Latest news with #academicresearch
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
US attacks on science and research a ‘great gift' to China on artificial intelligence, former OpenAI board member says
The US administration's targeting of academic research and international students is a 'great gift' to China in the race to compete on artificial intelligence, former OpenAI board member Helen Toner has said. The director of strategy at Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) joined the board of OpenAI in 2021 after a career studying AI and the relationship between the United States and China. Toner, a 33-year-old University of Melbourne graduate, was on the board for two years until a falling out with founder Sam Altman in 2023. Altman was fired by the board over claims that he was not 'consistently candid' in his communications and the board did not have confidence in Altman's ability to lead. The chaotic months that followed saw Altman fired and then re-hired with three members of the board, including Toner, ousted instead. They will soon also be the subject of a planned film, with the director of Challengers and Call Me By Your Name, Luca Guadagnino, reportedly in talks to direct. The saga, according to Time magazine – which named her one of the Top 100 most influential people on AI in 2024 – resulted in the Australian having 'the ear of policymakers around the world trying to regulate AI'. At CSET, Toner has a team of 60 people working on AI research for white papers or briefing policymakers focused on the use of AI in the military, workforce, biosecurity and cybersecurity sectors. 'A lot of my work focuses on some combination of AI, safety and security issues, the Chinese AI ecosystem and also what gets called frontier AI,' Toner said. Toner said the United States is concerned about losing the AI race to China and while US chip export controls make it harder for China to get compute power to compete with the US, the country was still making a 'serious push' on AI, as highlighted by the surprise success of Chinese generative AI model DeepSeek earlier this year. The Trump administration's attacks on research and bans on international students are a 'gift' to China in the AI race with the US, Toner said. 'Certainly it's a great gift to [China] the way that the US is currently attacking scientific research, and foreign talent – which is a huge proportion of the USA workforce – is immigrants, many of them coming from China,' she said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'That is a big … boon to China in terms of competing with the US.' The AI boom has led to claims and concerns about a job wipeout caused by companies using AI to replace work that had otherwise been done by humans. Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, the company behind the generative AI model Claude, told Axios last week that AI could reduce entry-level white-collar jobs by 50% and result in 20% unemployment in the next five years. Toner said Amodei 'often says things that seem directionally right to me, but in terms of … timeline and numbers often seem quite aggressive' but added that disruption in the jobs market had already started to show. 'The kind of things that [language model-based AI] can do best at the moment … if you can give them a bite-size task – not a really long term project, but something that you might not need ages and ages to do and something where you still need human review,' she said. 'That's a lot of the sort of work that you give to interns or new grads in white-collar industries.' Experts have suggested companies that invested heavily in AI are now being pressed to show the results of that investment. Toner said while the real-world use of AI can generate a lot of value, it is less clear what business models and which players will benefit from that value. Dominant uses might be a mix of different AI services plugged into existing applications – like phone keyboards that can now transcribe voices – as well as stand-alone chatbots, but it's 'up in the air' which type of AI would actually dominate, she said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Turner said the push for profitability was less risky than the overall race to be first in AI advancements. 'It means that these companies are all making it up as they go along and figuring out as they go how to make trade-offs between getting products out the door, doing extra testing, putting in extra guardrails, putting in measures that are supposed to make the model more safe but also make it more annoying to use,' she said. 'They're figuring that all out on the fly, and … they're making those decisions while under pressure to go as fast as they can.' Turrner said she was worried about the idea of 'gradual disempowerment to AI' – 'meaning a world where we just gradually hand over more control over different parts of society and the economy and government to AI systems, and then realise a bit too late that it's not going the way that we wanted, but we can't really turn back'. She is most optimistic about AI's use in improving science and drug discovery and for self-driving services like Waymo in reducing fatalities on the roads. 'With AI, you never want to be looking for making the AI perfect, you want it to be better than the alternative. And when it comes to cars, the alternative is thousands of people dying per year. 'If you can improve on that, that's amazing. You're saving many, many people.' Toner joked that her friends had been sending her options on who might play her in the film. 'Any of the names that friends of mine have thrown my way are all these incredibly beautiful actresses,' she said. 'So I'll take any of those, whoever they choose.'
