Moving Beyond Commercialization: Strategies to Maximize the Economic and Social Impact of Genomics Research

Executive Summary With the emergence of the federal government budget surplus in the mid-1990s, the government increased its investment in academic genomics research with the introduction of new policies, agencies, and programs. Despite increased funding, the expectation of an economic return on investment, as measured by traditional metrics such as patents, licenses and spin-offs, has not materialized. In the attempt to improve Canada’s performance, granting programs now increasingly include assessment criteria related to achieving both economic and social impact from the supported research. Furthermore, a majority of stakeholders now recognize the need to move beyond traditional technology transfer activities of patenting, licensing, and spin-offs. New modes of achieving the desired economic and social impacts worth considering include knowledge translation, entrepreneurship, and industry and community collaborations. Looking at recent European experiences, the concept of valorization presents a broader framework that encompasses economic and social benefits that arise from research and are realized through multiple pathways that go beyond traditional technology transfer. This GPS policy brief traces the Canadian history of commercialization programs and policy development over the past two decades and presents strategies for a new framework based on valorization to guide future policy development in genomics research. The scope of this policy brief, along with several illustrative examples, centres largely on life sciences and health genomics in particular. Where warranted, we will engage in more encompassing analyses about research in general and discuss other important life sciences sectors in Canada, including plant genomics and agricultural biotechnology. The best way to move forward “beyond commercialization” in genomics research will likely require addressing the problem globally since the structure, programs, resources, and talent required to promote changes across the channels of valorization entail much more than genomics research alone to justify the policy changes and resource (re-)allocation.