House of Commons Paper Ser.

Following on from a NAO report (HCP 300, session 2002-03; ISBN 0102920303), the Committee's report examines the extent to which commercial use has been made of the agricultural research and development commissioned by the Government. Over the last ten years, about £100 million a year has been spent in funding for a range of research establishments. Conclusions drawn include: 1) income from commercialisation is less than one per cent of DEFRA's expenditure on research, suggesting that it lacks the leadership and enthusiasm to promote commercialisation. Expected outcomes need to be specified and trends monitored to help identify opportunities for exploitation of research; 2) research establishments need to develop management strategies to maximise commercial opportunities and get advice on negotiating skills in order to effectively exploit intellectual property, and should report annually to DEFRA on their success; and 3) the need for DEFRA to establish explicit risk management strategies to balance effective commercial exploitation with public policy objectives, and to maintain full transparency in its dealings with the private sector.