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
3 Tips To Communicate The Value Of Your Patented Invention
What is the purpose of patenting an invention? Is it a legal formality akin to paperwork? A box to check? No. Intellectual property is a tool to transform a new idea into a product or a service by attracting investment and forming critical partnerships. When approached correctly, it is one of the most powerful tools an inventor can have. Sometimes, a patent is used to commercialize a new product right away. But other times, especially in academic research, it means protecting foundational knowledge that may take years, even decades, to reach real-world impact. Patents help enable commercialization when the time is right and preserve the right to innovate over the long term. Here's the catch. For a patent to do its job, the value of the invention must be clearly communicated. You can't just file a patent and post a description on a website and hope the phone rings. This is especially true for universities, whose inventions are typically complex and technical. Whether the go-to-market strategy is to license the technology, raise funding, or form a startup, articulating what makes the invention useful requires as much clarity as the research behind it. That's why inventors and IP professionals alike must embrace speaking in plain language, connecting with broader audiences, and demonstrating real-world relevance. In her role as Executive Director of the Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships at UNC Charlotte, Laura Peter exemplifies this awareness. The former USPTO Deputy Director proactively communicates the value of intellectual property arising from the university in creative ways, from hosting public events and creating awards to encouraging researchers to think about commercial applications of their work. Laura Peter, Executive Director of Research Commercialization and Partnerships at UNC Charlotte Winners of the 2025 UNC Charlotte inaugural Invention of the Year awards. Notably, in April Peter hosted UNC Charlotte's inaugural Invention of the Year Awards. Held shortly after the university achieved R1 status, the evening honored faculty, students, and staff whose patented technologies are solving pressing problems, from wireless energy transfer and liver preservation to advanced 3D printing methods. Designed to showcase the university's growing innovation ecosystem, more than two dozen judges, mostly from industry, helped select the award winners. There was a lot to celebrate: UNC Charlotte now ranks fifth in the nation for new patent filings per research dollar and third for creating new startup companies per research dollar. In just five years, patent filings have accelerated by 200 percent. By recognizing the people behind the patents and placing their work in the public spotlight, the event invited deeper collaboration with industry and affirmed IP as a living, public-facing asset. It was also effective in raising awareness: One attendee confessed that they had 'no idea' this kind of research was taking place at the university. It's rare to see inventors publicly celebrated for their contributions. This public-facing perspective is critical, especially now, when federal funding for university research is being closely scrutinized. One graduate of UNC Charlotte has already proven what's possible when a groundbreaking innovation and effective communication go hand in hand. Dr. Jennifer Pagán didn't just develop a breakthrough water disinfection technology using UV-C LED light as a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering, she turned her invention into a thriving global business. With the help of UNC Charlotte's technology transfer office, she patented and licensed her technology to a local company working from the campus incubator. She went on to co-found AquiSense Technologies, whose UV-C disinfection systems are now used everywhere from Antarctica to the International Space Station. Her journey as an innovator benefitted from the support of federal funding, including SBIR grants. With Peter's encouragement, Pagán has begun telling her story to national audiences. She was recently featured in a "From Campus to Commerce" video by the National Academy of Inventors and selected as one of the Bayh-Dole Coalition's "2025 Faces of American Innovation." Her journey underscores the reality that a patent is not the finish line, it's the starting gate. From writing claims to finding use cases, every step of commercialization depends on communicating the value of the innovation to funders, partners, and end users. Drawing on decades in industry, government, and now academia, Peter offers this advice to inventors hoping to take their ideas to market. 1. Speak plainly. Technical brilliance means little if others can't understand it. Rarely are the benefits of an invention obvious to a non-expert. 