Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2012

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

The commercialisation of research takes place in a complex legal, commercial and scientific/cultural environment, and it is useful to understand your role, capacity and potential as an agent for such commercialisation.

Aims

This unit provides you with practical information and builds skills and capacities in the identification of commercialisation opportunities and the implementation of commercialisation processes appropriate to your research.

Objectives

On successful completion of this unit you will:

• Have a functional understanding of models and strategies for the commercialisation of research


• Be able to identify and evaluate the commercial potential of your research


• Be able to generate, describe and discuss a strategy for the commercialisation of your research


• Be able to develop and implement a business plan for the commercialisation of your research.

Content

This unit is structured in three stages, and content is organised as follows:
1. My Research and Commercial Potential (An orientation to research commercialisation processes and an application of this understanding to your specific research project): Includes:
a) Intellectual property issues
b) IP strategies and management
c) Product/service issues
d) Contractual considerations (including confidentiality issues)
e) Commercial and market imperatives
f) Discipline-specific issues (science/technology vs arts/humanities)
2. Product Development (Generation of commercialisation strategy specific to your research).
a) Principles of financial modelling and planning
b) Concept development
c) Prototyping
d) Strategies for professional support
e) Advice and financial assistance
3. Business Planning (Formal documentation of a strategic plan for commercialisation of your research)
4. Business start-up strategies (including risk management)
5. Strategic business planning (including spinoff formation, licencing, IPO, strategic appliances, networking and affiliations)
6. Operational and financial formats
7. Financial modelling
8. Formation and contribution to development teams
9. Review, analysis and evaluation of business planning

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

You will participate and interact in the online leaning environment provided by this unit in a variety of ways, including:
1. Reading and responding to inline content, including completion of online quizzes
2. Participating in online interactions such as forums and chat sessions
3. Engaging in formal assessment tasks (reading, reflecting, responding, writing, discussing)
4. Opportunities will be provided for formation of groups and for participation in externally provided expert commercialisation or IP workshops, seminars and information sessions.

Assessment name: Forum & Journal Contributions
Description: You are required to contribute weekly to the Online Forums (on response to weekly stimulus questions or responses to designated key reading) and also to Personal Journal (online blog), as a record of personal reflections on your progress through the unit. Graded Pass/Fail.
Relates to objectives: .
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: External
Group or individual: Group
Due date: Ongoing

Assessment name: Short answer test
Description: You are required to complete three short-answer tests at regular intervals.
Relates to objectives: .
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: External
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 2, 5 and 7.

Assessment name: Assignment - Business Plan
Description: You are required to develop a business plan, using a supplied model, in the final stage of the unit. This may be completed as a group task.
Relates to objectives: .
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: External
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of unit

Assessment name: Formative Assessment
Description: The unit moderator will be able to respond to email enquiries throughout the unit, and you will also have the opportunity to participate in online chat sessions. Together, these proved for ongoing evaluation of your progress through the unit, for example through moderator and peer feedback on forum and journal posting, and also business plan drafts.
Relates to objectives: .
Internal or external: External
Group or individual: Group
Due date: Ongoing

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

N/A

Risk assessment statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 30-Apr-2012