Abstract

University environments allow researchers to carry out curiosity-driven, fundamental research, and many for-profit companies conduct “last-mile” studies to effectively implement breakthrough ideas. But that can leave a yawning gap between fundamental knowledge and effective real-world deployment, hampering the broad uptake of game-changing developments. Finding actors with the experience, expertise, and equipment to bridge such a gap can be a serious challenge.

This session will enter in the heart of Research Manager and Administrator teams from Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) to discover why they can be such actors. RTOs and universities, with their complementary strengths, can align Research & Innovation towards our societal challenges. In other words, they can form the “perfect match” by joining forces to achieve maximum impact.

Three leading European RTOs, DTI, VITO and Leitat, with a long experience of collaborating with universities will present a session centered on the benefits of creating strong lasting collaborations between RTOs and universities.

During this session, we will illustrate that RTOs can make the perfect partner for universities by answering the questions:

• How RMA teams from RTO work within their organization to initiate innovation projects?
• What makes an RTO charming for industry?
• How can we create societal impact together?
• What makes RTOs addressing global challenges?

Through the presentation of concrete examples, we expect the audience to acquire 1) a clear understanding of why an increased collaboration between universities and RTOs is a win-win and a must for ensuring Europe’s transition to a sustainable, digital and resilient society.