'Inventors often don't know how to talk about their invention in a relatable way,' Peter says. Whether she is translating the technical expert language into legal language for a patent or into more common parlance for potential investors, she thinks of her role as an intellectual property attorney as a translator. Remember, whether you're pitching to investors or potential licensees, clarity is key. Don't make the mistake of assuming that the benefit of your invention is obvious. Challenge yourself to capture the benefit of your invention in the shortest phrase possible. 2. Explore more use cases. Peter frequently challenges inventors on campus to consider commercial applications by asking: "What else can it be used for?" That kind of thinking — which is then reflected in the patent claims themselves — is vital for commercialization. 3. Tell the story. Communicating the value of what you've invented is not limited to the invention. The people, context, and potential outcomes matter. Stories are more memorable and persuasive than technical details. Capture the evolution of your invention — with photos, anecdotes, and milestones — to build a story others can easily follow later on. Whether you're tinkering in a garage or conducting federally funded research, the challenge is the same: A patent only creates value when people understand what makes your invention matter. As Laura Peter's work at UNC Charlotte shows, when inventors combine strategic IP with clear storytelling, their ideas don't just get protected — they get adopted, funded, and scaled. That's how inventions leave the lab and start changing lives.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Clarivate and CAPES Expand Landmark Partnership to Power Research and Innovation Across Brazil
New five-year agreement delivers critical academic and life sciences insights into more than 400 institutions, broadening access and driving national research excellence LONDON, June 2, 2025 /CNW/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today announced the renewal of its multi-year partnership with CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior), significantly expanding access to trusted Academia & Government and Life Sciences & Healthcare data across over 400 Brazilian institutions. As compared to the previous contract, the agreement increases institutional coverage by 57%, extending the reach of high-quality research tools to universities and research centers across Brazil — from major metropolitan areas to the country's most remote regions. As a key agency under Brazil's Ministry of Education, CAPES plays a vital role in advancing postgraduate education, supporting high-level training, and fostering international scientific collaboration. A long-standing partner to CAPES, Clarivate began its collaboration with the agency in 2001, when the Web of Science became one of the first databases integrated into the CAPES Portal. This new agreement builds on that legacy, delivering enhanced access to solutions including Web of Science, Journal Citation Reports, Cortellis Drug Discovery Intelligence and Derwent Innovation Index. By bringing together world-class data and insights from academic research and the life sciences and healthcare sectors, the agreement empowers researchers and practitioners at all levels — including scholars, policy advisors, biomedical scientists and healthcare professionals — to conduct innovative research, develop new treatments, improve patient care, and inform policy decisions. It provides broad access to critical information, advancing evidence-based discovery, education and decision-making across disciplines. Matti Shem Tov, Chief Executive Officer, Clarivate, said: "This expanded partnership with CAPES is a powerful example of how strategic collaboration can accelerate research and innovation on a national scale. Brazil has made remarkable progress in advancing scientific excellence and global collaboration. We're proud to support this momentum by providing trusted data, insights, and technology to researchers across the country — from early discovery through impact assessment. Our shared commitment to expanding access and fostering innovation will continue to shape the future of research in Brazil and beyond." Denise Pires de Carvalho, President, CAPES, said: "Brazil is experiencing a moment of growing scientific output beyond its major urban centers, with resources now being distributed in a more equitable and democratic way to boost productivity across all regions. This collaboration with Clarivate enables us to better understand the scientific production profile of Brazilian institutions and supports more informed investment decisions to reduce regional disparities, which remains a significant national challenge. Many researchers in the North, Northeast and Center-West have limited access to the resources needed to give visibility to their work and expanding that access can make a meaningful difference." The renewed partnership reflects a shared commitment to democratizing access to critical scientific information and enabling data-driven research excellence. Through Web of Science, Journal Citation Reports, and Derwent Innovation Index, academic institutions and government agencies gain deeper visibility into global research trends, publication impact, and innovation pathways — supporting policy development, institutional benchmarking, and scholarly