Courtesy of Visyon & VRi - ViRe Instruments.
Driving technology transfer in Catalonia Bolstered by a mature research ecosystem in Catalonia, TECNIOspring PLUS provided a means for talented researchers to develop applied research projects, nurturing innovation for industries. The project has been a catalyst for technology transfer and for building careers in R&D. Catalonia is the
backdrop to one of Europe’s most thriving start-up ecosystems, with more than 1,900 Start-ups. Catalonia has been developing connections, networks and funnels for researchers and their projects to feed directly into industry. The Return on Investment (RoI) in developing careers, innovations and creating priceless farreaching professional relationships has been and continues to be, substantial. The TECNIOspring PLUS programme has received funding under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant, from the European Research and Innovation program Horizon 2020, funding agreement No 712949. It funds innovation hubs for applied sciences, called TECNIO Centres, as well as technology and companies. TECNIOspring is an evolving programme. The initial TECNIOspring project was followed first by TECNIOspring PLUS and then, by Tecniospring INDUSTRY. The thread through them all is in facilitating ambitious talent in applied research over two-year contractual periods for senior researchers. Advanced training in technology transfer is identified through TECNIOspring as the
54
key to pushing Research and Development (R&D) milestones into scalable market-driven innovations. The scheme provides up to 100% of financial support for researchers undertaking applied research projects, offering them close support with training, outreach and networking. This programme has been co-
Since the inception of the programme, companies have increasingly embraced the opportunities made accessible for R&D. In the first call of TECNIOspring PLUS, the number of companies awarded with the grant was just 2 out of the 17 selected projects. In contrast, by the third and last call of the programme, there were 9 out of
A highlight of the TECNIOspring programme has been that it allows for close collaboration with other international universities and companies in a well-developed research ecosystem. This is good not only for the notoriety and career of the researcher but also for the centre or company involved. financed by the EU’s Marie SkłodowskaCurie Actions and ACCIÓ, the latter acting as managing beneficiary. ACCIÓ is the Agency for Competitiveness from the Government of Catalonia, and its different programmes promote internationalisation and innovation to Catalan companies.
32. In the programme that followed, called Tecniospring INDUSTRY, the number of companies increased to 27 out of 67. Over recent years, the TECNIOspring concept has become a proven entity for supporting businesses and organisations, with talented researchers placed into an increasing number
EU Research
