Many Australian scientists are dazzled by 'baubles and beads' in the form of some funding offered by external partners to keep projects going, according to University of Queensland research contracts officer Kerrin Anderson.
But in accepting some short-term gains, they risk sacrificing long-term benefits to their projects and their universities.
'Researchers should think carefully about the total value of their intellectual property, which is often worth more than the value of an individual project,' Ms Anderson said.
'Too often researchers just give away their intellectual property rights because of funding shortfalls in a difficult and competitive funding environment.'
Ms Anderson this year will conduct a series of workshops sponsored by the University's Office of Research and Postgraduate Studies. The workshops aim to alert researchers to the value of intellectual property development and commercialisation, and to raise awareness of intellectual property issues faced by researchers.
She said there were plenty of examples in Australian science of researchers who had parted with their intellectual property for a pittance, only to find commercial interests had made thousands, even millions of dollars from their inventions.
Some scientists were unaware they could preserve links with industry, but maintain intellectual property rights and attract further funding for their work.
'Scientists are generally people who entered their disciplines in a spirit of public good with the intentions of advancing mankind's sum of knowledge,' she said.
'Their career structures focus on publication records as a method of determining performance.
'In the rush to publish or perish and receive recognition, they could neglect protection and unwittingly destroy the value of their intellectual property.
'Rather than lose this value, it may simply be a case of delaying publication for six months while protection mechanisms are put in place to allow for greater benefits.'
For further information about the workshops, contact Ms Anderson (telephone 07 3365 4585).
