The research consortium

The development of research consortia as a means of advancing technology is discussed. It is noted that the development of consortia requires cooperation between industry, government, and academia, each of which has different goals. Houston University is interested primarily in enhancing basic research and secondarily in obtaining patents, funds, and support. Industry is interested in the direct use of basic ideas in industrial applications, while the government is interested in the rapid growth of technology and the encouragement of arrangements to stimulate it. Formation of consortia requires sound sciences, clear administration, and plentiful financing. Each entity in the group must obtain benefits or the effort will fail. Organization of a consortium must take into account the legal requirements of patenting, disclosure of information, trade secret handling, and relations between organizations which may wish to use the same information in different ways