Fellowship for technology transfer: a new SPRINT initiative The SPRINT programme is launching a fellowship programme to promote the exchange of young graduates involved with technology transfer. The experimental initiative will consist of a European network of organizations which implement national student and research placement schem... The SPRINT programme is launching a fellowship programme to promote the exchange of young graduates involved with technology transfer. The experimental initiative will consist of a European network of organizations which implement national student and research placement schemes in each of the Member States. The programme will involve granting a number of fellowships to young scientists and engineers to work on a technology transfer project in a country other than their own. The person receiving the fellowship will be selected from the home institution where the technology is developed and so is able to train people in the SME receiving the benefit of the technology transfer and so make the optimum use of the new technology. The fellowship will last an average period of nine months and the Commission's contribution will be towards the cost of the fellowship as well as the management of the programme. The network will initially link four existing schemes, those in Ireland, Denmark France and the United Kingdom. Two other countries, Spain and Norway, will have the status of observer. The network will eventually expand to include other Member States and countries which can benefit from the Commission's technology transfer initiatives. Although each of the exchanges will differ in detail, they will be based on the concept that technology transfer is most effective when accompanied by people with a thorough and practical understanding of the processes involved and who can communicate this to new users effectively. In this case young students will be the agents of technology transfers. The transnational dimension of this scheme is intended to augment and support the scope of existing national schemes rather than the creation a new pan-European operation. Countries Denmark, Spain, France, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom
