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An international service |
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Innovation Relay Centres are generally made up of several partner organisations from within the same country to ensure wider coverage both geographically and sectorally. But since their services aim to encourage international partnership, the Commission is keen to develop Centres that span more than one country themselves. |
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Bridging the divide |
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An IRC brokerage event held at Milan’s consumer electronics fair provided small high-tech companies with unprecedented opportunities for promoting their work to large corporations. |
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Supporting innovation across Europe |
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Representatives from the Innovation Relay Centres network gathered in Nuremberg last November for their seventh annual meeting. Delegates focused on measures to develop and enhance the services offered to clients by the network, as it moves towards greater independence from the Commission. |
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Piping heat from the microwave |
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In a couple of years, IRC West Poland has already fostered seven technology transfer success stories. The latest is a Polish-developed microwave technology which could provide an Italian pipe-maker with a more effective process. |
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IRCs pave the way for enlargment |
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Innovation Relay Centres in the English Midlands and West Poland have been working to broker business deals between British and Polish companies for over a year. |
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Industry set fair |
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Traditional industrial sectors still have much to offer the innovator. At the recent trade fair STi2 in Brussels, local IRCs helped visitors from abroad to get maximum value from their trip by setting up meetings and visits to local companies in advance. |
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A step in the right direction |
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In an effort to foster higher levels of technology transfer between British and European firms, the STEP programme supports undergraduate students on placements in Innovation Relay Centres to look out for potential partnerships and licensing deals. |
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From inventor to enterprise |
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Thanks to a German inventor, a small Scottish firm, and two IRCs, an innovative device giving early warning against sunburn will soon hit the market. |
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January 2003
