Yep! Good news! The review of a new patent proposal has just arrived. I've never received such a neat review from a patent referee: the patent is inventive and improves the state of the art. Full stop.
Research activities just go straight when the goal is clear, the team is clever and funds are sufficient. This is not always the case in the academic system, and sometimes, the presence of a company that has a strong commitment to advancing research is necessary.
The Italian research system has accommodated in the years to the needs of private companies. Sometimes it's great, sometimes not. It requires a lot of discerning to understand when young postdocs and PhDs are treated as low-cost labor force, and when they are asked to really excel in a research work, and I'm glad that all my recent experiences are on the bright side.