advancement. Complementing these capabilities, expanded access to Cortellis Drug Discovery Intelligence equips Brazil's life sciences community — including postgraduate students, faculty, and biomedical researchers — with comprehensive insights across biology, pharmacology, and chemistry. From disease understanding and drug interactions to clinical studies and intellectual property, users can more efficiently navigate the full R&D lifecycle and accelerate decision-making in high-impact research areas. By significantly expanding access to trusted research and innovation tools, this agreement supports CAPES' mission to reduce regional disparities and foster inclusive academic excellence. Institutions from across Brazil — from leading urban universities to those in underserved and remote regions — can now leverage high-quality data to strengthen postgraduate programs, accelerate innovation, and elevate the global visibility of Brazilian research. Clarivate values its collaboration with CAPES on this initiative to help shape a more connected, informed and future-ready research ecosystem across Brazil, and stands as a resource for academic consortia worldwide seeking to expand access to trusted research, data and insights. To learn more about this partnership and the solutions now available to CAPES institutions, visit here. Notes to editors According to the most recent Institute for Scientific Information G20 research and innovation scorecard: Around 40% of Brazilian research output is internationally collaborative, with many strong bilateral partnerships with the United States. It also participates in larger collaborations involving the U.S., the U.K., Spain, Germany, and France. Compared with other internationally collaborative output, these partnerships are producing papers with above average impact. Its research output shows a strong focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Zero Hunger (SDG 2) and Life on Land (SDG 15), with impact for both around 0.7 to 0.8 times the world average. More broadly, Brazilian research output has a strong focus on the Life Sciences, while its output in Medicine has impact around 1.1 times the world average. Around 40% of output is published in open access (OA) journals, with their Humanities and Languages output 2.4 times more likely to be published in an OA journal than the G20 average. About ClarivateClarivate is a leading global provider of transformative intelligence. We offer enriched data, insights & analytics, workflow solutions and expert services in the areas of Academia & Government, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences & Healthcare. For more information, please visit About Fundação Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) is a consortium dedicated to expanding and strengthening postgraduate studies in Brazil. It ensures the quality of academic programs while fostering the development of highly qualified professionals in research, teaching, and other strategic scientific fields. Media contacts: Clarivate Rebecca KrahenbuhlSenior Manager, External Communications – Academia & Governmentnewsroom@ Catherine DanielDirector, External Communications – Life Sciences & Healthcarenewsroom@ CAPESJoão Mendes Communications View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Clarivate Plc View original content to download multimedia:
Coin Geek
29-05-2025
- Science
- Coin Geek
BSV for decentralized academic research repositories
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The academic research ecosystem faces significant challenges, from paywalled journals to plagiarism and data manipulation. BSV, with its scalable blockchain, low-cost transactions, and immutable data storage, offers a revolutionary platform for decentralized academic research repositories. By enabling secure, transparent storage of papers, datasets, and peer reviews, BSV addresses issues of access, integrity, and fairness in academia. This article explores how BSV can transform research infrastructure, focusing on niche applications like timestamping, open-access micropayments, and sensitive data management. The crisis in academic research Academic publishing is plagued by inefficiencies. Major publishers charge exorbitant fees for journal access, limiting knowledge dissemination, while researchers often receive no compensation for their work. Plagiarism and data falsification undermine credibility, as seen in high-profile retractions in medical research. Centralized repositories like Elsevier or PubMed control access, creating barriers for independent scholars. Not only should research be free, but it should also be verifiable. Blockchain technology can address these issues by providing immutable, accessible repositories, but most blockchains lack the scalability for large datasets or frequent transactions. BSV's high throughput and affordability make it an ideal platform for academic research, enabling a transparent, equitable ecosystem. BSV's technical fit for research repositories BSV's blockchain is built for data-intensive applications. Its unbounded block size supports 1,000,000 transactions per second (TPS), allowing repositories to store