Transcript Dietmar’s Presentation

Athabasca University
EdTech R&D Day
January 20, 2012
A d ay for discussion and exploration
2. Increasing AU’s Innovation Impact
Over the past year, we have moved more
intentionally into the Innovation space
 Recommended by government, growing
public and private focus across Canada
 Better fit with some AU research,
including elearning/EdTech
 Should help increase knowledge transfer,
build relationships, increase successful
funding applications, support R&D

General Activity Highlights
Alberta Innovates: Technology Futures
funding to partner with TEC Edmonton
1.
◦ Help faculty explore options to commercialize
research (start-up or partners) – push
◦ EdTech, health, remote sensing
Explore partnership opportunities with
companies re: R&D product
development
2.
◦
Help companies achieve R&D needs – pull
General Activity Highlights cont.
3.
4.
5.
Connect with Alberta EdTech companies,
related networks, R&D support bodies
(TRLabs, Alberta Innovates, etc)
◦ Find out what they need – inform ourselves
Elearning / EdTech awareness raising, fit with
productivity, knowledge economy, other aims
◦ Advocacy: government, users – inform others
Support Campus Alberta networking
◦ Leadership in eCampus Alberta, Moodle, dialogue
with other PSEs, government re: elearning/EdTech
– collaborate
Targeted Activities
Seek Peer-Reviewed R&D Envelopes
1.
◦ Gathering info for faculty to apply for R&D
envelopes, which are often better fits
Talk to government about our model
2.
◦ Grad students already in industry
Explore Intellectual Property, roles, etc
3.
◦
Facilitate innovation, stay on mandate, support
faculty research plans, empower grad students
Build a network for our Analytics work
4.
◦
LAK12, strong Summit attendance, Alberta Big
Data, Foundations, joint submissions (George)
3. EdTech Dialogue
Brian Stewart, George Siemens, Deanna
Douglas meeting with EdTech SMEs and
related government bodies, networks
 Primarily in Edmonton, some Calgary
 Asking what they need
 Heard many consistent messages
 Building awareness of online education
expertise in their own backyard

What We Are Hearing
R&D (learning from and incorporating)
 Elearning, EdTech, serious gaming, ICT
 Analytics
 Share and evaluate research
 System integration (Moodle etc)
 Piloting, testing, Quality Assurance
 Leverage for sales
 IT, learning design, content support
 Bridging – “an honest broker”
 Support gap: Alberta EdTech Subsector

11. Intellectual Property: AU
Background
An emergent area for all universities
 Unique for AU: premised on an academic
model where the University owns the IP
 Received Executive approval to develop a
new IP policy to reflect new realities
 Work done in 2009
 Stopped: planned government initiatives

IP: Considerations
R&D opportunities raise new IP questions
 Looking at what other universities do for
research / R&D (rather than academic)
 Facilitate, motivate innovation
 Encourage knowledge transfer, private
sector collaboration
 Working on the IP policy, related docs
 Patent, copyright, licensing, etc

12. Research and Development
Funding Envelopes
• Encouraged to move in new funded
research directions
• Expanding to include R&D envelopes
more intentionally
• Canadian universities without
medical and engineering programs
are catching up
• Many types of opportunities
Various Avenues to Funding:
•
‘Direct’ – AU researchers eligible to
apply to program for funding; privatesector partner may be required
•
‘Indirect’ – application must emanate
from private-sector partner
•
‘Other’ –post-docs; graduate and
undergraduate students
‘Direct’ Funding Opportunities:
Examples
• NSERC:
◦
◦
◦
◦
Idea to Innovation Grants
Partnership Workshops Program
Collaborative R&D Grants
Strategic Network Grants
 DFAIT:
◦ Int’l Science & Technology Partnerships
Program (Brazil, China, India, Israel and
California).
‘Indirect’ Funding Opportunities
 AB
Government:
◦ Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures
 Tecterra
◦ Geomatics Program
13. R&D Roles
R&D presents opportunities for faculty,
Research Associates, PostDocs, grad
students, and AU (professional staff work)
 Facilitate: innovation, recognize research;
funder, University, and public roles
 Consider: research plans, careers, teams;
service; open vs commercial choices
 Goal: RA, PD, grad student opportunities
 Some potential for researcher revenue

Scenarios
1.
2.
3.
R&D funded envelopes: traditional roles,
spending, etc regulations
Tech transfer varies: stand alone or
partnership; full AU support or just
legal/IP; faculty or admin project
Consulting: low level=service; work to
maximize opportunities for RA, PD, grad
students; we are developing regulations
for faculty based on best practice
THANK YOU
for participating
Let’s stay in touch!