At the SATT National Convention held on November 16, the SATT Network and the CPU (Conference of University Presidents) signed a three-year partnership agreement. This signing follows on from the CPU's announcement in February 2018 of its intention to strengthen ties with the SATTs, which have become key players in the French technology transfer landscape.
By joining forces, the two associations demonstrate their shared commitment to promoting more and more innovations developed in university research laboratories. They also affirm their joint commitment to mobilizing and implementing the necessary resources to accelerate the transition "from the lab to the market" and "from researcher to entrepreneur."
As the SATT Network and the CPU are forums for discussing issues and topics related to research, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and training, it seemed natural to formalize in an agreement the terms and conditions for sharing information and the reciprocal commitments aimed at advancing the integration of SATTs into the academic sphere, while taking into account the constraints of each party. To this end, this agreement has several objectives: to optimize technology transfer in the service of national competitiveness, to strengthen the collective dynamic in terms of research valorization, and to promote the exchange of information between the members of the two associations. This partnership will also lead to the creation, at the SATT Network level, of a strategic roadmap consistent with the CPU's strategy for technology transfer and the promotion of the research work of affiliated laboratories.
The actions implemented will focus on three main areas:
- Thetargeted dissemination of qualified informationbetween the CPU and the SATT Network, in compliance with third-party rights and the required confidentiality commitments;
- Sharing skills on projects, with mutual provision of specialized expertise;
- Strengthening collective momentum, particularly through joint events and activities, in order to accelerate transfers and economic value creation.
"This partnership agreement is a strong recognition of the close ties that SATTs are forging on a daily basis with the teams at the universities and higher education institutions represented by the CPU. Building on what has already been achieved with them, we are now looking ahead together to a future in which the innovative momentum of public laboratories will be able to spread even more widely. Our maturation and commercialization efforts will both contribute to the competitiveness of French companies (from start-ups to large groups and SMEs) and support researchers and teacher-researchers whowant to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, which has recently been made easier by the Pacte law," saidPhilippe Nérin, President of the SATT Network.
"In three years, SATTs have become indispensable intermediaries for coordination between public research partners, universities, schools, and organizations. They form essential regional hubs bringing together all relevant partners (universities, schools, research organizations, and often local authorities). The two joint initiatives that this partnership agreement will enable will help even more institutions, researchers, and teacher-researchers learn how to use SATTs to promote the results of their research and give them economic value that can be disseminated on the markets," addsGilles Roussel, President of the CPU.