Universities need a “professor-entrepreneur” career track to support innovation: Opinion

Postsecondary institutions should introduce a “professor-entrepreneur” career track for academics who have an interest in practical research, writes McMaster University Associate Professor Tohid Didar. Didar writes that Canada has seen challenges fostering a culture of innovation. Creating advanced manufacturing opportunities through pathways such as a “professor-entrepreneur” career track would enable researchers to better support manufacturers who do not have in-house researcher and development teams. As “professor-entrepreneurs,” researchers could complete industry-based sabbaticals, participate in trade shows and industry expos, and gain specific funding and legal assistance. Didar writes that this would enrich the faculty members’ teaching and research and make it more likely that their innovations are used by manufacturers. The Globe and Mail (Acct. Req.) Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.