ABU DHABI: The key challenge of the region, John Perkins, provost of the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi said at the World Future Energy Summit on Wednesday is to build research capacity.
Moderating a round table session, he added that he was keen to open dialogue with other universities in his task to make the institute the leading renewable energy research hub in the region.
“A good research university has a positive effect on the country’s economy,” he said citing a UK study in 2004 that estimated a 1.2 billion pounds (SR7.2 billion) contribution to the UK economy through the transfer of innovation and ideas into industry.
Fred Moavenzadeh, director of technology & development program at MIT traced the source of financing for research institutes using MIT as an example.
The university, with a budget of about $1.5 billion was mainly involved in research that was funded by outside agencies of which more than $1 billion came from outside contracts.
This made the students and researchers very aware of the realities of the outside world and the students, industries and government agencies that funded them were the beneficiaries.
MIT’s energy initiative, only two years old, is currently funded to $200 million. He emphasized that the MIT model was not a one that fitted in every locale. “The most important thing we can do is to help local govern important that local governments to develop similar research based capacity in their own countries.”
The reason for this approach was in part, he noted that there had to be commitment on behalf of local governments to develop first class research facilities.
Gardiner Hill, special adviser at alternative energy BP who liaises with institutions on research agreed and added that contract was one approach but that: “The best way to collaborate is to have a real partnership.”
This produced innovative thinkers, expertise and a good source of recruitment into industry. It was vitally important however not to constrain thinking and also make sure that the research was relevant to both partners and a clearly defined relationship from the start.”
Sourcing the input for the research universities almost always involved accessing students from outside the local catchment area. Only eight percent of MIT students live in Massachusetts but 35 percent of the graduates remain there founding industries and adding value to the local and national economies.
The education system in some locales cannot provide sufficient local talent.
Alignment between education system output and research university and industry needs was critical, contended Sami Issa, executive director of the Advanced Technology Investment Company.
It was vital to create target deduction programs to align with industry and for industry to raise the percentage of its revenue to fund research.
Despite the arguments over who actually owns the results of research and the patents stemming from it, the panel agreed that once it was used in industry and had created jobs, the knock-on effect benefited both local and national economies.
“Don’t let patents limit ideas,” said Issa.
“The whole point is research.”