The Next Leap

Panel: AI is a recompilation engine

Is AI about to steal your job? Today, we’re tackling the messy, complicated reality of generative AI, and asking a simple question: is it actually creating anything worthwhile? Sue Turner OBE and Richard Cole from the University of Bristol, Ben Ackland from Meaning Machine, and Megan Butler from KPMG aren’t here to wax poetic about robots. They’re staring down a terrifying trend: AI is being shoved into everything, often without the right frameworks in place. The result? A tidal wave of low-quality slop and a dangerous lack of oversight. Cole says AI is a “recompilation engine”, but he does have concrete examples of AI uses that deliver something new, with significant human input. This isn’t about fearmongering. It’s about asking: who controls the tools, and how do we stop AI from turning our creative industries into a bland echo chamber? This episode is a recording of the most recent Foresight Live event. Our next event, on 6 May, will tackle AI’s cybersecurity double-edged sword. Register here [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/attackers-defenders-and-algorithms-ais-cybersecurity-double-edge-sword-tickets-1982344979196] and join the Foresight newsletter here [https://biforesight.com/newsletter/] to hear about future events and handpicked stories about innovation from the University of Bristol.

Hetti Barkworth-Nanton: Defence innovation is about protecting the vulnerable

War in Ukraine. Conflict in the Middle East. Daily cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. As geopolitical tensions spike, capital is flooding into defence, and even a growing number of universities are open to research in this space. Yet, money invested in security innovation is money not spent on global aid. So should we really be doing this? Hetti Barkworth-Nanton says yes. As the CEO of Ploughshare Innovations [https://ploughshare.co.uk/], the commercialisation arm of the UK’s Ministry of Defence, she’s positioned at the heart of this debate. But her other role, chair of Refuge, a charity supporting domestic abuse survivors, throws a spanner into easy answers. How could a grenade ever be good for children? Hetti has a concrete, surprising example. We explore the uncomfortable tensions and unexpected synergies between securing nations and protecting the vulnerable. Is investment in defence research a zero-sum game with humanitarian aid? Or is there a more nuanced story about how technology, ethics, and institutional responsibility intersect? Hetti unpacks the philosophy behind commercialising defence innovation, why universities should engage with this space, and what it really means to balance competing goods in an uncertain world.

Brechtje Vreenegoor, Sebastiaan Berendse: In agriculture, spinouts need to reform the whole system

Wageningen University & Research [https://www.wur.nl/en/partner-up-for-impact/innovation-entrepreneurship] is a truly unique organisation combining a higher education institution with an applied research institute. This dual nature makes commercialising research an interesting challenge, particularly with Wageningen’s focus on agtech and food tech, where, for decades, each component in the supply chain has been optimised for cost. So, how do you give spinouts a fighting chance? We also look at the Netherlands’ recent update to its national deal term principles [https://thenextleap.is/news/dutch-standard-ip-agreement/], which Brechtje Vreenegoor was involved in creating, and we analyse how these principles strike a balance between the university’s interests and those of founders and investors. Then, we consider how Wageningen University & Research operates a unique pre-incubation programme designed to support researchers and students developing agricultural and food technology startups. This model focuses on validating ideas through a multi-stage process, including feasibility studies and proof-of-concept funding, rather than immediately seeking venture capital. And finally, Sebastiaan Berendse looks at Wageningen’s approach to venture capital funds, why its LP commitments are not just about capital but also drawing investors to campus, and why Graduate Ventures – which currently covers Delft and Rotterdam – is an enticing proposition for Wageningen’s ecosystem, which desperately needs more pre-seed cash. Read the transcript [https://thenextleap.is/transcript/011-brechtje-vreenegoor-and-sebastiaan-berendse/].

Peter Devine: We never imagined Uniseed would be around this long

At the end of last year, Uniseed CEO Peter Devine stepped down after two decades [https://thenextleap.is/news/peter-devine-uniseed/] at the helm of a venture fund that has not only survived and thrived for a quarter of a century, but which has completely reshaped the Australian innovation ecosystem. It was a good excuse to sit down with Peter and reflect on how far the world of research commercialisation has come, what lessons have been learned, and what more remains to be done. We discuss how Uniseed convinced pension funds to invest decades ago (if you’re a policymaker in the UK: there’s actionable advice here), why governments getting involved in venture capital is a double-edged sword (Breakthrough Victoria will be an interesting case study when the dust has settled), and how former members of staff at Uniseed have gone on to help build a country where most universities have their own spinout investment fund. Candidly, Peter also shares tactical errors he made as CEO, and he explains how he turned a blockbuster exit that went from celebration to shock into an investment opportunity. And, of course, we find out what’s next for Peter. Spoiler: it’s not retirement. Read the transcript [https://thenextleap.is/transcript/010-peter-devine/].

Empowering academic founders: policies, programmes, and pitfalls

How can universities instil the entrepreneurial mindset in faculty, staff and students? Is this even something you can teach? And if you can, what are some of the challenges and pitfalls? Figuring out the answers to these questions, and more, is a panel of experts from around the world: Kirsty Collinge, the head of research strategy at the University of Edinburgh; Linda Koschier, the head of entrepreneurship at the University of New South Wales’ Faculty of Engineering; Koenraad Debackere, the executive director of KU Leuven Research & Development; and Paul Cheek, a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. The panel will give insights into how you can empower students, how you can foster entrepreneurship on campus even if you live in a risk-averse culture, and how you can give people more time to focus on their business ideas. This episode is a recording of a ⁠TenU⁠ [https://www.ten-u.org/] Hosts webinar, chaired by Catherine Headley, the CEO of the University of Manchester Innovation Factory. FURTHER READING Paul Cheek mentions the book, From the Basement to the Dome [https://amzn.to/3INStUo], which offers an analysis of how MIT’s culture created a thriving entrepreneurial community.