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FOR every man, woman and child in Britain, some £35 is spent on
scientific research each year. Not surprisingly then, the Department of Trade
and Industry wants to know what the nation is getting in return.

Last week, the DTI published the first annual survey of research links
between industry and universities designed to find out whether this investment
in science has improved collaboration, one of the government’s long-term
goals.

Of the 80 universities which responded, 46 owned or part owned research
companies. These earned £172 million between August 1991 and July 1994.
Individual discoveries often spawned more specific commercial companies. Surrey
Satellite Technology, for example, based at the University of Surrey, produces
small satellites for a variety of communications companies.

The survey shows that there are 277 of these “spin-out” companies, and
another 163 are being set up. Between August 1991 and July 1994, 757 patents
were filed by British universities. Twenty-two universities filed no patents,
while a single university filed 53. Earnings from intellectual property such as
patents and software licences were £43 million in that period.

British industry spent £125 million on research in universities between
August 1993 and July 1994, according to the higher education funding councils.
Some universities earned up to £6.2 million this way, while others won
less than £50 000.

Over that time, universities received £1.267 billion for research,
including money from research councils, government ministries and private
companies. But only 58 per cent of the universities surveyed have “clubs” where
industrialists and academics can get together in an organised way to discuss how
they might collaborate.