LONDON, March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

UK  government,  leading  industrial,  investor  and  academic  speakers  to  review  strategies  to  support  the  commercialisation  of  academic  research  at  a  new  Elsevier  conference

"Research  Commercialisation:  From  Ideas  to  IPO":  19-20  May  2014,  London,  UKhttp://www.idea2ipo-conference.com

With high expectations of a return on government and public investment in academic research regarding job creation and economic growth, the pressure for sustained success has increased exponentially in the past five years. In that context, Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced a new thought-leadership event about the most effective ways to enhance the commercialisation of university-owned intellectual property.

"Research Commercialisation: From Ideas to IPO" (19-20 May 2014, London, UK http://www.idea2ipo-conference.com) will provide an international forum for knowledge transfer that will enable different sectors to develop new government- university-industry -investor collaborations. Thought leaders representing a wide range of government, academic, and industrial experts all of whom understand the necessity for an international partnering platform, will address what has worked, what has failed, and concrete steps to improve global economic innovation and job creation. Together they will explore ways to translate entrepreneurial innovations into economic growth.

Amanda Brooks, Director for Innovation within the UK government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), will give the keynote presentation. Other key speakers include:

• Lidia Borrell Damian, Director Research and Innovation, European University Association, Belgium
• Kevin Cullen, CEO, New South Innovations Pty Limited, University of New South Wales, Australia
• Sean Flanigan, Immediate Past President, AUTM, USA
• David Sweeney, Director, Research, Innovation and Skills, Higher Education Funding Council for England, UK

Speakers will provide topical insight and real world examples of the challenges, risks, and opportunities associated with entrepreneurial projects that commercialise university-owned intellectual property. In addition to traditional information exchange, an online partnership system for delegates will be implemented to build connections and foster future collaborations.

Commercialisation  of  research  and  technology  as  a  route  to  economic  growth

Universities are a major driver of the British economy. In 2011-12, they contributed £3.4 billion through business services including commercialisation of new knowledge, delivery of professional training and consultancy, according to findings by the Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey.

This report prompted the British government to invite Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline and Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, to undertake an independent review "to explore how universities can support growth by working with organizations such as Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), responsible for setting strategies to drive economic growth across the country." The Witty Review, which Elsevier's Research Intelligence team helped produce, was released on October 17. Ten recommendations are made (page 6) to the British government, many of which will be discussed at the conference.

Additionally, a recent report for the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, showed the UK remains a global research heavyweight. While the UK represents just 0.9% of the global population, it accounts for 3.2% of R&D expenditure, 4.1% of researchers, 6.4% of research articles, 9.5% of research article downloads and 15.9% of the world's most highly-cited articles. The report, also supported by Elsevier's Research Intelligence, showed the important role that cross-disciplinary collaboration plays in solving complex research problems, another key conference theme.

"We want students, faculty, business leaders, policy makers, entrepreneurs and investors to engage in a way that inspires new projects and builds sustainable relationships," said Dr. Lily Khidr, Program Chair, and a publisher at Elsevier. "We have brought together a dynamic group of international keynote speakers and panel sessions to achieve this."

Early registration deadline is April 7, 2014. For more information, go to:

http://www.idea2ipo-conference.com/conference-register.html

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About  Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The  Lancet and Cell, and 25,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media  Contact
Iris Kisjes
Senior Manager Corporate Relations, Elsevier
+31-20-485-3072
I.Kisjes@elsevier.com

SOURCE Elsevier