Most research institutes treat innovation like a relay race. Studies show that less than 10% of promising basic science discoveries lead to clinical applications within 20 years¹ - not because the science is wrong, but because our relay race approach to innovation doesn't work.
Research hands off to tech transfer. Tech transfer hands off to industry. Industry hands off to market. At each handoff, momentum dies and possibilities get lost.
But look closer at successful institutes like Fraunhofer, and you'll see something different. They don't build innovation through handoffs. They build it through stacks - layers of capability that strengthen each other. Their translation success rates significantly outperform traditional research models².
The real question isn't whether stacks work better. It's how to build them.
Start Where Things Break
The Max Planck Society didn't build its innovation stack overnight. They started by watching where promising projects died. The evidence is stark: the journey from scientific discovery to practical treatment traditionally takes, on average, 17 years³. But this can be dramatically shortened when scientists actively build implementation partnerships from day one⁴.
They found a pattern: projects rarely failed because the science was wrong. They failed at transition points. Between research and engineering. Between prototypes and production. Between possibility and reality.
So they started building there. Not with grand innovation strategies, but with practical bridges across these gaps.
Build in Both Directions
When the Ludwig Institute tackled cancer research, they did something counterintuitive. Instead of building from research outward, they built from both ends.
Research shows that academics engaged in industry collaborations tend to maintain or increase their scholarly productivity, with their publications receiving higher citation rates than peers focused solely on academic work⁵.
This wasn't about collaboration. It was about building a stack that worked in both directions:
Own the Critical Transitions
The Fraunhofer model works because they own the transitions where most innovations die. Research shows that big-science centers like CERN succeed through systematic integration of theoretical and practical work, where technical staff don't just implement ideas - they contribute to fundamental experimental design⁶.
They've learned what many miss: you can't outsource the critical transitions. You have to own them.
Grow Through Problems
The Francis Crick Institute's "discovery without boundaries" approach explicitly breaks down traditional barriers between disciplines⁷. Their translation success rates significantly outperform traditional research models because they let real problems guide their stack building.
Each layer emerges from solving real problems, not following innovation playbooks.
What Success Looks Like
The most powerful stacks often emerge from unlikely collaborations. When the Francis Crick Institute partnered with GSK, they didn't just sign a research agreement. They built an integrated drug discovery stack where academic biologists work directly alongside industrial chemists. Their scientists don't write quarterly updates - they share lab space, tackle problems together, and build on each other's insights daily.
Look at how Cancer Research UK approaches drug development. Instead of licensing discoveries to pharma companies, they built a complete development stack with AstraZeneca. Their scientists work within industrial labs while AstraZeneca's teams embed in academic settings. The result? They've cut typical development times by 40% and doubled their success rate in early-stage trials.
This isn't just about big pharma. When Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) works with local manufacturers, they don't just offer consulting - they build joint capabilities. Engineers from small manufacturing firms work alongside academic researchers, using industrial-grade equipment to solve real production problems. The companies get better at innovation; the researchers get better at relevance.
The Future is Collaborative
The future belongs to institutes that stop trying to fix innovation through better handoffs and start building innovation stacks. Not through grand plans or formal partnerships, but through practical integration around real problems that matter to everyone involved.
Because in the end, innovation isn't about process or partnerships. It's about stacks. And the best stacks are built by people who choose to work as one team, regardless of which payroll they're on.
Enter The Arena
Ready to start building your stack? Take 15 minutes:
Map Your Dead Zones
Find Your Stack Partners
Start Small But Real
Don't begin with agreements. Begin with problems that matter to both sides.
References:
¹ Contopoulos-Ioannidis, D. G., Alexiou, G. A., Gouvias, T. C., & Ioannidis, J. P. (2008). "Life Cycle of Translational Research for Medical Interventions." Science, 321(5894), 1298-1299.
² The Francis Crick Institute Annual Review 2022
³ Morris, Z. S., et al. "The answer is 17 years, what is the question?" Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2011)
⁴ Lurie, N., et al. "Developing Covid-19 Vaccines at Pandemic Speed" NEJM (2020)
⁵ Perkmann, M., Tartari, V., McKelvey, M., et al. (2013). "Academic engagement and commercialisation: A review of the literature on university–industry relations." Research Policy, 42(2), 423-442.
⁶ Autio, E., Hameri, A. P., & Vuola, O. (2004). "A framework of industrial knowledge spillovers in big-science centers." Research Policy, 33(1), 107-126.
⁷ The Francis Crick Institute Strategy 2022-2026
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