Promoting public research

In spite of their varied practices, representatives of public research institutions all agree that promoting research is the result of a long process which requires a great deal of commitment on the part of researchers. It cannot be summed up as a series of legal actions or as various indicators where patents still hold an undeniable leading place. 'Commercialisers' are not simply exploiters of gold found in researchers' drawers. Nevertheless, the general opinion - including that of the authorities - is that there is still room for improvement and progress with regard to commercialisation. In the French context, however, these advances are hindered by various factors such as a lack of trust between researchers and manufacturers, the over-zealous attachment of public establishments to industrial property, and inappropriate indicators. Fortunately, new opportunities and new forms of partnership are taking shape which hopefully will allow the commercialisation of public research to play an important role in the innovation process in France.