Scientific Advisory Boards and Boards of Directors

At the upper end of the spectrum of providing advice in a commercial setting is the membership of boards of companies. There are two categories here, Boards of Directors and Scientific Advisory Boards.

The composition of Boards of Directors varies with geographic location and both the size and nature of the business. In the USA, it is rare for any scientist or engineer from academia to have a seat on the Board of Directors; nearly all members will have had years of experience within the industry, with a special focus in finance and corporate affairs. I have never served on such boards. In other countries, and especially with small start-up companies, it may be different, and I have had some experience in such companies, particularly in the UK and South Africa. These boards are still usually dominated by financial and corporate representation, but there is often a place for an experienced, well-known academic entrepreneur to advise on clinical and engineering trends and the significance of the company’s technology profile within the relevant industry.

Scientific Advisory Boards vary in the contribution they make to a company. Some are handled extremely well by the executive officers and provide formal or ad hoc advice on wide-ranging issues. Others are far less well organized, with little effective input, largely to be seen as a nominal list of well-known names. I have been on SABs in both the USA and the UK. My experience has mostly been very good, especially with some large, well-organized companies with focused agendas, typically convening meetings of their Boards (sometimes both scientific and medical advisory boards) with clearly-defined agendas and expectations. Obviously in these situations, the protection of intellectual property is of concern, with caution often being seen from both company and individual perspectives.