The Industry-Academia Choice is a Lie

Everyone tells researchers the same thing: "You need to pick a lane. Either commit fully to industry or stay in academia. You can't serve two masters."

It's exactly the kind of conventional wisdom that's holding science back.

When Frances Arnold founded Gevo in 2006, she heard all the usual warnings. They said she'd have to choose between her Caltech lab and her company. That trying to maintain both would dilute her impact.

She ignored them. Instead of choosing, she let each world strengthen the other. Her continued academic work led to breakthroughs in directed evolution that transformed both her company's capabilities and the entire field of bioengineering. The result? A Nobel Prize in 2018 and a revolution in how we think about protein engineering¹.

Look at Bob Langer at MIT. While running one of the world's most cited academic labs, he's helped launch over 40 companies. His academic work continuously feeds industrial innovation while industry challenges drive new research questions. The result? Over 1,400 patents, products that have helped over two billion people, and a lab that produces both groundbreaking papers and successful entrepreneurs².

Jennifer Doudna's work offers a perfect example. After co-discovering CRISPR gene editing at UC Berkeley, she could have focused solely on either academic research or commercial development.

Instead, she maintained her academic lab while co-founding companies like Caribou Biosciences and Mammoth Biosciences. This dual approach has accelerated both the science and its application, leading to rapid advances in both understanding and implementation of CRISPR technology³.

Consider what successful researcher-entrepreneurs gain from maintaining both connections:

• Access to cutting-edge research through academic networks
• Industry insights that inform research directions
• Ability to tap both academic and commercial funding
• Resources and equipment from both sectors
• Networks that span both domains

At the Broad Institute, Aviv Regev demonstrated how this approach creates multiplicative effects. While leading the Cell Observatory, she also served as Executive Vice President at Genentech. Her work in single-cell genomics advanced both academic understanding and industrial applications, each strengthening the other⁴.

Academic rigour + Market understanding = Better research questions

Scientific methods + Business thinking = Faster validation

Peer review + Customer feedback = Stronger solutions

Let's be clear: maintaining connections to both worlds isn't easy. The conventional academic system isn't built for it. Industry timelines don't naturally align with academic calendars. And both sides have their own metrics for success.

Bob Langer's approach at MIT shows how to manage this tension. He structures his lab to handle both academic and industrial projects, carefully separating them when needed while letting them strengthen each other where possible. His team publishes groundbreaking papers while filing patents and launching ventures. It's not about working twice as hard - it's about working differently².

This is where we at Bright Arena come in. We help researchers and institutes navigate this dual world effectively. Not by creating more work, but by building systems that let each side strengthen the other. We've seen how the right structures and support can turn this apparent tension into a source of strength.

Consider how the Francis Crick Institute handles industry partnerships. They don't just allow their researchers to maintain industry connections - they build explicit pathways for it. Their researchers can engage with industry while advancing their academic work, creating value in both spheres. It's not about choosing between worlds. It's about having the right support to connect them.

The next time someone tells you that you need to choose between industry and academia, remember this: Some of the most impactful researchers in history refused to make that choice. Not because they couldn't decide, but because they understood something deeper:

The best innovations don't emerge from picking sides. They come from bridging worlds.

Take 15 minutes:

Step 1: Map Your Advantage

• Which academic relationships could strengthen your industry work?
• What industry problems could drive interesting research?
• Where do your networks complement each other?

Step 2: Start Small

• Choose one academic collaboration to maintain
• Identify one industry challenge it could help solve
• Make one move to connect them this week

References:

¹ Arnold, F. H. "Innovation by Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life." Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

² Langer, R. "A personal account of translating discoveries in an academic lab." Nature Biotechnology.

³ Doudna, J. A. "The promise and challenge of therapeutic genome editing." Nature.

⁴ Regev, A., et al. "The Human Cell Atlas." eLife.