Moving into research commercialisation
with Dr Toby Gould
Dr Toby Gould is an innovation and commercialisation expert with a background in tissue engineering, who is now working for Horizon Discovery. He started his research career working with stem cells during his PhD with the EPSRC Regenerative Medicine Doctoral Training Centre at the University of Nottingham.
About Toby
Toby’s experience working closely with a surgeon was a catalyst in realising the criticality of embedding the perspective of the research end-user into the research process. Encountering patients and families of patients during his time at the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre raised his awareness of the power of engaging with the “ultimate end-users” of research.
In this interview, he shares his path into becoming involved in research commercialisation.
Some of the early training he was involved in during his PhD, planted the seed that eventually led him to choose a career in commercialisation. Sometimes, early experiences, training events and meetings may seem unimportant or even insignificant; however, all of these encounters are part of our journey into figuring out how we really want to contribute to the research environment. Not just those at the bench contribute to research. Collaborative endeavours make the richness of the research environment. It takes many voices and perspective to go from research to the clinic.
Contact him via Dr Toby Gould: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-gould-phd-30675613/
https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/directories/companies/1045
My meandering reflections and some ideas for you to ponder based on my discussion with Toby
How open are you with the idea of research commercialisation?
I have often been surprised at the resistance and reluctance of researchers to consider research commercialisation. It is sometimes almost like a dirty word!! Researchers will often say- "I did not get into science to make money”, “ I am not interested in working with industry”, “I don’t want to get into that as it is all about profit and what I want is just to do science”.
Maybe that’s not your own position, but I have heard these types of comments more often than I can recall to be honest!
So in your case, if moving out of your comfort zone with regard to your research communication strategy is about exploring what research commercialisation could look like in your area of work, then you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
Who do I know who has been involved in commercialisation of their research?
What was it about their research that had a potential for commercialisation?
What do I need to do to explore whether there is a commercialisation potential with any of the work I am doing?
How are your own values about what matters with your work hindering exploring the world of research commercialisation in your research area?
What assumptions do you make about what it means to commercialise your research?
Who would you turn to in your institution to get information/ ideas about research commercialisation?
Experiments that turn us around
Every interactions or “experiments” that we have in our professional lives have the potential to change the direction of our thinking, of our opportunities, of our careers and ultimately of our lives...
In this interview with Dr Toby Gould, it seems that his collaboration with a surgeon and the opportunity to spending time in the operating theatre, were catalysts to showcasing the importance of considering the end-user. These were important elements in his shift towards working in research commercialisation.
What are the opportunities you are exploring and the conversations that you are having that can open doors to working with people you had not considered before?
Who are the end-users that you have not engaged with, who could shape your own approach to undertaking research?
Who are the people interested in your work but working in other organisations who could benefit from conversations with you? ⚗️ Could interacting with them change the way you are thinking about your research?
Could these interactions/ conversations get you to explore your next career stage?
Everyone counts in research endeavours
Whilst there may be some cynicism by academics about the notion of research impact when it comes to be assessed for the REF, I think it is still worth pointing out to the value of many professionals in the research environment. What matters in the world of research is just not what happens in the lab and at the bench. Considering the whole pipeline of actions and creativity of many professionals in research communities is part of being an “engaged researcher”.
Who are the professionals in your institutions that you could interact with more closely, who have something of value to bring to communicating your research?
Could it be the PR office who may be able to help you with a press release when you are publishing a great paper?
Could it be the outreach/ public engagement team who could help you apply for some funding for new public engagement activities and challenge you to explore new ways of thinking about engaging the public?
Could it be a patient coordinator from a charity who is hosting discussions with patient groups?
“to be able to come in and almost supercharged these ideas towards translation towards the clinic, that’s really rewarding. It’s really fantastic”
