CORDIS workshops at EBS offer insight into innovation
Participants in a CORDIS workshop on communicating scientific research to a business audience, organised as part of this year's European Business Summit, were told that this is still a relatively underdeveloped niche, and an area with the potential to increase Europe's competitiveness. According to Kurt König, Head of the CORDIS Unit at OPOCE, there is currently a communication gap between the science and business communities. 'Overcoming it is one way of helping to ensure that EU research and development makes a positive contribution to competitiveness,' he said. One person aiming to bridge this particular communication gap is Richard Hudson, CEO and Editor of Science|Business, a new online media service that aims to support the marketplace for scientific discoveries. He sees evidence of a growing business market for useful information about research and development (R&D), but feels that the relevant information is still not getting through to the people who need it. 'My business was born out of frustration at the poor quality of business information about science - it was always falling below the radar screen,' he told the workshop. Mr Hudson believes that the total English speaking market in Europe for those involved in getting science to market is around 425,000, ranging from the 'sellers' such as senior researchers and R&D managers, to buyers including corporate management and venture capitalists. 'Our typical readers are very busy people who want 'news you can use' - not just information but information that they can act on.' A business development executive at Proctor and Gamble, for example, told Science|Business market researchers that his job involves finding a 100 million USD idea per week for the next ten years, added Mr Hudson. Until now, business development professionals have scoured a wide variety of media for useful scientific information, including scientific journals, business media and general publications. This presents an opportunity for those that can offer relevant scientific information in a targeted way. 'This market is brand new and no one is really doing science news to business properly yet,' Mr Hudson stressed. However, he believes that to be successful requires moving beyond traditional scientific reporting of discoveries and outputs to writing 'almost like an advert' about new breakthroughs and highlighting their commercial potential. Finally, Mr Hudson emphasised that presenting the information itself is only the start of the process, and that those in the business world who make use of scientific information also need help with making contacts. 'It's part information and part networking, and the media has an important role to play in connecting these two communities,' he concluded. A second CORDIS workshop examined 'The power of networks, the importance to support start-ups'. Mr König, was joined by innovation specialist André-Yves Portnoff from Futuribles, and Pierre Vigier, Deputy Head of Unit for innovation policy development at DG Enterprise and Industry. Together they talked about the difficulties facing new businesses and how networks can help to overcome them. André-Yves Portnoff talked about the challenge of research and innovation for new companies, emphasising that innovations can have long-term effects. 'We have been making the same mistakes for more than 20 years. We have maybe two years to stop our decline. We have the assets to build a new EU. Certainly we need more research, but it is not enough. Research to innovation is not a direct line, but there is a link. Mr Portnoff gave the example of the current difficulties being faced by Ford and GM: 'They are in such trouble now because of innovations by Toyota in the 1980s - in managing people. Dell did the same, by developing a new way of organising. Skype, eBay etc - these companies are not the result of research,' he said. Mr Portnoff points out that there are many types of network. Some older company networks may begin and end with a single person who makes all the decisions. Today, the Internet is a powerful tool that allows people to interact more quickly and more easily, which can give rise to collaborative thinking. `This is the model - to build peer-to-peer networks. If there is something common, we will be able to understand one another. If we have different ideas, combining these can provide third ideas and so on,' he said. 'Information becomes an asset if you share it with people who can help you,' Mr Portnoff continued. 'Dell did this with his suppliers - sharing his normally confidential information. Complexity of problem is such that nobody is able to do it individually. We have not enough confidence.' He cited the problem of patents - one of the new way networks are starting and developing, 'Patents make knowledge visible and tradable. IBM was until very recently the world leader for patents, but in order to make the markets, they now develop this new technology for free with third parties.' Mr König underlined how resources such as CORDIS provide an invaluable link to companies in developing their networks. 'Communication tools include National Contact Points and technology market places,' he said, concluding that research and innovation should work together to get new products to the market.