Network for marketing miniaturisation There can be no doubt that products and services based on miniaturised systems have a key role in driving economic growth, in Europe and worldwide. Many of the products we buy and many of the services we enjoy have been made possible through miniaturisation, from televisions ... There can be no doubt that products and services based on miniaturised systems have a key role in driving economic growth, in Europe and worldwide. Many of the products we buy and many of the services we enjoy have been made possible through miniaturisation, from televisions and mobile telephones to the internet and the electronic circuits in your car and your computer. One could say without any exaggeration that we are living in the age of miniaturisation. Dozens of European research projects are making important discoveries in this field, but translating research results into marketable products - with real benefits for citizens and businesses - remains a challenge. The goal of the EU-funded COWIN project ('Converging resources to support the value creation in Europe of microsystems and smart miniaturised systems research projects') has been to help European researchers move forward in the commercial exploitation of their results, especially in the area of miniaturised systems. To do so, the project, which is led by Yole Development, has set up of a dedicated network of academic, industrial and public institutional players, as well as private investors. Members of the COWIN innovation network have access to the best potential partners as they move from pure and applied research towards eventual market launch. The project has also developed a new value-creation roadmap, to help research projects reach developmental milestones and begin new partnerships with strategic industrial collaborators for intellectual property licensing and technology transfer. By bringing together Europe's resources in this way, COWIN is helping research and industry to join hands, strengthening European competitiveness in this vital, high-tech field. Project partners say the network has proven equally valuable for researchers seeking to market their results and for industrial companies looking to acquire new and innovative miniaturised technologies. As a seamless, on-demand information provider, COWIN makes it possible for industry to identify and extract the 'gold nuggets' from European R&D. Partners say new companies have been identified and introduced to investors, with the support of a strategic committee of experts representing technology platforms, industrial sectors, venture capitalists and RTD financing programmes. The network aims to close the existing gaps between research, industry, and private-investment. The project team has also delivered a list of recommended actions for further progress, based on a wide-ranging consultation. Examples of the network's achievements can now be found on the COWIN project website.For more information, please visit: COWIN http://www.cowin4u.eu/ Project factsheet Yole Development http://www.yole.fr/ Countries Germany, Estonia, Spain, France
