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Every year, universities and research institutions produce discoveries with enormous potential.
Some become life-changing medicines, technologies, or products. Others quietly fade away, not because the science was wrong, but because nobody found a way to move the idea beyond the laboratory.
That’s one reason entrepreneurial thinking is becoming increasingly valuable for scientists.
Scientific research answers one important question: Can this work? Entrepreneurship asks the next one: How do we make it useful? Those are different challenges, but they’re becoming more connected every year. As the pace of innovation continues to accelerate, researchers who understand both worlds are often best positioned to turn promising ideas into benefits for society.
Great Science Doesn’t Automatically Become Great Products
When people picture innovation, they often imagine a breakthrough followed by a straight path to success. In reality, the breakthrough is usually the point where an entirely new set of challenges begins.
Turning an idea into something people can actually use takes years of work. Funding has to be secured, products have to be manufactured, clinical trials need to be completed, regulations have to be met, and the right team has to come together. Any one of those hurdles can stop even the most promising discovery.
Universities have recognised that challenge. According to the Association of University Technology Managers, research institutions in the United States launched more than 1,100 startup companies based on academic discoveries in 2023. The goal isn’t simply to publish research anymore. Increasingly, it’s to help that research make an impact beyond the laboratory.
Asking Different Questions
Philip Ashton-Rickardt has spent his career on both sides of that journey. After decades in academic research, he moved into biotechnology entrepreneurship, helping build companies focused on developing new therapies.
He says the biggest adjustment wasn’t learning about business. It was realising that success depended on asking a different set of questions.
“When I was working in academia, success often meant proving an idea could work,” he says. “Once I started building companies, the conversation changed. We had to think about manufacturing, partnerships, funding, and whether patients could realistically benefit from what we were creating. None of those questions made the science less important. They made it more useful.”
That shift in thinking is becoming more common across science. Researchers are increasingly encouraged to think about where an idea could go, who it could help, and what it will take to get there.
Entrepreneurs Run Experiments Too
Scientists aren’t the only people who spend their days testing ideas.
Successful entrepreneurs are constantly experimenting. They test products before launching them. They change manufacturing processes when something isn’t working. They adjust pricing, rethink partnerships, and sometimes discover that the original plan wasn’t solving the right problem after all.
The process isn’t very different from scientific research. In both cases, people begin with a hypothesis, gather evidence, evaluate the results, and make changes before trying again. Progress comes from learning, not from getting everything right the first time.
That’s one reason scientists often adapt well to entrepreneurship. They’re already comfortable with uncertainty, and they understand that unexpected results aren’t failures. Their information helps shape the next decision.
Looking Beyond the Laboratory
Entrepreneurial thinking doesn’t mean every scientist should start a company. It means understanding what happens after the research is complete and recognising that discovery is only one part of innovation.
The strongest breakthroughs usually involve researchers, engineers, clinicians, manufacturers, investors, and business leaders working toward the same goal. Each group brings a different perspective, and each solves a different problem along the way.
Researchers who understand that bigger picture are often better prepared to see where their work could have the greatest impact. Instead of focusing only on proving an idea, they also begin thinking about how that idea could eventually improve people’s lives.
The Future Needs Both Scientists and Entrepreneurs
The line between science and entrepreneurship is becoming much less defined than it was a generation ago. Universities are investing more in commercialisation, startups are forming around academic discoveries, and researchers have more opportunities than ever to help shape what happens after a breakthrough.
Ashton-Rickardt believes that it doesn’t require scientists to leave research behind. It simply asks them to think about the next stage of the journey.
“People often think entrepreneurship is about taking bigger risks,” he says. “I see it differently. It’s about taking responsibility for what happens after a discovery is made. If an idea has the potential to improve lives, it’s worth asking how we can help it get there.”
The discoveries that shape the future won’t depend on brilliant research alone. They’ll also depend on people who are willing to carry those ideas through the long process of turning them into products, therapies, and technologies that improve lives.
