Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of research and development contracts undertaken by publicly-funded universities for private companies are covered by clauses that prohibit the publication of the research and development results on grounds of commercial confidentiality; and what proportion of such contracts are undertaken in facilities paid for by the public purse.

The Higher Education-Business and Community Interaction survey showed that contract research from business carried out by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) amounted to £441m in 12-13. However, information is not held on the precise terms of these contracts or the physical locations in which they are fulfilled.

Where an HEI is in receipt of research grants from the science budget and HE funding bodies, a requirement of the funding is that the outcomes are made publicly available, although HEIs are also encouraged to secure necessary intellectual property protection to enable subsequent exploitation. The Government is also implementing a policy of “Open Access” to the published findings of this publicly funded research. In the case of research consultancy, where the research is entirely funded by business, then the outcome would normally be owned by the business.

Government is committed to ensure the application of research and getting universities and business working more closely together. World Economic Forum evaluation now ranks UK among the top 5 in the world for university-industry collaboration in R&D. Individual institutions have obligations under State Aid regulations and under their Charity status to ensure that their contract work with business is managed appropriately.