Transferring university technology and knowledge

1

Università Politecnica delle Marche Dipartimento
di Ingegneria Informatica, Gestionale e
dellAutomazione
Transferring university technology and knowledge
an example _at_univpm
Sauro Longhi
sauro.longhi_at_univpm.it
Knowledge Economy Forum (KEF VII) on Technology
Absorption by Innovative Small and Medium
Enterprises
2
Outline
Engineering Faculty short presentation
Student projects to introduce in the technology
complexity
Recent results on the creation of spin-off
companies
My personal experience and activities on start-up
activities
Examples ALPIQUADRO IDEA SPES
3
_at_ UNIVPM
Engineering Faculty
8 Departments
- Basic Sciences- Industrial Engineering- Civil
/ Environment Engineering - Architecture-
Information Engineering
6000 students
11 Laurea courses (1st level) (bachelor
degree) 12 Laurea magistrale (2nd level) (master
degree)
160 Professors / Assistants
4
8 Departments

• Many different research activities in the related
  field of Science and Engineering
• Many different laboratories
• Many scientific collaborations with national and
  international universities
• Many PhD courses structured in a Doctoral School
  in Science of Engineering

5
Recent policy
to improve constructive interactions between
University and Small and Medium Enterprises by
co-founding PhD fellowships (in high-tech fields)
(50 costs by University 50 cost by SME)
Results
enhancement of PhD fellowships number extension
of research activities to integrate specific
activities proposed by SMEs improvement of the
collaboration/cooperation between University and
SMEs (an implicit knowledge transferring the
collaborations imply the transferring in
high-tech fields)
6
Example

• Vehicles with zero emission and with a low
  environment impact development of propulsion and
  guidance systems
• FAAM SpA (PhD student Matteo Cavalletti)
• Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica,
  Gestionale e dellAutomazione(prof. S. Longhi)

Development of electrical vehicles with
innovative propulsion and guidance systems, with
main task to increase the autonomy, reliability
and security.
7

• Electrical vehicle powered by full cells with
  hydrogen alimentation
• autonomy of 150 Km
• -- intelligent control of hydrogen consumption
• --- Municipality of Beijing for 2008 Olympic
  Games

Project developed in collaboration with
and our PhD students
8
Student projects it is a productive opportunity
for introducing master students in the
technologies complexity and in the project
management aspects (high-tech fields)
International student competition robot
competition for developing a complex project,
with hard constrains (time, costs, efforts, )
Extra curricula activities a simulation
context for introducing to real industry
activities, to real project management, to
promote development activities (spin-off) (a
simulation on technical aspects for the creation
of hitch-technology companies)
9
Not only technical aspects
an international student competition requires the
implementation of a rigorous project management
10
2008 EUROBOT mission to Mars Student projects
Traiano the design and the development of a
mobile robot (mechanical, electronics,
automatics, )
11
Some activities _at_ EUROBOT mission to Mars May
2008, Heidelberg - Germany
12
Recent results on the creation of University
spin-off companies
In the last years, the grow of research
activities, laboratories at our University, has
contributed to the creation of many different
small enterprises in our Marche Region through
the start-up of many spin-offs
17 spinoffs _at_ UNIVPM in the last few years 3 at
my department in the last two years
13
My personal experience
Contribution to the creation of
spinoffs ALPIQUADRO (September 2008) IDEA
(May 2007) SPES (February 1977)
Domotics applications for power management
An example of success a complete presentation by
the next talk
14
IDEA spinoff No complex infrastructures, but
only distribution of knowledge
IDEA Laboratory at our Department (innovative
domotic application domestic power management)
UNIVPM does not implement a structured
enterprises, incubator, but it supports some
facilities (reduced costs for laboratories,
Internet, service, )
No administrative costs of the company are
supported we use an external agency (23 keuro
for year)
15

• UNIVPM contributions to start-up activities
• to support the design of the business plan
• to facility the technologies and methodologies
  acquisition
• to finalize the activities of young researchers
  on
• the first steps of a spinoff creation (close
  interactions with professors and senior
  researchers)
• to support laboratories activities (high-tech
  fields)

The members of the last two spinoffs are the
winners of the last regional business plan
competitions e_capital 2006 and 2007
http//www.ecapital.it/
16
An competition open to all University Students
for presenting a business plan for transforming
an idea (innovative service, system, device,
product, ) in a enterprise!!!
The winners are support (no costs) for
educational activities in business administration
17
The role of the University of the success of a
spinoff company
(in high-tech fields)

• To improve its main activities the researches
  development in high-tech fields

• To promote contacts with possible industrial and
  financial partners
• To support activities in business administration

18

• gt Funding for the different stages
• seed money (start up),
• technology and market development (early stage),
• market roll out and technology refinements to
  improve functionality and reduce engineering
  cost (growth stage)

The challenge is to provide "nice" money at start
up and early stage avoiding that the founders
introduce many constraints for the last stage.

• gt Value drivers are
• Technology (file patent if possible)
• Market potential (what is unique)
• Profitability (good price and low engineering
  cost give good margin)
• Organization. Management team is crucial.

19
All these aspects are important !!!
gt Equal focus on technology and market
development already from the beginning.
You should expect to spend more money on market
development than technology RD!!!!
The main suggestion of my colleague with a
positive experience of spin-off start-up in
Norway .
20
We need of Hunters of Innovations
To increment the number of hunters
To increment the number and typology of arrows
To increment the power of the bow
Thank you!!!
sauro.longhi_at_univpm.it