The PITCCH project aims to create a sustainable European open innovation network where innovative SMEs can establish a structural collaboration with big corporations to take up their inventions based on Advanced Technologies.
How will this happen? PITCCH has been established by four technology centres. This group builds its unique strength for the project on the complementarities of competences that each of them brings into the project for the network ecosystem growth. Their mission is to guide the companies that get involved in the project, facilitate joint development and ensure a smooth process for future collaborations.
Let’s meet PITCCH’s technology centres and some of their open innovation projects.
INL
The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory is an intergovernmental research organisation that focuses on nanoscience and nanotechnology to address society’s major challenges and bring benefits both to society and the economy.
Open Innovation is part of the INL corporate strategy. Novel ideas are forged internally or through external collaborations, as well as INL, contributes with its own resources to the development of external ideas. Its research infrastructure is open to external users. If you are a company willing to develop new services and products, it is possible to assess, test and assemble them using in-house technologies and rapid prototyping in their laboratory.
ASCENT+ is an open innovation project that INL takes part in. The project focuses on nanotechnology, more specifically nanoelectronics, serving as an entry point to European Nanoelectronics Research Infrastructure. It’s an opportunity for users, giving them access to state-of-art tools and processes, to empower them to tackle new problems and gain advanced knowledge.
INL is also a part of several open innovation networks, where stakeholders and other technology centres meet together. One of them is EPPN that aims to boost the European competitiveness through the exploitation of the existing European pilot line production facilities (across Europe) in the area of nanotechnology and advanced material technologies, where INL’s role has been to coordinate the network.
TNO
The second technology centre is another European research organization with the benefit of being independent. They believe in the joint creation of economic and social value, focusing on many social themes, such as healthy living, circular economy or sustainable energy. Their innovations aim to boost the strength of industry and the well-being of society, in a sustainable way, through the connection of people and knowledge.
TNO is involved with Boosting Widening Digital Innovation Hubs (BOWI) project. This network supports companies to bring their projects to life, helps investors to discover digital revolution leaders and aids development agencies to understand the needs of industry. It’s based on knowledge sharing, experience and practice, connecting digital hubs and SMEs seeking advanced digital solutions.
RINA
RINA is a multinational company that helps its clients to build strong and successful businesses. It has a global network of 200 offices in 70 countries, through which it supports market operators across the entire lifecycle of their projects, whilst assisting them in renewing their products, technologies and services.
As part of PITCCH, RINA Consulting brings its experience in supporting large and small businesses in innovation projects with activities that typically include technology scouting, market intelligence, road mapping, business case validation, IP counselling, coaching and mentoring.
Since 1992, it has been the official Italian broker of the European Space Agency (ESA) Technology Transfer Programme (TTP). This programme inspires and facilitates the use of space technology for non-space applications. As part of this network, RINA’s role is to support both spin-off and spin-in transfers of space technology, systems, services and know-how to non-space sectors. During its tenure as ESA TTP broker, RINA Consulting helped match more than 500 technology needs of companies with technology offers from ESA’s network of developers (most of whom are SMEs).
Steinbeis 2i GmbH (S2i)
The fourth technology centre is a spin-off of Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum (SEZ). Steinbeis 2i is a partner in the Enterprise Europe Network of the European Commission, which includes more than 600 partners in more than 50 countries. The aim of the network is to support companies with a variety of issues regarding Europe, innovation, research, and technology transfer.
Steinbeis 2i is involved with the INVITE project, whose goal is to establish a well-connected European open innovation ecosystem. It experiments with a range of OI support measures, services and tools that have significant potential to improve Europe’s innovation performance. The knowledge and experience that derives from INVITE will be disseminated across the EU and will serve as a model for replication to benefit European economies and society.
Joining the PITCCH network allows big corporations seeking outstanding expertise or technologies to reduce time to market, accelerate the business growth and to bring their innovation to the next level. On their part, SMEs and startups that work with Advanced Technologies can benefit from a variety of technology and business-related services, process facilitation and mediation as well as from the financial reward. Certainly, PITCCH team know-how and connections and expertise will enable PITCCH partners to work successfully towards the structural and sustainable future collaborations.
