Industry PhD Program delivery partners

A consortium led by Canberra-based commercialisation advisory business Campus Plus (Campus+) has been selected to deliver the new National Industry PhD Program for the federal department of education.

Campus+ was set up in 2020 by Nick McNaughton, who resigned as chief executive of ANU Connect Ventures last year to focus on assisting the commercialisation of research from universities through Campus+.

Other members of the consortium are Science & Technology Australia and Cruxes Innovation.

Science & Technology Australia (STA) is the national peak body for the science and technology sector. Cruxes Innovation is a training and coaching business that helps researchers develop skills to build partnerships with industry, community groups and government agencies.

The National Industry PhD program has the objective of linking industry with the universities research sector and specifically PhD scholars. The program has been designed to create transformative opportunities for PhD scholars to undertake industry-focused research and training for their PhD studies and for professionals already working in industry to include PhD studies within their research.

The program is expected to add over 1,300 industry PhDs over ten years.

McNaughton said: “This program is a landmark in the drive to commercialise more of our great Australian research. It will turbo-charge the PhD community’s engagement with industry, and greatly simplify the process for industry to reach into the country’s deep research expertise.”

Science & Technology Australia (STA) represents 118 member organisations and more than 105,000 science and technology professionals. STA will be responsible for communications, marketing and outreach aspects of the program.

STA president Professor Mark Hutchinson said the body had long advocated for initiatives to help bridge the “valley of death” in commercialisation by linking the research sector more closely with industry.

Cruxes Innovation will deliver training programs for researchers under the National Industry PhD program. Co-founder and partner Emily Chang said she expected the program would be effective in breaking down barriers between the academic research sector and industry.

Expressions of interest for all involvement in the National Industry PhD program are now open with the program to begin operating in July.

Image: The Australian National University campus.