CORDIS Archive
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The underlying aim of the thematic network is to get universities, research institutes and public bodies to work together to transfer R&D advances to local industry and business, creating new SMEs and encouraging economic growth. Regions that succeed in doing this become more competitive. SAIL has promoted the transfer of knowledge and technology amongst its members through study tours, regular newsletters published on its website, and the sharing of successful methodologies for technology transfer. Technology transfer in actionSAIL has used many of its members' own successful technology transfer mechanisms as examples. The MONTAGE process, developed in the English West Midlands, and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, helps SMEs to identify innovation opportunities and encourages the use of local R&D facilities. It is able to give grants towards project costs and has helped over 700 businesses. The Cracow Technology Transfer Centre helps Polish SMEs in the automotive, clothing and furnishing businesses to adopt modern technology, and promotes exchanges with the Caucasian republic of Georgia in support of training and development. Its main activities are technology watch, economic analysis and the refereeing of proposals, and the centre also gives legal and patent advice to businesses. In addition, the SAIL network has publicised some UK government mechanisms. The LINK scheme promotes collaborative research projects between UK industry and the research base. KT (Knowledge Transfer) Partnerships help industry benefit from the expertise of higher education, enabling businesses to solve problems and researchers to learn more about the application of their work. Stimulating growthConcentrating businesses in a given sector into a local economic cluster provides a strong stimulus to economic growth. Even universities with a modest R&D profile can support a cluster, like St Angela's College in County Sligo in north-west Ireland which has only 1,000 students. Its St Angela's Food Centre provides a focus for local food production businesses and delivers cost-competitive product ideas to its clients. It offers information on food science and technology and legislation and shows other small colleges what can be done. "These are just a few examples of academy-industry links among SAIL members," says Winters. "The dynamic local networks are now well-established and will continue. Links between member regions were consolidated at our closing conference in Madrid in November. Academics have learned that they cannot survive as researchers without addressing the needs of business." Contact
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ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY
he 14 members of the SAIL network come from regions in every corner of Europe, from Iceland to Israel, from Ireland to Poland. It is co-ordinated by Advantage West Midlands, an English regional development agency, and its partner Coventry University Enterprises Ltd. "It is a really good mix of regions that would never have communicated otherwise," comments Coventry University Enterprises' Clive Winters, "and it has taken two years for them to realise fully the benefit which comes from sharing experience and information."