Industry-led Initiative Research Articles

A call for an industry-led initiative to critically assess machine learning for real-world drug discovery

A call for an industry-led initiative to critically assess machine learning for real-world drug discovery

A legal principle of innovation? Need for an assessment against the principle of democracy

ABSTRACT In the EU sphere, the emergence in the political discourse of a potential innovation principle (‘IP’) has given rise to debates amongst scholars and stakeholders. The debate has mainly focused on the risk that an IP could pose to already-existing principles in EU law, such as the precautionary principle, and on the deemed deregulatory agenda of this industry-led initiative. As the IP is now making its way towards EU institutions and EU law, this article investigates the intuition that an IP could also encroach on democracy, namely the possibility for the sovereign people to make their own rules. Giving society a direction with respect to something as broad and ill-defined as ‘innovation’ indeed seems to fall within the core of politics. Based on a regulatory characterisation of the IP as a continuation of already-existing patterns, the article warns against possible further erosion of democracy.

Perspectives of western Canadian dairy farmers on the future of farming

Similar to the situation in many countries, the dairy industry in Canada is challenged by the need to adapt to changing societal demands. An industry-led initiative (Dairy Farmers of Canada's proAction Initative, known as proAction) was developed to respond to this challenge, providing mandatory national standards for on-farm practices. Farmers are more likely to follow such standards if they are aligned with their values and beliefs. The aim of this study was to better understand farmers' perspectives on the future of the Canadian dairy industry, with a focus on the role of mandatory policies such as those related to proAction. Seven focus groups were conducted, with discussions based on the principles of appreciative inquiry. Participants were each asked to write down key words that represent the "must-haves" on dairy farms in 20 yr from now. Although participants were encouraged to focus on aspects directly related to animal care, all answers were accepted. Key words were then used to facilitate a discussion and elicit ideas on how to achieve these must-haves. Particular focus was on the direction that participants believed policy should take to meet these goals. Explorative qualitative analysis was used for the written key words, and transcripts of the audio-recorded focus group discussions were analyzed using thematic analysis. Examples of farm-specific considerations that were raised as future must-haves of animal care on dairy farms included cow comfort, employee management, responsible health management, and use of advanced thechnologies. Participants agreed that objectives can only be achieved through collaboration among farmers and between farmers and researchers, and they regarded citizen education as a promising approach to align differing expectations of the public and farmers. Citizen trust in the dairy industry was considered a must-have, and participants believed that one of the benefits of mandatory policies for animal care is their potential to increase trust. These results may help guide the development of new animal care policies and increase understanding of the perceived legitimacy of new policies by dairy farmers.

Initial safety posture investigations for earth regime rendezvous and proximity operations

Next-generation space activities, where companies and organizations begin to provide services for each others space assets, are real and coming on-line. The Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS) is an industry-led initiative meant to help enable new companies and industries in pursuit of on-orbit servicing (OOS) through metrics and standard developments. The University of Southern California’s (USC) Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) is chartered to examine past and present activities related to this new domain and uncover elements that might benefit from the application of standards or practices for the industry as a whole. This paper will 1) review and update USC’s initial technical rendezvous metrics, and 2) introduce OOS functional evaluations and an initial ontology for consideration.

On-orbit servicing ontology applied to recommended standards for satellites in earth orbit

The Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS) is an industry-led initiative with initial seed funding provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that aims to leverage best practices from government and industry to research, develop, and publish non-binding, consensus-derived technical and operations standards for On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO). As part of the CONFERS effort, the University of Southern California’s (USC) Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) conducted research into existing RPO methodologies and practices and OOS methodologies through literature review and interviews with practitioners. Following the first year of analytical input focused solely on RPO, the second year’s activities have focused further into the full extent of attributes for satellite servicing and in-space docking (OOS). USC’s focus was to develop a taxonomy of functions and attributes related to all aspects of technical elements and techniques required for past/current/anticipated OOS missions. A taxonomy database was created that allowed various key elements to be broken down into quantifiable data within common categories. Following the taxonomy creation, working with the Space Infrastructure Foundation (SIF) a review of existing standards in space along with other industries were analyzed and compared for possible matches. This standards gap analysis focused primarily from the end of the RPO maneuver to the point of physical contact or action between two spacecraft. These comparisons were then used to recommend where gaps in standards exist and where it might be most beneficial to create new ones, enabling spacecraft of various shapes and sizes to safely execute various OOS operations, and spur the industry between customers and providers. The field of space servicing is a rapidly growing field, with governments and numerous private entities developing robotic systems for mission extension vehicles and satellite repair. With an increased number of servicing missions forthcoming, a system of guidelines and standards on how to effectively and safely design on-orbit servicing activities is a next natural step to enable the expansion of this burgeoning industry.

