Each Leg in a Different Place: Or How to Lead Research at a University and in a Company Simultaneously Without Going Crazy

Are you leading a research group at a university and planning to start a startup or spin-off? Or have you already done so and filed for a spot in a psychiatric hospital? In the following lines, I'll share some personal wisdom that will hopefully make life easier for a leader who lives two professional lives.?

?? Be Transparent from the Start?

There used to be times when people who started companies outside the university were publicly burned. No, just kidding, it wasn’t public. Such a person was seen as a black sheep, parasitizing the university. Much has changed, at least at our Brno University of Technology, and the leadership has realized that both sides can benefit from such a move. But still, I see around me that many researchers are afraid and do everything secretly. It’s necessary to go to the leadership from the start and lay your cards on the table. Yes, every leadership reacts differently and often may not be understanding of your decision. But from the beginning, you will know where you stand and can adjust your next steps accordingly. You won’t have to stress about how the university will react once it finds out over time. You won’t have to play a guerrilla war and waste your energy hiding things. I definitely recommend signing a contract with the university where you clarify intellectual property, know-how transfer, and your future roles.

? Forget About Leading on Two Fronts

Leading a research group at the university requires 130% effort. If you plan to also lead a company, don’t even start it. You simply won't manage it. On one side (university or company), you would have to decrease your effort, which would mean that this side will eventually collapse. If you want to stay a scientist at the university and also lead research within a company, find a good CEO to run the company. In our startup Scicake, I appointed myself as CSO (Chief Scientific Officer), which practically means that I do not handle much of the company operations, don’t communicate with lawyers, don’t deal with cash flow, recruitment, work reports, etc. In the company, I mainly lead research activities and propose solutions based on the state of the art in the field.

?? Try to Live in Symbiosis

It’s probably needless to say that the university and the commercial sector are two different worlds. The customer doesn’t care if your new idea passed peer review but whether it works in practice and generates money. But don’t separate these two worlds; save time and create a symbiosis between them. Do you need talented colleagues for your company? Choose from students whose performances you know well. Do you need to employ your PhD students and postdocs at the university? Apply for a joint project with your company. Do you have customers who need something done urgently? Do it through your company. Do you have customers with a limited budget or no rush? Apply for a project with them within the university.

?? Use the Same Team

I saved a lot of time by having my team at the university and in the company be 80% the same. If I work with some colleagues at the university (or even trained them myself) and know their hard skills, soft skills, and reliability, it’s very likely they’ll be reliable within the company too. Moreover, it’s possible to adjust the trade-off for such a person. When I see that they are not currently pressured at the university, I can utilize them more in the company. Conversely, if they are writing a paper or submitting a research project, I can relieve them in the company.

So that’s all from me. Oh, and don’t forget about your family. That’s the research project where they need you the most.?

Jiri from Scicake ???

?? At Scicake we bake data science projects. Using the right ingredients we empower your business with creative and responsible artificial intelligence.

Trigger the first contact and we can schedule the Strategy day where we will meet with you and do an intensive session defining the problem statement and the possibilities based on your business domain, goals, and data.

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