The research commercialisation agenda: a concerning development for public health research

Health and medical researchers are increasingly encouraged to focus on commercialisation of their research. Commercialisation is not only stated as a priority objective in the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), but also influences the entire MRFF strategic agenda. Commercialisation is listed as one of the six MRFF strategic platforms; it is presented (with translation) as one of the primary endpoints of the pipeline for research funding, and knowledge of commercialisation is one of the requirements for appointment to the MRFF Advisory Board.1 Announcements of successful grants now emphasise “fuelling jobs and growth in new firms and industries through research” as much as contribution to health outcomes.2 In 2014, the Departments of Industry and Education published a joint report calling for “boosting the commercial returns from research”.3 While such calls for increased commercialisation are not new, the government’s growing push for broader university funding to be based on measures of ‘engagement’ and ‘impact’ in commercialisation and partnership with the private sector – rather than measures such as publication or research outputs – now embeds research commercialisation into the core business of public universities and research organisations.