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.
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.