Cultural revolution

Cultural revolution

Developing a framework to evaluate business networks: the case of Ireland's industry-led network initiative

Business networks have been described as cooperative arrangements between independent business organisations that vary from contractual joint ventures to informal exchanges of information. This collaboration has become recognised as an innovative and efficient tool for organising interdependent activities, with benefits accruing to both firms and the local economy. For a number of years, resources have been devoted to supporting Irish networking policies. One recent example of such support is the Irish government's target of €20 million per annum for five years to support the creation of enterprise-led networks. It is imperative that a clear rationale for such interventions is established, as the opportunity cost of public funds is high. This article, therefore, develops an evaluation framework for such networking interventions. This framework will facilitate effective programme planning, implementation and evaluation. It will potentially show how a chain of cause-and-effect at both micro and macro-levels for networking interventions can be established.

PQLI Key Topics - Criticality, Design Space, and Control Strategy

This paper gives an overview of progress made by the ISPE PQLI initiative - a global industry-led initiative aimed at facilitating the implementation of ICH Q8, Q9, and ultimately Q10 guidance. Through this initiative ISPE is spearheading the effort to help industry begin to define areas where they will be able to provide the technical framework for the implementation of key elements of Quality by Design (QbD) - a systematic approach to development that begins with predefined objectives and emphasizes product and process understanding based on sound science and quality risk management. Three topic areas, Design Space, Criticality, and Control Strategy were selected for specific focus and discussion, and this paper gives an overview of progress in these three areas.

The Tobacco Industry and the Data Quality Act

Regarding Donald Kennedy's Editorial on the Data Quality Act (“Turning the tables with Mary Jane,” 4 May, p. [661][1]), it is important to emphasize that the Data Quality Act is an industry-led initiative that gives private industry access to raw data from federally funded research. The Data Quality Act does not give independent researchers access to industry data to examine the completeness or accuracy of industry-generated research. The Editorial did not mention the leadership role that the Philip Morris Company played in the genesis of the Data Quality Act, as documented by Baba et al. ([1][2]). In the mid-1990s, after failing to obtain raw data from federally funded researchers by asking for it or suing them, Philip Morris worked to change regulations governing the release of such data. They drafted model data access legislation in 1996 ([1][2]). In 1997, they met with the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness to seek support for their proposed legislation from the business coalitions that were already fighting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's outdoor air regulations ([1][2]). Part of Philip Morris's strategy was to form a coalition of industry supporters including the American Petroleum Institute, the National Rifle Association, and the Electric Power Research Institute. The Data Access Act was passed in 1998, followed by the Data Quality Act in 2000. Philip Morris then hired lobbyist Jim Tozzi to draft model guidelines for the agencies and meet with major companies to teach them how to use the new regulation to their benefit ([1][2]). The effects that the tobacco industry has on government regulatory process are still underestimated. 1. 1.[↵][3] 1. A. Baba, 2. D. M. Cook, 3. T. O. McGarity, 4. L. A. Bero , Am. J. Public Health 95((suppl. 1)), S20 (2005). [OpenUrl][4][CrossRef][5][PubMed][6][Web of Science][7] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1143936 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1. in text [4]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DAmerican%2BJournal%2Bof%2BPublic%2BHealth%26rft.stitle%253DAJPH%26rft.issn%253D0090-0036%26rft.aulast%253DBaba%26rft.auinit1%253DA.%26rft.volume%253D95%26rft.issue%253DS1%26rft.spage%253DS20%26rft.epage%253DS27%26rft.atitle%253DLegislating%2B%2522Sound%2BScience%2522%253A%2BThe%2BRole%2Bof%2Bthe%2BTobacco%2BIndustry%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.2105%252FAJPH.2004.050963%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F16030333%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [5]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.2105/AJPH.2004.050963&link_type=DOI [6]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=16030333&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F317%2F5840%2F898.1.atom [7]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000230898200006&link_type=ISI

Europe enters race to commercialize EUV - [News

MANUFACTURING - Europe is adding a pinch of secrecy and a dash of competition to its joint efforts to develop next-generation lithography systems for chipmakers. Two groups, one an industryled initiative, the other funded by the European Union, have set out to research extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Both appear bound and determined to deliver results that will keep Europe in the semiconductor big league.