INNOVATION CAMPUS

A School for the professionals of technology transfer

The strategy for technology transfer in AREA was developed around Innovation Network, the first Italian network of Competence Centres focusing on making crucial knowledge and innovative technology available to the relevant market with the aim to enhance its competitiveness.

AREA can offer therefore specialized know-how and highly qualified teaching staff with a practical, hands-on approach to the real issues of interest for enterprises and technical skills in project management, evaluation of investments, access to funding for innovation.

After several successful national and international experiences, the original prototype addressed to the professionals of technology transfer has been consistently updated to meet the growing demand for innovation and new services have been added to improve the offer.

The School was created in 2005, aiming at offering a service of ongoing training and the opportunity for operators and national and international bodies to resort to a laboratory to compare practices and find support through high-level advanced training, in-depth analyses of individual areas of interest, support and professional advice on issues and projects in the fields of innovation and technology transfer.

The School is intended as the instrument to allow AREA Science Park, cooperating with other prestigious institutions, to make the acquired experience available to those operators actively working in technology transfer.

THE EXPERIENCE

In the period 2006/2008, Innovation Campus organized the first two courses of advanced training for Innovation Brokers.

THE OFFER

Highly specialized contents and participation of experts actively working in the fields of research and of technology transfer

Knowledge and managerial skills for the strategic management of innovation and technology transfer

Good practices and practical methods for intervention

PROSPECTIVE PARTICIPANTS

The offer is addressed primarily to individuals working in the following sectors and fields:

Bodies and organizations specialising in intermediation between research and enterprise

Chambers of Commerce

Universities

Science and Technology Parks

Research Centres

Enterprise Incubators and Enterprise Accelerators

Regional and Local Governments and Institutions

Consortia

Centres providing services to industry

RANGE OF SERVICES 

Master’s Degree courses

Advanced training

Intensive training opportunities

Professional advice and support on technology transfer issues and projects

A.I.B.T. (Italian Association of Technology Brokers) – creation of networks

TEACHING METHODS 

Training in AREA Science Park is based upon dynamic teaching methods allowing participants to take part as protagonists in the learning process and which may contribute to motivate participants to create a stimulating and collaborative environment for the exchange of information and the sharing of experiences among students and with the teaching staff, achieving a more satisfactory and efficient learning process.

Planning and carrying out of an innovation project with the full support of the experts working for AREA is an integral part of the training.

Through an interactive teaching model, participants carry out practical training, study in depth problem-solving techniques, deal directly with case studies, role-play and simulations, have the opportunity to learn from professionals sharing their own direct experience and discuss issues of specific relevance.

Priority is given to an inductive method: from the analysis of well-defined issues and searching for solutions to the cases suggested by the teaching staff, participants actively participate in the learning and become involved in a process of analysis and discovery leading them to extrapolate general principles and theoretical models.

Such techniques give participants the opportunity to achieve a direct experience of likely behaviours and situations, as can be found in real professional environments.

Direct contact with enterprises and institutions operating in the territory is also part of the training, to promote the creation of a permanent laboratory, adapting to meet the real needs of enterprises.

Self-education tools (books, course notes, cd-roms, a website, ftp space, a forum facility) are furthermore made available to participants, available onsite and in the distance mode.

CUSTOMIZED TRAINING

Personalization of training: the creation of profiles for each participant, carried out using the information provided during the selection process allows the teaching staff to design and customize their modules;

Customization of the training process: obtained through an evaluation of the participants’ skills when starting the course to maximize their motivation and the efficiency of the teaching, avoiding redundancy;

Initial agreement with participants: at the beginning of the course, together with all participants, objectives and goals of the training are chosen to meet the real expectations of the class;

Choice of the teaching methods: specific support is provided to the teaching staff in relation to the class, with the objective to give priority to those dynamic methods and techniques allowing the best possible participation in the learning.  

CONTACTS AND FURTHER INFORMATION

Innovation Campus Secretariat

Phone: +39 040 375 5160

Fax: +39 040 375 5320

Email address: innovationcampus@area.trieste.it