Creating future Technology Transfer Professionals

Marina SilveriiASTER – Science Technology Business

Roma, 20th November 20074th Roving Workshop on the Dissemination of IP knowledge at Universities

AimReflect upon Technology Transfer professional profile and its competences

AimReflect upon Technology Transfer professional profile and its competences

Aim and contents of the presentation

Contents• What is Aster and why we deal with Human

Capital Development• TT professional: needs, contexts, key elements• TT professional: competences and training• TT professional: mutual recognition

ASTER’s Shareholders

Bussinesses organisations:

• Unioncamere Emilia-Romagna (Federation of Emilia-Romagna Chambers of Commerce)

•CNA Emilia-Romagna (Confederation of the micro and SMEs)

•Confartigianato Emilia-Romagna (Confederation of micro and SMEs)

•Confcommercio Emilia-Romagna (Confederation for Trade)

• Confcooperative Emilia-Romagna (Confederation of Cooperatives)

• Confindustria Emilia-Romagna (Confederation of Industries)

• Legacoop Emilia-Romagna (Cooperatives League)

• Unionapi Emilia-Romagna (Confederation of SMEs)

• Regional Services Centres (Cercal, Cermet, Cesma, Citer, Quasco)

Regional Government:

• Emilia-Romagna Region

Universities and Research Centres:

• National Council of Research (CNR)

• University of Bologna

• University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

• University of Ferrara

• University of Parma

• University “La Cattolica” – Piacenza

• National Body for Energy, Environment, Innovation (ENEA)

• National Institute of Astrophisics (INAF)

Regional Government share: 29,5%Universities/Research Centres share: 54,5%

Aster is a Consortium

Over 400,000 enterprisesStrong entrepreneurial attitude: 80,000 are

manufacturing enterprises, 1 every 10 inhabitants

Over 130,000 microenterprises: 97% with less than 20 employees (average 5.2 per enterprise)

3,000 cooperatives

Highly qualified research offer10-11% of national total of researchers

13-15% of national research production

Emilia-Romagna: a regional overview

Services for Innovation, Research Promotion

and Technology Transfer

Business Creation

Human Capital Human Capital DevelopmentDevelopment

Coordination and animation of the Emilia-Romagna High Technology Network

International activities

Regional networking for knowledge

Technical Assistance on Research & Innovation

to the E-R Regional Government

ASTER ActivitiesASTER Activities

Aster and Human Capital DevelopmentAster and Human Capital Development

Development of skills and competences related to technological transfer, industrial research and management of innovation

In enterpriseInnovation Manager

In research laboratory Industrial Researcher

Between enterprise and laboratory Technology Transfer Professional

In enterpriseInnovation Manager

Absorptive capacity is defined as the ability to assimilate and replicate new knowledge gained from external sources. The organization needs prior related knowledge to assimilate and use new knowledge (Cohen e Levinthal, 1990).

In laboratoryIndustrial Researcher If they know needs and functioning of the enterprise they are able to cooperate with them and to develop common research projects.That means: to empower researchers’ transversal competences which are complementary to those specialized they already have

Development of new competencesDevelopment of new competences

M-ASTER: aims at developing skills and professional identity of the Emilia-Romagna young researchers involved in industrial research and technological transfer activities

The M-Aster training programme includes:– M-Aster EVENTS: a series of conferences– M-Aster LAB: a training pathway: Lectures,

Thematic seminars, Project Work – M-Aster DOC: a week training module for

PhD students of regional universities

A concrete activity: M-AsterA concrete activity: M-Aster

Technology Transfer Professional Needs

Technology Transfer Professional can develop several activities, in different contexts at national and international level.

This role is considered strategic for the success of the European Research Area

The recognition/accreditation of the profile at European level is needed.

How to achieve this goal?

Common competences

Ideal training course

Professional standards

European CV: common career structure and path

Technology Transfer Professional Key elements

TT Professional can be involved in different areas

Technology commercialization

Technology Transfer

Technology Managemen

t

Technology change

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge managemen

t

Innovation

Innovation managemen

t

Intellectual property

Patent & protection

Research & Developmen

t

Technology Transfer Professional Fields of activity

TT Professional can work in different kind of organizations

• Universities (TTOs) • PROs • Scientific Parks• Consortia for Innovation• Industry• Industry Associations• Chambers of Commerce• Non-Profit Organizations (foundations)

