the importance of translating research findings to diversify our economy and safeguard Australia’s future.

“Australia is not yet translating research into outcomes that fully benefit society in terms of industry, government policy or activities for the public good,” Professor Jagadish said. “Given our nation is also at the bottom end of the spectrum from an economic complexity point of view, research translation is absolutely critical.”

Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, standing and speaking in front of an  A R D C  branded backdrop
Prof Chennupati Jagadish AC. Photo: Renee Nowytarger / ARDC

Barriers to Research Translation

Throughout the discussion, the panel identified barriers that prevent research from being translated into commercial outcomes:

  • poor flow of information from universities to industry, and vice versa, which prevents cross-fertilisation of ideas
  • lack of accessible and secure data
  • underutilised innovation due to difficulty for researchers to navigate the commercialisation landscape
  • lack of a coherent national research data policy and coordination body to manage data
  • bureaucratic hurdles that make it challenging to access government programs like R&D tax concessions
  • lack of industry and university collaboration, due to differing priorities, time frames and languages between the 2 sectors
  • shortage of a data-science-trained workforce, which prevents industry to fully translate research into practical applications 
  • limited quantity and quality of available data due to segregation of data at institutional, regional, state and national levels.

“There’s a balance between sharing data people want to access, versus protecting data and information. That’s a big challenge in Australia,” said Mr Luongo. “One of the biggest barriers in the research we conduct is getting data in the hands of researchers or industry safely and securely, so they can use it meaningfully.”

Alessandro Luongo speaking
Alessandro Luongo. Photo: Renee Nowytarger / ARDC

Opportunities in Research Translation

The expert panel also recognised various opportunities to improve research translation across the nation:

  • university-led initiatives to create industry-specific engagement opportunities, facilitate collaborations and bridge the language gap between academia and industry
  • industry fellowship schemes and industry-partnered PhD programs to equip researchers with industry specific skills and knowledge to commercialise their work
  • data platforms, including ARDC’s Research Link Australia (RLA), to enhance visibility and connectivity between researchers, industry and government, enabling better collaboration and knowledge exchange
  • free courses for PhD students and both junior and senior researchers to increase entrepreneurial skills. 
Dr Jia Yee Lee and Kyaw Kyaw Soe Hlaing, speaking
Dr Jia Yee Lee (left) and Kyaw Kyaw Soe Hlaing. Photo: Renee Nowytarger / ARDC

“There are not many companies, especially small- to medium-sized enterprises, that can afford to have an in-house research group. Research groups are very expensive, even for a multinational company, which is why collaboration opportunities are key,” Dr Lee said. 

Mr Soe Hlaing, who is co-leading an ARDC and FRDC project to make fishing and aquaculture research and development project details available on the RLA platform, stressed that we should be treating knowledge and research like a product or commercial business to enable its full potential.

Watch the full recording of the event:

Explore the ARDC’s Research Link Australia platform, Translational Research Data Challenges and Thematic Research Data Commons, which are accelerating research translation in Australia.

Event Photos

The ARDC is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.