Symbiosis in the Technology World

The trick in any symbiotic arrangement is to bind it with deliverables that can and act as a convenient brake if the project starts to go off the rails and enable you to track and measure output to justify your resource expenditure and facilitate staged payment deals. A workable relationship depends upon the parties involved and the nature of the programme. In some cases, its value may lie in the unbounded, free thinking that academics can bring to the dynamics. In other cases, closely confined, structured research may be more applicable to realize the aspirations of the commercial partners. Either way, whatever is decided needs to be agreed upfront and be manageable. Intellectual property issues, such as sole right to use versus open access, single versus multiple use licences, royalty based agreements based upon volume sales, one-off costs and inferred rights transfer, indemnification and post sales support, can run aground for a variety of reasons. My advice is simple -- be realistic.