Technology transfer and cooperation between universities and businesses were the topics at the centre of the Taftie EWG meeting held in Zagreb on 15 and 16 February 2023, inaugurating the Presidency turn assigned for 2023 to the Croatian Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Innovation and Investments, Hamag Bicro.
The Taftie network brings together leading European innovation agencies with the aim of fostering the exchange of experiences, good practices and strategies. The Zagreb meeting, which was attended by Invitalia and Enea – both members of the network – as representatives of Italy, saw contributions from representatives of the Croatian innovation ecosystem, from the academic world to innovative enterprises.
Central to the discussion was the theme of a strategic paradigm shift from knowledge exploitation to enhancement, and a reflection on what the European ecosystem lacks to trigger virtuous dynamics of collaborative research, technology transfer and disruptive innovation.
Indeed, it emerged that very often, in the European scenario, the ties between business and academia fail to translate research into technological innovation in a widespread manner. The trajectories of collaborative research are not yet strong enough, and its exploitation is not yet sufficiently dynamic, due to structural deficiencies of the stakeholders involved and limitations of a strategic, operational and organisational-managerial nature. This too often leads to the potential of European research not being fully exploited, limiting technology transfer, the attraction of venture capital and innovation processes.
What can European agencies do to enhance and promote technology transfer and cooperation between universities and businesses? The answer is facilitating and coordinating the stakeholders in the technology transfer support ecosystem, as happens in several European national and regional contexts presented during the agencies' good practice sharing meeting. Also, strengthening networks, conducting direct intervention and public investment actions for technology transfer, and opening up platforms and actions to support matchmaking between business and academia.
The event was accompanied by a field visit to the University of Zagreb's Department of Robotics and Production System Automation and to Rimac, a leading innovator in high-performance electric vehicle technology.
The next appointment, which is scheduled for mid-April 2023, will focus on the protection and enhancement of intellectual property.