The nature of research and wealth generation.
The research is born from the curiosity of man. Our species has distinguished itself by seeking a rational explanation for everything that surrounds us and later, taking advantage of this knowledge.
Until about 50 years ago, research was done in a significantly "romantic" way: inventors, in many cases without even having a scientific background, spent their lives ingeniously creating and searching for explanations; Since the patronage of patrons, until times when the search for the meaning of things obeyed more to philosophical premises, science had not assimilated the role of engine of economic development.
The Second World War is presented as a "watershed" in this process. The United States attributes scientific contributions as one of the key elements for its success, and since then it has generated programs and allocates significant resources dedicated to research. At this time, there was no discrimination between basic and applied research, the idea was to create, test, experiment.
Basic research responded to the "human" curiosity that drives particularly basic research. The "commercial" curiosity, that is, to obtain an economic benefit from the practical application of an investigation, was rather understood as a natural consequence. It's not like that.
Just as military activity had had a notable influence on the granting of resources for research, after the tensions of the cold war of the 1960s and 1970s decreased, the centers and efforts created several decades ago in that country decreased drastically at the end of the 90's, about to endanger the existence of several research centers and laboratories, including many incubated in public and private universities.
A new condition is presented to researchers: generating economic resources to continue subsisting and doing basic research, therefore, emphasis should be placed on doing "commercial" research, that is, working on ideas that somehow become business opportunities, of "making money." It required learning a new language.
In recent years it has been proven that technological research and development (R&D) is the engine of the great world economies. Investment in R&D in the United States is of the order of 3% of GDP; Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands behave in a similar way.
All these countries have in common being first world powers. In Mexico, investment in research and development is less than 0.5% of GDP (the current government wants to reach at least 3%). It is difficult to ensure that science and technology strictly ensure economic well-being, yet its tremendous driving force has been demonstrated. Strong economies have discovered the commercial power of R&D.
The IMD is its 2000 annual competitiveness report, it identifies the United States as the most competitive country in the world (# 1), and places Mexico in place # 36, however, the weakest variable in our country is precisely R&D, in which the United States has a rating of 100 and Mexico of 30. (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. Competitive position of the United States and Mexico. The scale is from 0 to 100 on each axis, the inner polygon represents Mexico and the outer polygon the United States, with higher scores, particularly in Science and Technology. (International Insititute for Management Developement, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2000)
At this point, it is interesting to observe that despite the pressure for a decrease in resources for scientific innovation, the flow of technological innovations has grown enormously; In the last 50 years innovation has been more dynamic and revolutionary than any other time and pace continues dramatically.
Ask yourself, lately, what novelty has really surprised you, just as the car or the radio did with our grandparents? Possibly very few things, we are used to this dynamism in science.
It is time for us to think of scientific activities as an excellent means of inventing, discovering and generating wealth. It is time to view the activities of researchers and research centers from a business perspective.
What should we do in Mexico? Research out of intellectual curiosity or commercial necessity, or a mixture of both? What are the obstacles that we have found in the research centers for the business to develop? The answers seem clear, it is time to start thinking like marketers and analyze the business opportunities that the research work can generate.
Key Factors To Orient Research to Business.
Communication
The lack of communication in research centers with the outside world (the famous 'ivory tower' in which researchers find themselves) is an obstacle that must be overcome to facilitate the commercialization of research projects. Communication facilitates the identification of needs, both outside and inside the organization.
We frequently forget the external environment and our presentations tend to be aimed at informing rather than persuading, with the analytical rather than persuasive communication style prevailing.
Business culture and vision
One of the biggest obstacles we have encountered is the lack of entrepreneurial culture in researchers. Being able to capture in the vision of the research or technological development project the benefits (including economic) of science in its potential clients is an important factor. In order to overcome this obstacle, the culture of bonding must be fostered, and researchers must be encouraged as agents of change with a vision towards the need to be satisfied.
Skills and knowledge
A business developer is one who markets their services or products not only for the fact of selling, but also for developing their client's business, for establishing a long-term relationship.
We can assume that there are two types of business developers, those that are born and those that are made. There are people with natural communication skills and business acumen. In this sense, researchers are perceived as more focused on reflection and science than on the "real world", on "landing ideas." This is not necessarily true. Skills can be acquired when its purpose is understood and efforts are channeled in that direction.
