EDITORIAL
Research Interactions between Academia and Industry There has been considerable discussion a t the national level proposing that university research be more directed a t topics of technological relevance and that industry m a k e b e t t e r u s e of t h e s t o r e h o u s e of knowledge generated by university r e search. In the United States such discussion often i s i n t h e context of fostering "international competitiveness" or contributing to the "technological infrastructure" and posed in connection with federal funding of science and technology. Analytical chemists in industry and in academia, being in part the object of such discussions, have a legitimate interest in the character, objectives, and outcome. I believe t h a t industrial and academic chemists alike would be well served by a broader, more substantive range of mutual research interactions. If such interactions are to be strengthened, the premises and goals of such interactions and the intrinsic responsibilities of each community seem to need more discussion and clearer articulation by the parties involved and by federal policy makers. Industrial chemists engaged in research have a bottom-line responsibility to translate research into technological developments that support the commercial objectives a n d interests of their employers. Academic chemists, by virtue of being "academic," have a bottom-line responsibility to teach, educate, and otherwise instruct students, who have placed their personal intellectual development in the professors' hands. It is vital t h a t these responsibilities be understood and respected a t the beginning of any discussion of research int e r a c t i o n , because t h e p r e m i s e s t h a t underlie actions flow from them. The premise for research of any kind by industry is that it will contribute to a technological and economic leadership position. Innovation, or the conception of a n idea and ultimate development into a commercially successful product, is the goal of most industrial research. Although most innovations occur a s incremental technological improvements in existing products, these have great economic value. Analytical chemistry wherever practiced has profited enormously from such industrial re-
search innovations in the shape of modern instrumentation. The premise for research by academic chemists is that expanding knowledge and understanding contributes to the good of society and that engaging students in research is intrinsic to developing their intellect and creative abilities. Breakthrough discoveries in research have in the past occurred in both academic and industrial laboratories, a n d t h e resulting u n d e r standing about chemistry and chemical measurements is the fundamental basis for industrial innovation leading to revolutionary new products. The changes taking place in industrial research investments suggest that, in the future, industry's contributions to breakthrough discovery may diminish. This has important connotations for industrial innovation and is a source of t h e c u r r e n t focus on b e t t e r academicindustrial interactions. The outward reasons for a n academic analytical chemist to seek a research interaction with a n industrial counterpart are many, including, for example, gaining an outlet for technological development of a university research discovery, acquiring resources for support of ongoing university basic research, or simply establishing a collaboration between research scholars. The underlying reason, however, is (or should be) enhancing t h e education and career potential of t h e students. These same examples, phrased in the context of enhancing technological development of commercial importance, would apply to industrial academic chemists seeking interactions with their academic counterparts. The differing responsibilities and premises under which academic and industrial chemists work may seem obvious to many-maybe even trivial. But I believe that these important boundary values are in fact often not placed "up front" in curr e n t discussions promoting industrialacademic research interactions, and they should be.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 65, NO. 17, SEPTEMBER 1,1993
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