Electronics Weekly puts its questions to an industry figure: Tony Milbourn is CEO of Camitri Technologies, which brings to market intellectual property (IP) being created in universities.

Describe Camitri's business in two sentences.

We sit between industry and academia, providing companies in the communications sector with technology based on the results of academic research work. We have an 'analysis-synthesis' model: talk with industry about the hot topics and create frameworks addressing those opportunities using university IP.

What is the biggest challenge universities face when trying to commercialise IP?

Understanding how significant their work is when it gets into the real world. Some relatively simple academic work is very valuable, and vice versa; great peer review do not guarantee real commercial value. Seeing the commercial context is the greatest challenge.

Does the government have a role to play in nurturing the design resource in UK universities?

No. What we need in engineering are role models which encourage young people to lead the world. Look at architecture: Foster, Rogers and the like are leading the world with vision and ambition. We need to create the Brunels and Stephensons of the 21st century, and this is done more by the attitude of the people, than artificial 'soft' funding from government. Jeremy Clarkson is a better ambassador than most for engineers!

If you had to name one design technology with the largest commercial potential this year, what would it be?

We have seven themes that we are exploring at the moment, ranging from LTE and smart mobility, to user interactions. Perhaps the one area with the greatest potential is cognitive image search: "Show me all the pictures with cute pets in them". Imagine the impact on social networking and the potential to drive traffic for the operators.

What does the UK need to do to ensure it retains a global reputation for design?

Five things: make sure that the best young people want to be engineers and designers, not bankers; maintain an entrepreneurial attitude; run faster (work harder, in other words) than the rest of the world; applaud failure as well as success; and take risks as individuals, as companies and as UK Limited.

See also: Q5 - Interviews with electronics industry leaders
Read all the Electronics Weekly Q5 interviews. From ARM's chairman, Sir Robin Saxby, to touchscreen technology firm Zytronic's MD, Mark Cambridge, the business leaders share their particular insights on the UK electronics industry.