Ryan F. Donnelly

The financial return to industry on its investment in academia through licensing and funding of basic research can be similar to that in its own research programmes. A report from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, UK Drug Delivery Research: The Way Forward in the New Millennium, emphasized the importance of drug delivery research in improving patient outcomes and the opportunities for industry and academia to further explore this area, particularly for newly discovered macromolecular drugs. Unsurprisingly, therefore, industry has become increasingly interested in investing in research performed in academic settings as a complement to its own research. Government is currently exhorting universities to transform their traditional role to institutions that can drive economic development and innovation.