THE ROLE OF EU AND REGIONAL NETWORKS IN SUPPORTING CROSS BORDER KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

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THE ROLE OF EU AND REGIONAL NETWORKS IN
SUPPORTING CROSS BORDER KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
The IRE Knowledge Transfer Working Group
18-19 October 2007, Göteborg, Sweden
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Session I THE ROLE OF EU AND REGIONAL
NETWORKS IN SUPPORTING CROSS BORDER KNOWLEDGE
TRANSFER
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An example in Brittany The Innovation Relay
Centre (IRC)Network As a trans-national
network the IRC network drives innovation and
Competitiveness by connecting knowledge,
technologies and people.

• Birth of the IRC Network
• - EC perceived a weakness in the exploitation of
  RD
• In USA Japan more RD reaches the market
• In 1995 EC established the IRC network to
  facilitate the transfer of innovative technology
  to industry
• Today the IRC network is the largest technology
  transfer network in the world linking research to
  SMEs on a regional level
• The IRC Network a European Network with
  international contacts
• 71 IRC consortia with 240 partner organizations
  and 1.250 IRC staff
• 33 countries EU, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey,
  Chile, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland
• In the Technology Transfer Facility (TTF)
  landscape many IRCs are hosted by Regional
  Development Agencies (RDAs)
• 14 IRC networks Thematic Groups
• Collaboration with Cluster Inititiatives (CIs)
• The IRC CentrAtlantic team

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Who are we ? IRC CentrAtlanticwww.cri-centratlan
tic.org

• 4 Partners and 10 organizations
• OSEO anvar French Agency for Innovation
• CRCI Arist Regional Agency of Scientific and
  Technologic Information
• Bretagne Innovation Regional Agency for
  Innovation Coordinator
• Pays de la Loire Innovation Regional Agency for
  Innovation
• ? 10 persons in the team (5.8 FTE)

IRC CentrAtlantic covers 4 administrative Regions
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A Network built on a proven methodology
THREAT/OPPORTUNITY
CLIENTS / COMPANIES
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Providing operational services
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IRC Network Results Collaborations with client
organisations 2004-2005
IRC CentrAtlantic About 30 Transnational
Technological transfers signed since 2004 in ours
regions
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Conclusion

• The IRC network often offers a good solution to
  SMEs.
• It offers deeply operational services
• It is a tool for innovation policy implementation
• IRCs are the Network of choice for effective
  signposting
• Enjoying collaborations with all major European,
  national and regional service providers
• IRCs bring European dimension to Cluster
  initiatives (CIs)
• It offers customised services to CIs companies
• It co-organises events and missions
• It gives CIs international visibility

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Recommandations for regional delegates

• To do
• To create a regional network with other
  organisations in order to signpost clients
• To pay attention to the complementarities of each
  member of the consortium.
• Not to do
• To set up a too large consortium.