Thursday 16 April 2009
Innovation requires many forms of Collaboration
In the past twelve months, perhaps encouraged by a couple of recommendations in the National Review of Australia’s innovation system, there have been growing calls from some quarters to open up to the public all research or intellectual property (IP) developed using public funds. The theory goes that it is lack of access to information and new knowledge, and particularly valuable IP, that prevents many of society’s problems from being solved. After all, if Australian taxpayer money has been used to fund research, the public should have free access to the results of this research, right?
Not always! Apart from the quite erroneous assumption that public value will always be maximised by providing free and easy access to this research, it also assumes that the “public” in other countries will not use that information for their own commercial gain and end up charging back the Australian public to appreciate the benefits.
To read the full AIC White Paper please click here.
