Boro Ezekiel, McLoughlin Charles, Vaughan Tom, Velasco Carolina, Tilokani Lisa, Prescott Katherine, Davey Gail, Waddell Simon J, Anderson Alexandra, Pulford Justin, Peters Chris, Jones-Phillips Becky
Enterprise and Innovation Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Research Strategy and Knowledge Exchange Office, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2025 May 13;20(5):e0323168. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323168. eCollection 2025.
The UK Higher Education Institution (HEI) sector faces significant challenges in translating early-stage research into commercially viable public health products, particularly in infectious diseases. This gap, often termed the "valley of death," is exacerbated by a fragmented ecosystem and unclear pathways to implementation. The FLIGHT (Framework for Leveraging Innovation in Global Health Technologies) project aims to address these challenges by enhancing the commercialisation of global health research from UK HEIs to drive economic and societal impact. Led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, in partnership with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and other associated partners, FLIGHT seeks to develop a best practice Innovation and Enterprise Framework (IEF) to support R&D commercialisation. This project will use a mixed-methods approach to assess existing public health R&D assets and the commercialisation knowledge and skills of HEI professionals and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) across partner institutions. Data collection will include literature reviews, surveys, qualitative interviews, and focus group discussions exploring staff and ECR's perceptions and experiences with commercialisation, to identify barriers and opportunities for improvement. Ethical considerations and participant confidentiality are central to the study design. The FLIGHT project aims to bridge critical gaps in the innovation pipeline, fostering a robust ecosystem for translating HEI research into deployable health interventions. This initiative will contribute to strengthening the UK's global health R&D commercialisation capabilities and accelerating the development and deployment of essential public health interventions. Findings will inform policy recommendations and best practice for HEI commercialisation strategies, with implications for both UK and low-and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts.
英国高等教育机构（HEI）部门在将早期研究转化为具有商业可行性的公共卫生产品方面面临重大挑战，尤其是在传染病领域。这种差距，通常被称为“死亡谷”，因生态系统碎片化和实施途径不明确而加剧。FLIGHT（全球卫生技术创新利用框架）项目旨在通过加强英国高等教育机构全球卫生研究的商业化，以推动经济和社会影响，来应对这些挑战。由利物浦热带医学院牵头，与伦敦卫生与热带医学院、布莱顿和萨塞克斯医学院以及其他相关合作伙伴合作，FLIGHT旨在制定一个最佳实践创新与企业框架（IEF），以支持研发商业化。该项目将采用混合方法来评估现有的公共卫生研发资产以及合作机构中高等教育机构专业人员和早期职业研究人员（ECR）的商业化知识和技能。数据收集将包括文献综述、调查、定性访谈以及焦点小组讨论，探讨工作人员和早期职业研究人员对商业化的看法和经历，以确定改进的障碍和机会。伦理考量和参与者保密是研究设计的核心。FLIGHT项目旨在弥合创新管道中的关键差距，培育一个强大的生态系统，将高等教育机构的研究转化为可部署的卫生干预措施。这一举措将有助于加强英国的全球卫生研发商业化能力，并加速基本公共卫生干预措施的开发和部署。研究结果将为高等教育机构商业化战略的政策建议和最佳实践提供参考，对英国和低收入及中等收入国家（LMIC）背景都有影响。
