Interview with Antti Sukura
Professor of Veterinary Pathology
Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
“Did you have breakfast today?” is what Antti Sukura responds to our question regarding the role of veterinarians in today’s society. “If you did, you have used the services of veterinarians. The whole food chain process from farm to fork is controlled and monitored by professionals of veterinary medicine.”
The typical picture people have about veterinarians is the neighbourhood vet that takes care of their pet. However, food and environmental safety are at the core of the profession, as is animal well-being, whether in food production, nature, or homes. These two basic pillars of veterinary medicine open many channels and opportunities for business collaboration.
Do your homework and do not make promises lightly.
“What motivates me in industry collaboration are, first and foremost, the interesting real-life research questions. Industry has also provided practical resources and financing for my research.” But the collaboration hasn’t been without surprises: sometimes a good idea arrives at the wrong time from industry’s perspective.
“Many years ago, we had an idea to create a toxoplasma-free production chain of meat, figuring that pregnant women would prefer to eat food that was 100% safe. However, the meat production companies we approached declined, saying that faced with a choice of “safer” meat, consumers would think that all other meat is unsafe. But nowadays we have ”antibiotics-free chicken” in every corner shop.”
In his research, Prof Sukura looks at parasites and the ways they get around the immune system of an organism. Business collaboration provides his group with early-stage information about upcoming medicines and about the way anti-parasitic drugs are used in Finland. In the 90’s, he built a highly specialized training programme with a large pharmaceutical company. “It is in the interest of the employer to cover part of the costs of specialists that they later can employ. This is not the only occasion of training collaboration with industry. The animal hospital works quite a lot in this field. This sort of collaboration has led to successful recruiting of our students.”
It’s great to see how insights made in basic research can be tested in real-life field conditions.
A joint, interesting research question is important but equally important is to weigh the realistic potential of the collaboration and make sure that it is useful and productive for both the company and the researcher. “Just today I turned down a collaboration offer from industry because the project would not have led to publications. Analysing the set-up, we realised that we would not be able to find suitable groups of patients and controls in this country.“ Prof Sukura emphasizes the need to think thoroughly through the input-output ratio of the project. “Do your homework and do not make promises lightly. There’s no point to work for a hundred grand and then get ten thousand back. It is also important to agree on a realistic schedule and stick with it. That saves you a load of trouble.”
Veterinary medicine is a field well connected with industry. People know one another well and requests for collaboration can stem from either side. This doesn’t mean that you should talk with company representatives unprepared. “Don’t go alone. A company typically sends 3-4 people in a meeting. In negotiations, you’re immediately on a back foot if you don’t show up in similar numbers.”
One of the basic things you should understand is the annual cycle of budgeting in a company. Companies have varying rules about the maximum sums the CEO can decide about within the annual budget. If you’re asking for more, it usually requires a decision in the general company meeting. In these cases, it is wise to start negotiations many months before. The decisions about donations and R&D often go through separate routes, too, and you need to be aware of how this all works.
Looking at business collaboration in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the dean sees space for improvement. “We are already doing smart things, but I also think there is potential for more impact and for more resourcing from industry. Industry collaboration can take science forward and it’s also great to see how insights made in basic research can be tested in real-life field conditions.”
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was the first to take on the opportunity to pilot our new service, the Business Collaboration Accelerator. Why did you request our help?
”For me, widening the scope of research funding, increasing societal impact, and taking care of career opportunities in our faculty is important. Business collaboration has its own rules and risks. You don’t need to be overly cautious about it but you do need to know what you’re doing and when you do, it’s no different from basic funding from the Academy – it’s just for different purposes.”
The Business Collaboration Team offered all faculties an opportunity to pilot a new service,”The Business Collaboration Accelerator”. The Faculty of Medicine is our first pilot case. In this blog series, we interview 15 veterinarians about their experiences with industry.