Public-private partnerships will likely focus on pre-competitive work, leaving product development to the private sector alone. Industry should of course share the costs; and given its organizational advantages, it should take the lead in these cooperative research initiatives. Conversely, work on programs of public goods should be supported by public funds and possibly undertaken by the public sector alone, or with private contractors working for the public.
Importantly, the effectiveness of both public research programs and public-private partnerships depends in large part on two related factors: the provision of sufficient public funds to areas of nationally relevant research, and the education and training of indigenous professionals capable of fully participating.
Another enabling factor is the role change that most national governments are undergoing. They have been transcending their traditional functions to also become facilitators, funders, collaborators, and information resources for all research institutions - whether public, private, or public-private. The latter role is especially critical for governments in developing nations; each should be making long-term investments in a local and effective 'knowledge-based infrastructure' - the nation's entire system that supports private entrepreneurship, human resources, investment, and exploration of the advancing frontiers of S&T knowledge. Developing-country governments should also be delivering technology and training services of their own (e.g., through community and technical colleges).
The nature of the modern research enterprise and the speed at which its results get turned into marketable goods and services are creating new roles within research institutions. For example, some universities in industrialized nations have allowed investigators the freedom to own equity in companies based on their patented discoveries and to share in the resulting profits. Institutions may even help faculty in negotiating agreements with industry. At the same time, excessive faculty involvement in off-campus activities can weaken the institutions' teaching and basic-research functions. There clearly needs to be a balanced approach. It should be noted, moreover, that workable approaches in one field or institution may not be appropriate to another.
