Technology Transfer Archives - Das STZ im Einsatz

Alpine Research and Innovation Capacity Governance – kick-off meeting

A project of Steinbeis Danube Center, Austria

Milano, 26.11.2019: Steinbeis project manager Roxana Boboruta attends A-Ring kick-off meeting as observer. A-RING’s main project goal is to establish the basis for an effective and permanent transnational cooperation among different levels and actors, to develop a shared R&I policies for the Alpine Region (AR). The project fosters mutual recognition among policymaking, clusters, research and business, enhancing an active role of R&I bodies in local and regional development and innovation in strategic topics within AR.

Steinbeis Donau Zentrum located in Vienna is one of the 28 partner institutions involved as observers. A-RING is financed through Interreg Alpine Space program and it is aimed to build: a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and roadmap for innovation in alpine space; an Alpine Region Open Science Lab; trainings and multi-stakeholder alpine R&I think-thank.

During kick-off meeting, expertise from Steinbeis was proposed to be delivered within Technical Panel (TP) gathering experts from the observers. Thus, Juergen Raizner – expert in Danube region and coordinating Danube Competence Group – is ready to share knowledge into activatian and implementation of working groups for Alpine Seed Labs. TP`s role is to provide work package leaders with technical guidance and suggestions.

Starting from the kick-off meeting proactive discussions in the form of design thinking were held between project partners. Concerning the subject which directly involves the observers but also the ones aimed to link alpine space with other macro-regions, questions targeted the best practices into implementing the „living lab“. How should be designed the Alpine SeedLabs? How to develop further a SeedLab? How digital and phisical space should be reconciled when implementing the concept?

Besides being available to contribute to smooth running of the project, Steinbeis Danube Competence Group through Donau Zentrum is ready to support dialogue with other stakeholders and contribute to macro-regions synergies, especially related to Danube region.

A-RING is a project with chances to achieve great results and develop a reliable SRIA (Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda). Cohesion was achieved starting with the kick-off meeting as all project partners were invited to visit the „Science & Technology Museum“ in Milan city centre. Museum offers amazing mind travel into the speed of innovation especially related to the past century: hosting 300t Toti submarine and a few miligrams of Moon rock from Apollo 11 mission offered to the President of Italy

A-RING is a project with chances to achieve great results and develop a reliable SRIA (Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda). Cohesion was achieved starting with the kick-off meeting as all project partners were invited to visit the „Science & Technology Museum“ in Milan city centre. Museum offers amazing mind travel into the speed of innovation especially related to the past century: hosting 300t Toti submarine and a few miligrams of Moon rock from Apollo 11 mission offered to the President of Italy.

Danube Rectors’ Conference Bucharest

Annual Conference 2019 – Consolidating the Role of Universities in Innovation Ecosystems: Challenges and Future Developments

Bucharest, 07.11.2019

Organizer: Danube Rectors’ Conference
Host: “Politehnica” University Bucharest

Danube Rectors Conference is a network of almost 70 universities in the Danube Region for fostering academic collaboration and lobby actions towards regional development. In order to perform these tasks, DRC maintains connections with national and international organizations, e.g. national Rectors’ Conferences, EUA, UNESCO, EU, Council of Europe, etc.

Jürgen Raizner as coordinator of Steinbeis Danube Competence Group (Stuttgart, Vienna, Bucharest, Uzhhorod) was invited as speaker to the annual event. Title of his presentation: “Science and Entrepreneurship. Synergies for economic growth“.

Technology transfer model applied by Steinbeis Network was explained to academic community as a feasible and proven method to connect industry with universities. Moreover, as a catalyst for better understanding, Jürgen Raizner presented examples from industy to point out what opportunities exist for universities to support enterprises in becoming innovation by solving problems (technology transfer). A challenge: What strategy should a well established enterprise with well known and traditional brands follow to keep its position on the market – taken into account growing international competition?

In compliance with EU strategy for Danube Regionk, tackling innovation gaps through technology transfer, Steinbeis implements also projects to foster entrepreneurship among scientists:

ifempower Erasmus + funded project not only tackles a gap in gender distribution in work fields but also opens a sensitive subject: women`s approach towards business environment in general. Entrepreneurship module built under the umbrella of this project will be piloted at partnering EU universities and promoted further.
Recently closed project under the leadership of Steinbeis center from Romania – European Early Innovators Initiative – aimed to support the entrepreneurship of young scientists by directing their focus closer to industry is another example of technology transfer that can be deepened by universities.

Given these two simple initiatives fostering university–industry collaboration in both directions: research and curricula focused on current industry and industry actors involved in education process.

Facts like Danubius Young Scientists Award should have priority for different industry departments in such a way that through technology transfer model, ideas become marketable products.

Besides its purposes, DRC serves also as platform for strengthening already existing partnerships. Thus, for Steinbeis event translated into a great opportunity for conversation to Ukrainian environment. Prof. Smolanka, rector of Uzhhrod university is already partner of Steinbeis network through Steinbeis Transfer Management Ukraine (led by Mike Nagorkin). Prof. Smolanka, as a reputated academician in Romania, /scientist, visited also STM headquarters in Palais Ghica Victoria and reinforced the partnership. So new actions are on the way to be designed.

MSCA Presidency Conference 2019

04.–05.06.2019, Bucharest: Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions to foster Scientific Excellence

Organized under the auspices of Romanian Presidency for EU Council, MSCA 2019 Presidency Conference in Bucharest has reunited more than 200 participants, national or EU experts representing universities, research institutes or private sector, from more than 30 countries. The topics discussed at this meeting aimed to extend participation and share excellence in the future framework “Horizon Europe” Program, career development and researcher mobility, including both the academic and non-academic sector, optimizing synergies between the European Research Area and the European Space of Education. Different awards were offered for various categories showing the richness of MSCA projects: “Scientific Careers for Policy Making”, “Sharing excellence”, “Innovation and Entrepreneurship”.

