Innovation and Technology Transfer as the Third Pillar of Modern University

Dr.sc.ing. Ilmārs Vīksne Head of Prototype Development Center Department of Business and Innovation

Budapest, January 28-29, 2016

RTU Strategy

Number of Students<- Total Number of Students

Number of Foreign Students ->

Personnel in 2015

Alumni in 2015

Reserch Funding in 2014

RTU Vision and Mission• Mission:

– To ensure internationally competitive high quality scientific research, tertiary education, technology transfer and innovation for Latvian national economy and the society.

• Vision:– Riga Technical University – a modern and

prestigious University, internationally recognized as the leading university of science and innovation in the Baltic States – a cornerstone of the development of Latvia.

Objectives and Values

Horizontal Priorities

Research Platforms

Key Targets for 2020

Patents

RTU Advisory Board

• The Advisory Board acts to promote RTU growth, determining the course of its strategic development in accordance with the needs of the national economy.

• The Advisory Board meets fourtimes a year.

Members of the Advisory Board

• 31 members• More than 2/3 from industry

Internal Structural Units

Units Responsible for Innovation

• Department of Business and Innovation.

• Innovation and Technology TransferCentre.

• Design Factory.• Career Centre:

– Student Incubator.

Close cooperation with faculty.

Promotion of RTU Innovations

• Meetings with stakeholder.• The use of the Internet tools.• Venture fairs and exhibitions.• The use of technology transfer

networks and innovation center networks.

• The use of the business – incubators.• Creation of spin-offs and start-ups.

Industry Interests

• Quick solution to individual problem is needed.

• Research-based businessdevelopment is needed.

• University level input for training of personnel.

The Previous Cooperation with Industry

The New Cooperation Model

Department of Business and Innovation

• The main objectives:– Commercialization of RTU knowledge and

inventions;– Promotion of RTU products in the market;– Ensuring of a prototype

design, pilot production and testing;– Creation a one-stop agency in

cooperationwith the faculties;

– Facilitation of interuniversity cooperation;

– Creation of a mentor network;– Consulting of industry representatives and

RTU faculty.

Structure• Department of Business and Innovation

includes:– RTU Business Development Center;– RTU Prototype Development Center.

• DBI supervises RTU Alumni Association.

Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre• The main objectives:

– Intellectual property protection and development;

– Identification of new technologies andlicensing;

– Technology transfer process assurance;

– Organization of conferences, seminars, visits;

– Search for cooperation partners.

Services for Researchers

• Consultations in IP questions.• Preparation and submission of

patent application.• Preparation of agreements.• Cooperation offers form

industry.• Visits in companies etc.

RTU Design Factory• Design Factory

– facilitates interdisciplinary of research and education,

– ensures sustainable development ofinnovations and

– promotes cooperation with the industry.• Rapid prototyping services for students,

researchers, employees and external clients.

The Lab

• 3d printing on FDM machines.• Large format.• Vinyl cutting.• Basic electronic workshop.• Product development consulting.

The Lab is an open type laboratory.

Student Incubator

• Designed to assist students with a desire to start a business. The project coordinated by Career Centre.

• Operating since 2010.• Selected student teams:

– in 2015 – 15;– total – 55.

Services

• Mentoring.• Technology consulting.• Business, marketing and financial

consulting.• Accountant services.• Legal advice• Open office with conference and

meeting rooms.

RTU Grants

• RTU supports– demonstration projects;– commercialization projects.

• RTU grant is up to 8500,-EUR.• Industrial partner should finance at

least 30% of the project total costs.• Duration: 1 year.• Supported projects: 7-8 pre year.

Some Current Projects• Synthesis of optically active quinuclidine

derivatives using homogeneous catalysis („Olainfarm”, JST)

• Innovative high-temperature insulation materials(„Keramserviss”, Ltd)

• High performance low shrinkage nano-fiber concrete having composite fibers, („Consolis”, Ltd)

• Development and optimization of self- diagnostics for intellectual artificial limbs utilizing vibration feedbacks („Tehniskā Ortopēdija”, Ltd)

Research Information System

UseScience

Issues Related to aProduct

• An idea is not based on real needs of the market.

• Same technology other product.• Same product other theology.• Scaling-up process:

– from lab scale to

production!!!

Missing Link

TRL1 TRL2 TRL3 TRL4 TRL5 TRL6 TRL7 TRL8 TRL9

Research funds Development funds

TRL 5: Large scale prototype tested in intended environment. TRL 6: Prototype system tested in intended environment close to expected performance.

EloKIT™ Technology – a unique combination of special reagents and molecular techniques, which guarantees the exceptional accuracy of the proposed method. The test for almost any strain of bacteria can be developed to be used in any substrate (meat, dairy, drinks, beer, water, vegetables, etc.)

Available products:• EloKIT ww™ - a 1st generation 25 minute

test for detection of yeast & moulds in water and dairy products (shows overall presence of microorganisms, regardless of viability).

• EloKIT vita™ - a 2nd generation 25 minute test for detection of yeast & moulds in water and dairy products (distinguishes live vs dead cells)

Conelum

Issues Related to Researcher

• Dilemma: business development or research.

• Further research instead of productdevelopment.

• Scientific excellence instead of needs of potential client.

• Are my idea and author rightsprotected?

Limiting Factors for Partnership with Industry

• Quality and size of local companies.• Many technology-based companies

are a subsidiaries of foreign parent company.

