Bridging the gap
Introduction
Innovative ideas are essential to tackling societal challenges. At the same time, these ideas can be transferred to society to create added value. Imagine ideas originating from different sources coming together to address societal challenges while simultaneously adding value and boosting our economy. This is not a dream; it is innovation based on public-private partnerships, where two sources of ideas merge.
The aim is clear, but the path is difficult. Private and public research actors have many differences, primarily due to the economic objectives of the private sector compared to the knowledge advancement goals of the public sector. These differences create two distinct operational and functional systems. Efforts to find commonalities and shared purposes are necessary for these two worlds to meet.
Innovation managers are key players in bridging these two worlds. They work in public research organizations or universities, with their main purpose being to establish and foster fruitful collaborations with private sector companies. These collaborations can take various forms, from simple services to fully co-created projects where innovation in the company’s processes is the core focus.
Finding the perfect match is not easy. Innovative ideas are not always on the surface, ready to be used. Instead, they emerge when both parties start to understand each other's strengths, gaps, and even weaknesses in their value chains. For this innovative leap to happen, trust is needed, and it is the role of the innovation manager to foster this trust among partners.
Nowadays, the roles of innovation managers and tech transfer officers are booming. Strategic national and regional visions are promoting these public-private collaborations, and the market demands these professionals. While innovation managers focus more on establishing and nurturing these ecosystems, tech transfer officers are more concerned with the details and legal aspects of knowledge transfer. However, depending on the organization, these two roles can sometimes overlap.
Practice case
Are you ready to experience some of the tasks that an Innovation Manager performs?
Get ready for the Innovation Manager REBECA Practice case! Remember, this practice case does not prepare you to become an Innovation Manager; it only helps you decide if this is the profession for you.
After completing the case, please do the reflection exercises. They will help you clarify what you have experienced and make informed decisions.
Requisites to perform this Practice case
None.
Who are you?
You are working as an innovation manager at the technology transfer office at Research Institute of IMDEA Water. You are responsible for expanding your institution’s collaboration opportunities with industrial partners.
NOTE: we have created this practice case based on this institute, but you can select any institute you prefer.
Before venturing into any search of collaboration, you need to understand the competencies of your research institute and understand your strengths.
ACTION: check the strategic research areas of your research institute and make a list of competencies that your institute excels in.
NOTE: Innovation managers and tech transfer officer not only know the research areas but also understand the technology transfer level (TRL) of the outcomes of this research. Understanding the full potential of the institute is key to their job, and innovation managers often hold rounds of meetings with researchers at their institute/university to excel in this task.
Now that you know what your strengths in terms of your competencies are, you also need to know the areas your research teams do not cover, so you can avoid looking for potential partnerships in those areas. A good way to define the boundaries of your institute’s strategy is to benchmark against similar institutions.
ACTION: compare your strategic research areas with other institute research areas (NIVA and DVGW ) and make a list of areas you do not cover.
As an innovation manager, your aim is to enhance the innovation capacity of your institution, meaning converting the research outcomes into solutions applicable in industrial processes or products. Therefore, it is crucial to understand market needs and trends.
ACTION: check the following website and make a list of the challenges that water management faces and potential new solutions mentioned in these websites .
NOTE: In real life, you will be subscribed to several newsletters from sector-specific businesses or institutional associations to stay updated on market trends and sector challenges.
Now that you know the research competencies and their potential applications within company’s value chain, you are ready to engage with potential private collaborators. One way to start gathering potential collaborators (leads in the world of sales) is by showcasing your competencies in specific conferences or brokerage events.
ACTIONS: make a list of potential sector-specific conferences or B2B matchmaking events that you can attend.
NOTE: You can attend these conferences and brokerage events by setting up a stand or participating in B2B matchmaking meetings. A parallel action to ensure effective outreach is to be included in the agenda as a speaker on a panel or workshop at a conference, allowing you to showcase your portfolio.
You are attending to the CONNECTING SESSION | B2B meetings – Sustainability in the water sector , and have booked a slot for a B2B meeting with Veolia Environment, and EUROWATER.
ACTION: Prepare a pitch of your product(s) that can bring solutions to a process of one of these two companies.
TIP FROM THE EXPERT: Often, companies do not initially recognize the needs that external collaborators can solve. It is important to understand their operations by asking questions and then proposing potential solutions or added value to their processes.
Thanks to your advanced communication skills and hard work during networking events, you have been invited to the Water Knowledge Europe 2023 – Networking and Brokerage Event . You have been given a 10 minute slot to present your institution research.
OPTIONAL ACTION: prepare a few slides with the main messages of your research outputs and potential uses in innovation processes, focusing on the challenges that they tackle.
You are now completing your outreach strategy by focusing on your regional ecosystem. To search for potential collaborators, you are preparing an info day on one of your main technologies.
ACTION: Craft the agenda of the event, following the next steps:
NOTE: please, find a few suggestions to craft and agenda:
- Select the technology you want to showcase
- Choose a main speaker to provide background on the importance of innovation in the area where your products can provide solutions or added value. This could be a relevant authority in your region, a representative of a venture capital firm discussing the added value of certain products, or a government funding or regulatory body official if there are funding opportunities or other incentives.
- Select a research expert that can talk about the state-of-the art technologies in the area.
- Choose your best researcher to discuss your insitutions’ research outputs.
- Include a session where companies can discuss their activities with researchers from your institute, such as in a world café format.
- Include a networking session, like a cocktail lunch
It is time to create the list of invited companies. You have decided to host an exclusive event with only eight companies. You will select these companies from your contact database, which includes companies you have previously collaborated with, provided services to, or shared alumni with
ACTION: create a list from this database of companies that you think they will be interested in your selected topic.
NOTE: These contacts are your prospects, potential collaborators with whom you need to foster your relationships. All communications must be conducted in a cordial and respectful manner to nurture these relationships.
Your efforts to establish a potential partnership have been successful; one company is interested in collaborating with your research institute. They are a biotechnology agri-food company innovating in their irrigation systems. After a quick talk with you and one of the research leaders at your info day, they believe you can work together to create an innovative system for irrigating lands using saline water. It is your job to bring both parties together: researchers and company representatives. Your main aim for this first meeting is to ensure both parties understand each other.
ACTION: Write a series of questions for the company representatives that helps to researchers to understand the process the company wants to improve.
NOTE: Often, exploring and gaining deep knowledge of a process can lead to innovative solutions. Researchers may propose innovative ideas that tackle the issue from an unexpected perspective. Your role is to maintain constant synergy between both parties.
After a series of successful meetings, the partnership has established clear objectives. The project is starting to take shape. Project managers and tech transfer officers dealing with project details and intellectual property rights are being involved in what could be a long process. Although your role has become secondary, you will oversee the entire process and continue fostering the relationship.
END
Acknowledgements
This practice case has been created thanks to the input of three innovation managers:
- Nicola Doppio, Open Innovation Manager at Hub Innovazione Trentino.
- Zsolt Istvan, Head of RDI management at University of Miskolc
- Szilárd Pércsi, Business Development Manager at Bay Zoltán Nonprofit Ltd
They also validated this case after its development.
Guided reflection
After this experience, we suggest you reflect on the following questions:
- Did you find the practice case easy or difficult to accomplish?
- What was the most engaging task for you? Was it difficult or easy?
- What was the most challenging task for you? Did you enjoy performing it? Would you see yourself getting better at it?
- Have you found something new about this profession? What was it? Did it surprise you? Did you like it or dislike it?
- Do you feel like contacting a scientific journalist in your network and research a little bit about the profession? Where would you find it?
Further information
Coming soon