In a webinar on collaboration models with businesses and market validation, participants were introduced to the key principles of technology transfer, emphasizing effective collaboration between academia and industry. During the event, the importance of various forms of collaboration in innovation development was explained, as well as the emphasis on early market validation of ideas, which is crucial for successful commercialization.
The webinar took place as part of the series “Basics of Technology Transfer: From Idea to Innovation,” which aims to promote a common understanding of the stages of innovation development, terminology, and cooperation mechanisms between research institutions and businesses.
The webinar was led by M.Sc. Chemistry, M.Sc. Nutrition Līga Žūka, leading innovation expert at the University of Latvia's Innovation and Acceleration Center, who shared practical examples and international experience in building cooperation between universities, scientific institutions, and businesses. Special attention was paid to the approaches of various countries, including the Swiss academia-industry cooperation model, where close partnerships between the public sector, academia, and businesses foster innovation development.
See M.Sc. Eng., MBA Egils Bēriņš, the expert on commercialization of innovative solutions from the Institute of Electronics and Computer Science (EDI) presented the institute's experience in transforming research results into commercially viable solutions, and also emphasized the importance of long-term cooperation with industry partners.
The webinar covered the following topics:
- The most effective collaboration models between academia and businesses
- International experience in developing innovation ecosystems
- Examples of Academy-Industry Collaboration, including the Swiss Model
- Barriers and opportunities for cooperation from the perspective of researchers, companies, and investors
- Market validation of ideas and its importance in the commercialization process
- Practical examples of implementing research results in business