Technology Transfer Professional Working Contexts

The ideal Technology Transfer Professional should develop a mixture of skills in order to solve technical and human problems

• Business-management skills

• Technical (scientific and legal) skills

• Social skills

Technology Transfer Professional Competences

CERT-TTT-M Consortium (2007), Key Elements of Education Programme for “Certified Trans-National TT Professionals” WP1/D1.3

Business/management skills

Commercial awareness in specific business areas such as finance and marketing:

• allows actors to make informed strategic decisions • assists to recognize business opportunities at an early stage

New business development: the strategic approach pursued to ensure the growth of the enterprise, considering various options of technology transfer available and their impact on the economic success of the firm

See also: Marketing & selling; Project management/finance; Personal organization (multiple projects & skills integration), etc.

Technology Transfer Professional Competences

Technical (legal and scientific) skills

Industry-specific expertise: the specific technical knowledge of a product. Understanding the technical side of the product may seem necessary in evaluating the possibilities to commercialize a technology.

It can be something of a burden to non-technical technology transfer professionals

Knowledge of intellectual property rights and licensing

See also: contracting; IP management; etc.

Technology Transfer Professional Competences

Social skills

Communication: a set of information exchanges. Various factors can negatively affect communications between parties, such as differences in skills base (technical, market or product-related) or language and cultural differences

Negotiation: a set of interactions through which two parties influence each other’s perceptions. Organizations often fail to benefit from the commercialization of their technology partly because of poor negotiation skills

Networking: building and maintaining contacts with various networks. These networks may be seen as social networks that promote the creation and transfer of knowledge

See also: Coaching/leadership, etc.

Technology Transfer Professional Competences

Training programmes on technology transfer actually available in Europe

The courses present different characteristics for type, duration, provider.

There are Master programmes; Parts of programmes; Summer schools; Workshops & Seminars; Certificated courses; Crash courses.

They are offered by universities and associations.

The main contents focuses on law and management. The intellectual property courses are an intersection of both groups.

Data from a survey conducted on 134 courses in 20 European countries: Management Centre Innsbruck (2007), WP2 Technical Features. Survey of European TT education programmes, Consortium CERT-TTT-M

Technology Transfer Professional Certified Training

Technology Transfer Professional Certified Training

Available courses on TT: details of the contents

Law focused courses

Intellectual property

Management focused courses

• Information society• Industrial application claims• Patent protection• Inventive step/patentably requirements• Trade secrets• Unfair competition• United States/European patent convention• Competition law• Industrial design law• French patent rights• Industrial property law international conventions

• Information resource management• Decision making• R&D economic development• Technology impact analysis• Defining innovation strategy• Project management• Information systems• Operation management• Technology transfer• Business decisions• Technology management

Existing training programmes in general don’t satisfy such professional needs of competences

• A number of courses are already available but they don’t cover the full range of skills needed for a technology transfer professional

• Courses are designed at a national/local level while a European approach should be required

• Certification may be available but only at a national level while recognition/accreditation of qualification among European countries is needed

Technology Transfer Professional Certified Training

Training programmes which could be recognised at European level have to be developed by considering

• The Lisbon Convention on Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education (1997) and the Bologna Process scenarios (1999)

• European tools for transparency of learning outcomes (ECTS, Diploma Supplement, European and National Qualifications Frameworks)

• Agreements among different institutions which can lead up to Joint Degrees

Technology Transfer Professional Certified Training

Some key elements

-Academic recognition versus professional recognition

-Top down versus bottom up approach

-Regulated profession versus profession recognized in a wide social setting

-Professional profile versus function

Technology Transfer Professional Mutual Recognition

What can be done?

Define shared ideal training courses based on best practices and developed according with European standards in higher education

Agree on mutual recognition of qualification among European Member States

Promote collaboration among national and international stakeholders (public institutions, universities, enterprises, professional networks) in order to identify common professional standards and career development

Technology Transfer Professional Next Future

What kind of initiatives are taking place?

•PROTON Europe initiative on accreditation and certification system for Knowledge Transfer Officers presents an interesting bottom up approach

Technology Transfer Professional Important initiatives

•The European project Certified Transnational Technology Transfer Manager is a bottom-up-intiative by 11 European partners aimed at building up a framework to qualify TT-Managers on a trans-national level and with mutual recognition in EuropeEuropean Commission Communication 182 (2007) Improving knowledge transfer between research institutions and industry across Europe: embracing open innovation

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

marina.silverii@aster.it

www.aster.it