Heading for collision: scholarship traditions and Anything 2.0
Innovation and academia might seem inseparable, but ‘novelties’ such as collaborative research and digital deliverables are often still seen by academic authorities as being an unacceptable encroachment upon the sovereignty of the paper-bound work of the solitary scholar
Startup death spiral? Surely not!
Maybe it’s just something that nobody wanted to talk about. Large organisations had, over the years, paid countless professors to study the shortcomings of large organisations, leaving the trials and tribulations of the startup unstudied, waiting for Steve Blank to one day notice something shockingly consistent about the way most startups spin out of control
The most inspiring introduction to Open Science. Ever.
The video never went viral, probably because it has an unexplained ‘interlude’ after 42 minutes 57 seconds which makes it seem to end at a random point. This bizarre showstopping moment didn’t deter your intrepid iij innovation hunters (it actually resumes after about a minute of onscreen weirdness) from recognizing a gem and it certainly shouldn’t stop you watching it
Choosing Tech Careers: Biotech vs. Consumer Tech
Most of the consumer technologies of 20 years ago seem ludicrously primitive today, whereas, for many diseases, current biotech leaves us almost as powerless to prevent the suffering and death of millions today as we were generations ago. However, it still offers the tantalising prospect of unlocking nature’s technology, and potentially rendering all our diseases and current consumer tech obsolete
Criticism of the iij? Too many solutions, not enough new unsolved problems
Far too often, we only present problems when someone wants to talk about their solutions. So here’s a seriously problem-rich, solution-craving topic: The Economic Impact of Biodiversity
An unexpectedly fresh perspective on nanotech
So this set of conference videos was supposed to be about regulatory issues. Shockingly perhaps, it turned out to be neither alarmist scaremongering nor shameless cheerleading.
Where does nanochemistry belong in the world of nanotech?
To get some insight into this new discipline, you might find this video describing the background to a researcher’s eureka moment well worth watching. It’s a talk by Geoffrey Ozin, widely regarded as the father of nanochemistry
Next year’s innovation books
A carefully selected (but woefully incomplete) list of some fascinating titles that you can’t buy yet
Major study shows that most research is wrong
Question. Where would you expect to find an article with the title: “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False”? Answer. On a US government website that publishes research findings.
Turning university science breakthroughs into businesses
A superb panel video from Princeton covers just about everything: Angels, Venture Capital, Intellectual Property as well as the academic, engineering and technology licensing perspectives
Everything we thought we knew about privacy needs rethinking
Could health authorities force us to publish every detail of our daily activities by insisting we all carry smartphones with monitoring apps revealing not just how long we slept, but where?
Secretive leading biotech dealmakers caught talking unguardedly on video
MIT somehow managed to make this happen in New York recently (warning: contains disturbingly graphic images of a ‘banker guy’ talking candidly about pharma deals)
Urgent briefing requirement: Stem cells and regenerative medicine
These issues are constantly in the news: the media never gives you enough background, but this video does that job and a great deal more
Getting old, dying and other endangered ideas
A long-awaited documentary examines human mortality. The controversy is more about separating science from pseudo-science than about longevity
New health data ideas suddenly go viral in government
Have political types trying to look cool unleashed a medical monster?
Is healthcare data just a game?
US government initiative spawns ‘Community Clash’
Shapeshifting is no longer science fiction
Making things change to the shape you want : a video briefing on Shape Memory Materials
So you thought Venter’s ‘Creating life’ was the biggest Biotech story ever?
I’m not so sure he thinks so. In this video, you might just learn why
Did the recent “We’ve Just Created Life” coverage leave you feeling a bit ‘engineered’?
Sounds like you need to watch a Video of the Synthetic Biology Debate at the Edinburgh Science Festival
Bluffer’s guide to gene therapy
A 10-minute video guide to gene therapy
Slimy but not Sleazy!
Biofuels extracted from algae. Is this the way forward in solving the fuel problem?
Who’s who: London Technology Fund
Outline of the London Technology Fund.