• Local industry mainly looks only for students and workforce training.

Experience to Learn

• Demonstrate your experience, butdon’t show the solution.

• Make contract with a company assoon as possible.

• Try to avoid direct contact between company representatives and your researchers as long as possible.

• Include detailed list of expectedoutputs in the contract.

Product Design and Development

• Course code: IUE550• Course status: Compulsory• Course level: Post-graduate

Studies• Credits points: 6.0 ECTS• Field of study: Innovations

Course Outline• Project proposals, teams and management.• Identification of customer needs. Product

specification.• Concept development and testing.• Product planning. Selection of the

concept.• New product development.• Architecture of the products. Industrial

design.Prototyping.

• Patents and intellectual property.• Project economic analysis.

Assignments• The project groups with 4-6 members.• Project contains:

– 5 assignments,– development of prototype and– presentation of the project results.

• Final grade composes from:– 70% evaluation of assignments,– 30% evaluation of the prototype and final

project presentation.

Industry-Oriented and Project-Based Learning

• Current project: European Platform for Innovation and Collaboration between Engineer Students

(from September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2016)

• Previous project: CollaborativePlatform for Systems Engineering

EPICES PartnersSupméca - Institut supérieur de Aalto University, Finlandmécanique de Paris, France

KU Leuven, Belgium

Europen Society for Engineering Education, Belgium

Riga Technical University, Latvia

Universita di Napoli Federico II, Italy

Politecnico di Torino, Italy

Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain

Project-Based Learning• are central, not peripheral to the Curriculum;• are focused on questions/problems that “drive”

students to encounter the central concepts and principles of a discipline;

• involve students in a constructive investigation;• are student-driven to some significant degree;• are realistic, not school-like.

Source: Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning.

Experience• 25 projects;• Different kind of

industrialpartner: SME,

transnational company or research center;• Involving Bachelor and/or Master 1 and/or

Master 2 students, from different countries and backgrounds;

• The projects with or without at-a-distance collaborative format;

• The projects with or without international context.

Organization of StudiesA company proposes a project expertise from

different engineeringfields.

Industrial and academic partners discuss in order to better define and validate the subject.

Groups of students are formed in both universities in order to create a team.

A kick-off meeting is organized with all people involved in the

project, at the industrial company.

Students carry out their project while staying in their home university and using the tools of

collaborative engineering. They are tutored by the teachers and the industrial company providing the

subject

The work is assessed by industrial and academic tutors.

Issues Linked toCompanies

• How to deal with such projects, as companies are in general only familiar with internships, but not tutored projects?

• How to clearly make companies understand that students have a limited amount of time and that indulgence about their work if often needed?

Issues Linked to AcademicInstitutions

• How to deal with the recruitment of teachers?

• How to deal with the differentacademic curricula?

• How to better involve students?• How to organize assessment?

Experience to Learn

• Cooperate on a project with any formal agreement and document.

• Have small group in the sameinstitution (up to 5 students).

• Develop long-term cooperation.• Create non-homogeneous

teams.• Do not give enough autonomy to

thestudents.

External Environment

Governmental Actors

• Ministry of Education and Science.• Ministry of Economics.• Investment and Development Agency of

Latvia.• Ministry of Finance.• The Central Finance and Contracting

Agency.• Latvian Council of Science.• Other.

ERDF

Practice- Oriented Research, 65.0+1.9M

Innovation Vouchers for SME’s, 6.6+1.2M

Regional Business

Incubators, 27.9M

Technology Accelerator

, 15.0M

Product Development

in Competence Centers, 52.3M

Innovation Support by EUFunds

Practice-Oriented Research

Knowledge-based bio-economy

Medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology

Intelligent materials, technologies and

engineeringICT

Subjects

Non-Governmental Actors

• Green Technology Incubator.• Technology Centre of Latvia.• Competence Centers.• Latvia Technology Park.• Regional business incubators.• Other.

Green Technology Incubator• Support fields:

– Production of renewable energy;– Production of energy efficient products

and materials for buildings;– Clean transportation;– Water management;– Waste management;– Eco design.

GIIC Services

• Business consulting services;• Coaching;• Project development;• Internationalization;• Shared office & production

premises.

GIIC Services

• Business consulting services;• Coaching;• Project development;• Internationalization;• Shared office & production

premises.

Example: Starch-Based Polymer

Technology Centre of Latvia

• The Center promotes– cooperation between industry andeducational/ research institutions;– creation of knowledge-based SMEs;– international cooperation of SMEs.

• The Center is a partner ofEnterprise Europe Network

Competence Centres

Forest IndustryCompetence Centre

Electrical and Optical Equipment Industry Competence Centre

Environment , Bioenergetics and Biotechnology Competence Centre

Latvia Technology Park

• Objectives:– To support launching and

development of technology-based and innovative business activity;

– To improve the recognition of Latvian research-dependent and market- oriented products.

Activities of Latvia Technology Park

• Activities:– Providing start-up support to

innovative enterprises;– Involving of new specialists and

students in innovation process;– Assisting in finding investors

andcooperation partners;

– Organization of informative seminarsand conferences.

Questions to Discuss

• To what extent should an university develop new technology without external finance?

• Spin-offs versus licensing patents: what is the better solution in an long-term perspective?

Thank you for yourattention!