vast datasets, from genomic sequences to social science surveys. Transaction fees below $0.00011 make recording metadata, peer reviews, or citations cost-effective. BSV's immutable ledger ensures that research records—papers, datasets, or timestamps—cannot be altered, providing a verifiable audit trail. BSV's timestamping functionality is particularly valuable. Researchers can timestamp papers or datasets to prove originality, preventing plagiarism or priority disputes. Smart contracts can automate peer review workflows, ensuring transparency in reviewer feedback. Data integrity and research trust should go hand in hand. Niche applications: Transforming research BSV's capabilities enable niche academic use cases. Open-access publishing can be funded through micropayments, with readers paying $0.01 to access a paper, directly compensating authors. This disrupts paywalled journals, making research accessible to scholars in developing countries. BSV's data storage allows repositories to host large datasets, such as clinical trial results, with embedded metadata ensuring proper attribution. In sensitive fields like medical research, BSV's immutability protects against data manipulation. For example, a clinical trial dataset could be timestamped and hashed on-chain, allowing regulators to verify integrity. Peer reviews, often opaque, can be recorded transparently, with reviewers incentivized via micropayments. BSV also supports collaborative research, enabling global teams to share data securely without centralized gatekeepers. The future: A decentralized research ecosystem BSV's potential to transform academic research is gaining attention. Projects are exploring blockchain-based repositories, while the BSV Association (BSVA) promotes adoption in scientific communities. As open-access initiatives grow—over 50% of papers are now freely available—BSV's scalable infrastructure could become a standard for research repositories. Challenges include adoption by traditional institutions and ensuring user-friendly interfaces. However, BSV's regulation-friendly design and growing ecosystem position it for success. By fostering transparency and accessibility, BSV could democratize knowledge production. Conclusion BSV's scalable blockchain, low fees, and immutable data storage make it a powerful platform for decentralized academic research repositories. Its ability to timestamp papers, fund open access, and secure sensitive datasets addresses critical challenges in academia. BSV's niche applications promise to transform research infrastructure from plagiarism prevention to transparent peer reviews. As the demand for open, trustworthy science grows, BSV stands poised to redefine how knowledge is shared and preserved, proving blockchain can revolutionize academia. Watch: sCrypt Hackathon students realize there's more to blockchain title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
BreakingNews.ie
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Irish captain leads Cambridge team in final of prestigious BBC quiz University Challenge
Dublin's Oscar Despard (22) will captain the team from Christ's College, Cambridge in the final of the prestigious BBC student quiz show University Challenge on Monday night at 8.30pm. Despard is currently studying for a PhD in molecular biology and hopes to 'continue in some form of academic research' after completing his studies. Advertisement The final - against the University of Warwick - has already been recorded. Despard and his teammates will watch it on a big screen during a special event in their college lecture theatre. Back home in south Dublin, where his father William owns The Bretzel Bakery in Portobello, another screening will take place at his former sailing club in Dún Laoghaire. Despard said he has been surprised - and delighted - by how many people have been following his team's progress. 'Lots of people who I didn't think would be interested have been very enthusiastic and have been wishing us well, which has been very nice to see and to have,' he told The Irish Times . 'You then find out who all the people are [who watch University Challenge], all the other weird people who decide the best thing they can do with their Monday evenings is watch eight university students answer questions.' Advertisement While University Challenge is open to UK university teams, Ireland was well-represented this year. Not only is Despard competing in the final, but another Dubliner, Kevin Flanagan from Dundrum, captained the team from the University of Bristol. The pair faced off in the semi-final, but remain firm friends. Queen's University Belfast also performed strongly, reaching the quarter-finals. Despard has long had a love for quizzes. Growing up, he watched The Chase with his grandmother, while he and his mother - Prof Niamh Moran of the Royal College of Surgeons - 'always watched University Challenge and Only Connect in particular.' A stellar Leaving Certificate performance helped bring Despard to Cambridge. He was one of just two students to achieve nine H1 grades in the 2021 Leaving Cert, and in 2020 he won the Individual Award at the BT Young Scientist competition.
