WG5: Innovation dissemination from academia to business (A2B)

Objectives

Academia and business are often separate worlds, and this is usually the case when one deals with the relationship among Academia and SMEs. Small dimension, low capitalization and poor entrepreneurial culture make almost impossible for SMEs to benefit of the know-how developed inside the research centers. On the other side, the interest of academia for SMEs in very low and most of the research carried out has broader interests. For these reasons exchanges and relationships among research centres and small enterprises are difficult, with negative impact on economic development and job creation. The problem of transferring know-how from A2B thus becomes crucial; mainly in the field of the new ICTs, since these are the basis for deep process, product, work, organisation innovations. The objective of this WG is therefore threefold: develop methodologies for promoting transfer of innovations from academia to enterprises; promote relationships and exchanges among SMEs, researchers and administrators for developing integration between academia and business; create a data base of best practices, informations, services for those SMEs willing to introduce new technologies.

Description of work

The activity of the workgroup will start with:

• Mapping of specializations and activities supporting the technological development of enterprises in Andhra Pradesh, the italian regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Liguria, the Valencia province.
• Mapping of actual methodologies adopted in transferring technological innovation to enterprises.
• Mapping of actual relationships among research centres and enterprises.
• Description of additional services (e.g. professional training associated with technological transfer, technical assistance, etc.) offered to enterprises from technological research structures.
• Identification of difficulties and obstacles to development of relationships among from A2B.

On the basis of the findings, the group will suggest possible forms of cooperation between academia and enterprises (institutional building) and means to facilitate the transfer of technical and scientific research from A2B. The proposal will be discussed in the workshop with researchers, entrepreneurs and public administrators and/or managers of development agencies.

Experts involved in this workgroup: 7

Deliverables

As final product, trough the platform, an “A2B portal” will spread all the usefull information for disseminating know how and findings from the research centers and for making possible for SMEs to get in touch with the research centers.