Through the H2020 ACCELERATE project, partners work on strengthening the bond between Research Infrastructures and industrial communities to provide the latter with the necessary support and tools for their applied research.
The first step and pillar for building a long-lasting collaboration with the industry starts with the creation of the network, the deeper understanding of their needs and challenges, and how they can be faced efficiently. The development of the necessary tools and procedures is of key importance to ensure a smooth collaboration. These include the commercial access processes, IP agreements, handbook for the industry, etc.
A set of activities and events are being implemented to support reaching the above objectives. They can be categorized as follow:
Industrial network’s creation and strengthening
CERIC, HZG and ESP Central, in collaboration with the project’s partners, organized Research to Business (R2B) events to create the opportunity to meet with industrial representatives, present the techniques and facilities available in the landscape of RIs, discuss the common challenges of the industry, as well as potential solutions based on previous experiences and projects. This kind of events gives the possibility to explore joint collaborations.
ACCELERATE: from Month-1 to now
Research to Business events
The Research to Business events organized until now took place in different regions in Europe: Trieste (Italy) – More info, Prague (Czech Republic) – More info and Amsterdam (The Netherlands) – More info:
Below is a general overview of R2B events’ participation:
After each event, CERIC follows-up with the participating companies by providing additional technical information about the analysis/facilities and by exploring potential cooperation, also in future joint projects planned.
Industrial trainings
It is important for Research Infrastructures to provide a fruitful environment to researchers and Industrial Liaison (IL) officers, to share and exchange know-how and best practices, also by providing training opportunities.
In the framework of ACCELERATE, workshops and interactive discussions took place, on the key aspects to build a strong relation between industry and Research Infrastructures starting from the first steps of the process.
Examples of training activities organised by CERIC include:
- The training for industrial PhD students, April 2018 in Barcelona – Spain. More info.
- The presentation for ILOs, Research Infrastructures and industry representatives, January 2018 in Trieste – Italy. More info.
- Training for Industrial Liaison Officers scheduled in September 2018 in Vienna – Austria. More info.
Handbook for the Industry
CERIC, in collaboration with the project’s partners, is developing a booklet which includes carefully chosen data related to the different techniques available through CERIC and the industrial sectors in which they could be applied.
This handbook is created following numerous interviews with researchers at CERIC’s Partner Facilities who provided insights from past experiences on the utilities of each technique and the kind of research challenges they can tackle.
The purpose of this handbook is to provide the industry with an easy, handy and practical tool through which they can systematically select the techniques needed for their research projects.