Linking engineering research with new products sold for profit; effective collaboration or conflict of interest?

Description of Talk: In Renishaw we are interested in liberating ideas from the lab to the market, but inevitably there are instances of success and failure. Just as with Darwinian evolution in biology, this disparity can be survival of the fittest, but could equally be because of random bad luck. Through anecdote we explore some of the factors affecting technology transfer. We’ll consider the contrasting goals and tensions between academia and industry, which can lead to conflicts of interest. Finally, we’ll leave you with some thoughts on the ethics of profiting from research.

Bio: Dr Rick Dewar CEng, FIMechE is a technical manager in Renishaw PLC in Edinburgh. Having graduated from Heriot-Watt University in the late 1980s he began his career in the packaged shell boiler industry with Cochran Boilers in Dumfriesshire. He then moved back to Heriot-Watt as a researcher working on assembly planning in virtual reality, which was the start of a decade long academic career in mechanical and software engineering. However, he returned to industry and has been working with Renishaw for the last 15 years in product development and operational roles.