Steinbeis played a very active role during these conference as director of Steinbeis Romania, Jurgen Raizner was speaker at session “Inter-sectoral mobility – MSCA as a tool for launching and fostering collaborations”. The main topics were: exploiting complementary R&I competences of the organizations to synergise and implement the R&I projects; human capital in the European R&I system – counteracting innovation divide, entrepreneurial culture and business skills; opportunities for SMEs/industry, researchers and employers, working conditions. Presentation held pointed out Steinbeis experience in entrepreneurship in research field though concrete actions like European Early Innovators Program or ifempower. Moreover, components from Steinbeis model were explained as a solution not only to inter-sectoral mobility but to entrepreneurship in research in general. Thus, in the framework of transfer from knowledge source (university) to end user (economy), key characteristics of the succesful Steinbeis model were forwarded to public:

Innovation potential from Steinbeis Transfer Centers (STC) as driving force for economic growth
Economic problem solutions increase experiences and competences of the STC
Economic problems very often generate new research activities at universities
Customer initiate project start

Event website: www.msca2019.eu

Entrepreneurial thinking is a competence what researchers need to develop. Innovative Training Networks seem the be the easiest and most attractive MSCA tool to approach or to deepen the collaboration with private sector. Thus, for economic growth we need:

“A new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers, able to face current and future challenges and to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit“ (MSCA, Innovative Training Networks)

Knowledge Society and EEII

Jürgen Raizner was invited to take part at the 16th Steering Group Meeting of Priority Area 7 (“Knowledge Society”) which was hosted by Serbian coordination team and took place in the Rectorate building of the University of Belgrade on November 22^nd and 23^rd, 2018.

Interesing for the Steering Group Members: the ongoing European Early Innovators Initiative (EEII). Jürgen Raizner presented outputs and status of the project. EEII was designed to strengthen competitivness of enterprises (PA 8) but it contributes also to a stronger knowledge society in Danube Region. SG members are invited to recommend project partners for the future European Early Innovators Program (EEIP) what is currently under construction.

Steering Group decided to revise the PA 7 action plan. Inputs from stakeholders are valueable. details

Investment Management Exhibition 2018

Mission IME 2018: Bridging the Investment Gap between EU and China

Frankfurt, 20.03.2018: The Investment Management Exhibition (IME) initiates for third time the dialogue among investors and project owners. Regional focus is Central Europe, South Eastern Europe, Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Connecting Europe and China – perfectly in line with the One Belt One Road Initiative. High level participants discuss at IME several projecs to develop infrastructure which allow to simplify the collaboration. Jürgen Raizner was invited to present concrete opportunities of collaboration among East and West.

Role of Science/Technology Parks

Workshop on the role of Science/Technology Parks and Incubators in Innovation Ecosystems

Promoting Technology Transfer and Innovation

Focus on the Danube and Adriatic-Ionian Macro Regions and the Western Balkan countries Joint Research Centre

23-24 May 2017, Thessaloniki, Greece

JRC invited Jürgen Raizner to be speaker at panel “Science / Technology Parks, Incubators and the new breed of companies”. The goal of this session was to give opportunity to thought leaders in the space of science parks and incubators to share views on the current and future trends in creating and growing new companies focusing on how these new companies could look like.

Key messages, addressed by Jürgen Raizner to the more than 150 participants of the event:

Technology Transfer = Selling Patents?

How to promote technology transfer in Danube Region? In his presentation Jürgen Raizner put strong attention on the market. Most of the industrial enterprises are small or medium sized. Facts from Baden-Württemberg: approx. 8,400 industrial enterpsises exist in total. Only about 400 of them have more than 500 employees. In other countries of Danube Region the situation is similar. Raizner asks: do SME have the interest and the power to buy a technology that is developed by researchers at an university? Experiences show, that this is usually not the case. Is it in this regard really justified to expect that technology transfer offices can be successful in selling patents?

Key message 1: Demand driven, competitive technology transfer accoding the Steinbeis model is the better solution.

Market = Demand?

Creating new companies in Danube Region? Business has to be done where a market exists. Can scientific companies, technology oriented start-up enterprises find customers close to the place where they are established? Export is a solution but do companies that invest in a new technology has the power to do a proper marketing on international level. Bringing a new product or technology on the market requires significant investent to find customers, partners and in many cases some adaptations of the product, a certification, etc.

Key message 2a: more financial support is needed

Creating support infrastructure = problems solved?

Business organisations, management of STP or incubator centers provide helpful infrastructure or administrative/legel advice to the enterprises. Missing is most cases: sales promotion, internationalisation,…

Key message 2b: funding programs should not focus on R&D only but also take into account support for doing business.

Concept, Program and Presentations of the Workshop

Alpine Space: Meet and Match Forum

Challenges are identified. “Name your mountains” was the title of an workshop about framework conditions for innovation in Alpine Region. In Milan, March 21st/22nd participants from 7 countries meet to discuss needs for actions. Funding opportunities are given by Interreg for Alpine Space. Jürgen Raizner is for 2 days in Milan and contributs to the event with experiences in designing and implementing marcro-regional projects. Technology Transfer according the Steinbeis Model is a powerful tool to foster innovation in Alpine Space.

“About 250 private and public institutions representatives came together for two days of inspiring keynotes, lively workshops, and sessions showcasing the programme and project activities. The forum featured latest developments with regard to the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP), synergy and ways of combining funding sources to reach the common objectives for the Alps.” More

The Alpine Space: