Newsletter – Issue 2

New and innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) organisations are driven by and benefit from STEM graduates able to innovate, develop and deliver value to society. As the funding and number of people in research increases (DETE, 2021), there is a growing focus on increasing the impact, commercialisation, and valorisation of research, be it commercially or government funded. This has increased interest in making universities ‘more entrepreneurial’ and implies that in addition to being excellent researchers and knowledge-experts, STEM graduates may also need to be more entrepreneurial…

As a part of the first research phase of the STEM Valorise project, we conducted the ‘Valorisation Synthesis Training Investigation Report’ and presented our 5-month long work on the status of valorisation of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research data in Europe. In particular, the investigation report provides a comprehensive understanding of the need for valorisation and research-driven entrepreneurship training for 1st stage STEM researchers, as well as defining the term ‘valorisation of research results’, including a description of the process, stakeholders involved, general barriers and drivers…

In the first stage of the STEM Valorise project, we had the chance to interview experts, researchers on the meaning of the term valorisation. In the following stage, we explored more deeply researchers’ STEM valorisation stories with an emphasis on the challenges as well as lessons learned.As consortium partners, we discussed the making of the lighthouse stories extensively. Initially, we had the idea of finding fail stories as well as success stories, but this proved to be a challenge, in and of itself, as those who have tried and failed in the journey had proven difficult to locate. This stems from the difficulty in understanding failure…

As part of our STEM Valorise project, partners are conducting interviews with researchers and entrepreneurs that have undergone the valorisation process of their research. The University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) has recently interviewed Alessandro Rolfo, a biomedical researcher at the University of Turin (Italy) and co-founder of Corion Biotech S.r.l. With a background in Medical Biotechnologies and a PhD in Clinical Science and Human Reproduction, Alessandro has successfully kicked off his own company, researching therapeutical applications for pregnancy-related disorders, pregnancy physiopathology, and preeclampsia…

Diana Gonzalez Girones is a pharmacist with a PhD in biomedicine. Diana has always been interested in applied medicine and improving patient health and care. In her role as Senior Technology Transfer & Innovation Manager at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Diana currently works with the Intellectual Property that is generated at the institute. In this role Diana takes the technologies developed at IBEC and supports their development to Technology Readiness Level 3-4. Thereafter, Diana may look for companies to co-develop and licence the technology. On the other hand, she also helps register the interest of… 

The Demonstrator Lab is an entrepreneurship laboratory where students, staff and academics from Amsterdam-based universities can transform their ideas into a tangible product or service. Founded in 2017, by Davide Iannuzzi and powered by the Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA) – the knowledge transfer office of the universities of Amsterdam – the Demonstrator Lab aims to connect science and business by providing a learning-by-doing environment. Its goal is to foster an entrepreneurial culture in the higher education ecosystem of the city and to boost research-driven innovation by giving its members the opportunity…

Dr İsmail Koyuncu is an excellent example of a STEM academic who has expanded his research to generate impact for the broader society. As we were interviewing him, it was easy to notice the excitement in his eyes while talking about engineering which he holds very high since his early school life. “Being the son of a primary school teacher was influential in my career” he explains. Besides having his father as a role model in helping the society, his teachers in science and mathematics inspired him on the value of production and progress. He was very determined to become a STEM researcher in high school. His determination…

Valorisation as a concept is growing in significance but there remains a tension within universities around focusing solely on ‘tangible benefits’ from research and how this process may limit creativity and indirect discoveries. The translation of research into products, processes or services is important in evidencing the impact and therefore providing convincing arguments to secure ongoing funding for research, however, one of the interviewees eloquently articulated the need to recognise that research has inherent risks and will not always achieve the anticipated outputs or outcomes.  The importance of valuing and continuing to support…

From research to industry’ was a mission statement back in 1945 of the French government-funded research organisation  The Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission – CEA (French: Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives). For over 70 years, it contributes to improving the competitiveness of French businesses and economy, and today it ranks among the top 100 innovation organisations in the world.For years CEA has led a number of research programmes to increase scientific knowledge and contribute to innovation and technology transfer in areas such as low carbon…