The vision that researchers have to develop projects, sometimes of great complexity, is a unique advantage, which can be developed towards business vision.
Infrastructure
We have found the lack of business infrastructure in research centers as an obstacle. The response times are not in accordance with the dynamics of the market, and other alternative solutions (although perhaps less efficient than the research center offers) that can solve the clients' problems. In these cases, smart and focused reengineering is required.
Knowledge of customer needs
A common observation of several research projects is that it is not defined why the project is being developed, that is, what need it satisfies in the market.
As mentioned earlier, previously research projects were not born out of a need for a client or a market. This approach should still be important, but the demands of today's economy require a different vision: we must look for added value that generates wealth.
When we do research, we think of the molecule and the particle. The last thing that comes to mind is who the client is, what is the competition, what position they have in the market, what is their need, how am I going to present and sell the research, who are the decision makers, etc.
Culture clash
Traditionally, the world of business and the world of research have differences in their culture, both in terms of operation, strategy and personnel.
In other words, "the folksy life of the philosophical researcher does not keep pace with the businessman under pressure."
The technical language of researchers is similar to another language for businessmen. The way in which researchers are constantly measured by the publications they write is different from the income, profitability, market penetrated, etc., that the businessman uses.
government
The government can be a great driver or barrier to generating wealth through research. The government could boost the profitability of research projects by calling for business plans to be drawn up to evaluate the projects.
The roles of academia, industry, and government in research are critical to the commercialization of research projects. Developing plans in conjunction with aligned strategies of the three sectors ensures adequate benefit to researchers, businessmen and public officials. This synergy is reflected in a better investment in research for Mexico.
The role of the academy is to do research, training and promote high-level human resources. The role of the government is to create infrastructure for the brains to return, promoting strategies in conjunction with the industry according to the needs of the market. The role of the industry is to promote research projects, for a better global competitive position.
A Case of Success
An example of how to sell an idea to a group of oil tankers about an investigation of non-Brownian particles and how these are dislodged from surfaces was a real challenge that raised several million dollars, thanks to the fact that the tankers saw their real need embedded in a research project.
The situation was as follows: A large part of the oil found in the subsoil is in caves and pores of many sizes, like a large "sponge." Within these pores there are mineral clays. When injecting water into the subsoil, several phenomena occur: some clays sponge and clog the pores, others move due to the speed of the water and clog the smallest pores.
Field observations in oil wells showed that less oil was recovered by injecting the water, depending on various factors such as salinity, "pH", etc., as well as different water flows. One of the hypotheses was that the mineral clays (depending on the size, shape, pH and salinity of the water, as well as the flow) moved from one pore to another, plugging the smallest pores, and thus the oil flow would get stuck. in the caverns without leaving. In this way, up to 80% of the oil remained that cannot be recovered.
When modeling this in the laboratory, a pilot test was carried out with an experimental apparatus and interesting data were found regarding the tendencies of the displacement of these particles from surfaces with the effects of the different variables (salinity, pH, water flows, different particle shapes and sizes, etc.)
With the preliminary results, a presentation was made to a group of oil tankers on how this experiment (with some adaptations) could provide effective solutions to their real problems in oil recovery wells.
What caught the interest was a first presentation that showed that more than 80% of the oil found in the subsoil trapped in caves and that cannot be recovered is for this reason related to the movement of clays. The cost of this opportunity was defined at $ 500 million. The oil tankers authorized significant funds to do more research.
Being able to demonstrate with field observations that there was an opportunity cost of this magnitude was vital in the decision to grant funding for the research.
What factors influenced this result?
1. Clarity of objectives when making the presentation (knowledge of the client's need).
2. Link the theory of research with benefits for the client in the short, medium and long term
3. Honesty and knowledge of the oil field
4. Ability to demonstrate research trends with previous data
We invite you to be and promote a business culture in research centers. We are fully convinced that research can generate wealth, including that which is considered basic
Think about who benefits from your research, in what way, in what productive sector, what benefits in the short, medium and long term. Prepare a business plan for your research project and present a proposal focused on the client's needs. This is a "win-win" mentality that leads to success.
The commercialization of science and technology has become a key factor in economic development, benefiting researchers, companies and society in general.
