Beyond the Lab: How researchers are bridging the gap between technology and practical applications

When agriculture, food production, and technology are placed side by side, the connection may not seem obvious at first. Yet this intersection highlights a key challenge in research translation – how do we ensure research is translated beyond the lab and into practical application? 

In April, our centre hosted its third Entrepreneurial Training Workshop at the University of Technology Sydney as part of the COMBS Impact and Translation initiative, delivered by Farmers2Founders. Previous workshops were also held in Adelaide and Victoria as part of COMBS’ broader focus on research impact, translation, and industry engagement.

The workshop explored one of the key challenges that many researchers face: bridging the gap between research innovation and real-world application.

Researchers are often highly specialised within their fields, but may have limited exposure to the day-to-day challenges faced by industry or consumers. As a result, identifying where research can create meaningful impact, and how it can be translated beyond the laboratory can be difficult.

Through discussions, collaborative activities, pitching exercises, and mentoring from industry experts, participants were encouraged to shift their thinking from “What technology have we developed?” to “How can this technology help solve a real-world problem?”

While the workshop focused primarily on the agrifood technology sector, it encouraged participants from a wide range of research backgrounds to step outside their usual research perspective and place themselves in real-world industry contexts. This helped researchers think more critically about end-user needs and how their research could address real-world challenges in practice.

Beyond commercialisation, the workshop highlighted the importance of adopting an entrepreneurial mindset to communicate the broader values of research, that in turn strengthen the connection between research and real-world application.

A huge thank you to the Farmers2Founders team for delivering such an insightful workshop. As technologies continue to evolve, programs like the Entrepreneurial Training Workshop play an important role in helping researchers translate innovation into solutions that can ultimately benefit industries, communities, and society as a whole.