New gateway for innovation support and technology transfer network
CORDIS, the European Commission's Research and Development Information Service, is offering a redesigned and more interactive service for the Innovation Relay Centers (IRC) network. The network is consists of 68 IRCs and 220 regional offices in 30 countries. The new gateway offers a clear picture of the mission and scope of activities ranging from technology audit to partner search assistance and contract negotiation advice. A geographic search feature enables users to identify the nearest assistance point. The service also provides direct access to different sources of innovative technologies for transfer or access to market and further exploitation. The IRCs are supporting technology solutions and offers, displayed in online showrooms. More than 1300 technology offers are currently accessible and searchable on the service. Most promising technologies are accompanied with a description and local IRC contacts. In addition, the service provides success stories on previous technology transfers and business support as well as news, information on local and international events and direct access to key publications. The service will be useful for all technology owners and seekers in Europe, and is another part of the process to ease innovation assistance at regional level. It is also a key tool for the network members with useful information on job openings and quick links to local web services.