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2007 - 2012: A PROGRESS REPORT UTEN Portugal University Technology Enterprise Network Entrepreneurship & Technology Commercialization: Building Portugal’s Future CRUP], ], CONSELHODE], RETTORES DAS], UNIVERSIDADES], PORTUGUESAS Inside front cover (blank page). Leonor Parreira Secretary of State for Science, Portugal The University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN) was established in 2007, in collaboration with the University of Austin, to foster knowledge transfer between universities and industry, with the goal of increasing the economic impact of academic research. Currently, UTEN involves over 40 national university and research institutions and had an important role in creating a national network of technology transfer offices, training technology transfer professionals and bringing the issue of knowledge transfer to the forefront of universities’ strategies. UTEN contributed to the incubation of Portuguese companies in international markets, offered on-site training to technology transfer professionals and developed an international business plan competition. The UTEN initiative has been greatly supported by its stakeholders, namely technology transfer officers, faculty, researchers and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, in the course of the independent assessment of Portuguese collaboration with U.S. universities commissioned by the Portuguese Government, the Academy of Finland reviewed UTEN positively, clearly recommending its renewal and expansion. Based on this evaluation, the Government made the decision to build on the experience acquired through UTEN and create a novel Portugal based organization fostering knowledge transfer and the academia-industry liaison. This new organization will benefit from a close relationship with economic stakeholders as well as with research institutes and universities, thus effectively bridging the gap between academic research and industry. Its ultimate goals are to foster knowledge transfer and create successful technology-based start-ups. This will be achieved through close collaboration with existing technology transfer offices, an essential part of the national knowledge transfer ecosystem. Carlos Oliveira Secretary of State for Entrepreneurship, Competitiveness, & Innovation, Portugal As we all know Portugal faces a challenging economic environment caused by the urgent need to reduce its budget deficit and control its public debt. The Portuguese Government believes that improving the competitiveness of the economy is the fastest way back to a growth path and that promoting innovation and entrepreneurship is crucial to ensure a competitive and sustainable economy. During the last decades, Portugal has steadily invested in innovation, not only in R&D infrastructures but also in training and improving younger generation’s skills in science and technology areas. It is now time we take advantage of that investment in infrastructure and training and gear it towards productive and value added companies. In fact, and despite relevant progress in the past, there is still a lot to be done to accelerate innovation and creation of economic and social value based on knowledge produced in our scientific and R&D institutions. It is clear that the link between university and industry needs to be strengthened as well as the need to target international markets in our R&D investments and innovation. In this sense, we focus on implementing policies that bring together companies and entrepreneurs with the main stakeholders in the R&D and Innovation ecosystem, with the mission of accelerating ideas and knowledge into sellable concepts and products that are able to compete internationally. With this in mind the Government is working with the industry and the main science and technology stakeholders to launch the Global Accelerator Innovation Network (GAIN), following the important work developed by “UTEN” in recent years in areas such as technology transfer training, and in stimulating a culture of cooperation between industry and university. GAIN’s core objectives are to foster internationalization of innovation and to raise the economic impact of knowledge in our industry. We also envision that in the coming years, GAIN helps create a culture of excellence and stimulates the development of spin-offs from universities. Sustainable innovation requires constant interaction and exchanges of people and ideas between industries and universities. It is crucial that they face each other like partners instead of competitors. We believe GAIN will decisively contribute to that. I count with all of you and you can count on the Portuguese Government to continue on its path of making Portugal a more innovative, productive and competitive country. Miguel Seabra President of the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal As the Portuguese Ministries, Ministério da Educação e Ciência e da Economia e Emprego, and the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia prepare to create and develop a novel organization for innovation and technology transfer acceleration, the time is right to acknowledge the remarkable contribution that the University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN) has made to change the culture of commercialization of science and technology innovations amongst Portuguese universities and research centers. Indeed, the new organization will be built on what UTEN has created, in terms of knowledge capital, credibility, networks and experience. Set up initially within the UT Austin | Portugal Program (partnership with the University of Texas at Austin), one of four partnerships established with American institutions, UTEN has grown, so that it now brings together over 40 Portuguese Institutions, including Universities, research centers and industry. All have greatly benefited from the conferences, workshops, seminars, international internships and training, and brainstorming sessions organized by the network. Furthermore, besides training technology transfer professionals, and helping to establish a network of technology transfer offices, UTEN has set a foot in the door for Portuguese science-based spin-offs to reach international markets. In the future, we expect to strengthen the existing network between academia and industry to increase the flow of concrete technology transfer deals so that the knowledge generated by Portuguese Universities may be put to productive use for the benefit of the Portuguese economy and society. Additionally, we plan to expand the portfolio of activities to continue to develop world-class technology commercialization in Portugal. António Rendas President of the Portuguese Council of Rectors, Portugal The “University Technology Enterprise Network” (UTEN) was established in 2007 as part of the collaboration between Portugal and the University of Texas in Austin. Since its beginning UTEN extended the limits of this partnership and fostered a wide network of institutions aimed at knowledge valorization and promotion of academic entrepreneurship. The recent evaluation by the Academy of Finland of these partnerships, performed at the request of the Secretary of State for Science, considered UTEN as one of the most relevant initiatives and recommended that it should be expanded in order to include not only the University of Texas in Austin but also the other two American partners: MIT and Carnegie Mellon. In order to follow this recommendation the UTEN network will be part a more broad project, to be launched soon, aiming at further improve the links between universities and industry through an acceleration of the technology transfer process. UTEN comprises a network of about 40 universities and research institutions and involves a staff of young and committed university technology managers who play a key role in capacity building in this area, at institutional level. Most have them have benefited from the international links established with UTA through a very successful bilateral exchange program involving training activities both in Portugal and in Austin. For all these reasons I want to express my gratitude, both personal and on behalf of the Portuguese Council of Rectors, for the excellent work developed by UTEN during these five years and take this opportunity to wish every success to the new program. José Mendonça Scientific Director for University Technology Enterprise Network, Portugal Over past centuries Portugal has benefitted tremendously from three main eras of internationalization. International trade and cooperation brought resources feeding both the colonial empire military power and its economic development. India in the 15 and 16 hundreds, Brazil between the 16th and 18th century and Africa in the 19 and 20th century gave the country access to economic development and wealth essentially built on access to resources and trade. Meanwhile, Portugal completely missed the industrial revolutions in the 19th and early 20th centuries and failed to use the country’s resources in education and social development. Only after 1974, using EU cohesion funds there has been significant and persistent investment in both infrastructures and education as well in the modernization of the economic fabric. Consistent investment policies in science and technology started only in the 80’s, but in a few more than the last two decades areas of science were brought to world-class level, science-based companies leaped from university to global markets and established companies sourced knowledge from research as to face international competition. Successful examples can be found at the shoe