Last week I was attending a "seminar" titled "The Importance of Commercialization", however it turns out that the "seminar" was actually an introduction of a new postgrad course offered in Monash University Australia which is the Master of Business (Commercialising Science and Technology). Based on the booklet received at the seminar and the seminar itself, this course give its student more choice in their career, which involve the development of wealth-creating opportunities in the business of science and technology. The key features offered in this course is the specific intent to assist student in commercialising leading edge medical, scientific and technology research projects, in other words the course will teach student the fundamentals of business, economics, legal and management skill required to contribute to this process.
OK, let's face it science student does not essentially make a good businessman nor does business student would make a great scientist, and this is somehow looked like an interesting career path for science student to get out from spending their life in researching or resorting to another career path which totally different from their studies (whom many of them did). So based on the possibilities of these career path this is totally an alternative and promising pathway wasn't it?
In an economic sense yes it is, because it will give the possibilities for one of the student to become an entrepreneur and build their own company, make a discovery thus a lot of money etc. etc. However the choices are still ours right? If I want to make medicine which people in third country can afford rather than chasing profit it's still my choice right? If the world was turning because of the money, I still could standing still without it right? If the temptations were there and the chance were given am I a fool not to join in the rally to chase of commercialization?
I don't mean that scientist does not have the rights to obtain economic wealth, it's just that if all the orientation is based economically then where does the next research fits? is it for creating a cure for a disease or is it for making a profit from a cure of a disease?
The knowledge for this is significant, but it is not the mindset of scientist should have, I believe, because there are still people who can't afford medicine in this world, and our burden is to provide them with what is available, not overcharge them.
Cheers
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