On May 27, INSME participated in the COMSATS University international training workshop on “Enhancing University-Business and R&D–SME Collaboration for Innovation and Growth”. The online workshop brought together researchers, scientists, and innovation stakeholders from COMSATS Centres of Excellence to strengthen their capacity for impactful research partnerships and entrepreneurial engagement.
The aim of the workshop was to highlight and discuss significant challenges in the field of research exploitation and commercialization, including fragmented innovation systems, limited academic-industry collaboration, and the need for sustainable, market-driven solutions. It was outlined the increasing relevance of developing entrepreneurial competencies among researchers to address real-world problems through applied innovation.
Ms. Livia Adinolfi, INSME Project Officer, held a session on “Entrepreneurial Skills and Competencies,” highlighting the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in academia and R&D. Drawing on the European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp), she emphasized competencies universities and vocational training institutions can help foster and strengthen, such as opportunity recognition, resource mobilization, risk management, and hands on learning, along with vision, creativity, and financial literacy as key drivers of innovation and inclusive growth. Her contribution, reflecting INSME’s commitment to cross-sector collaboration, was followed by insights from international experts: Mr. Reza Aslani (Iran) outlined the evolution of Iran’s innovation ecosystem, from S&T development to a vibrant startup economy; Mr. Eri G. Jorge (Paraguay) addressed cultural and structural barriers to SME-academia cooperation, calling for adaptive governance; Prof. Dr. Ufuk Türen (Türkiye) stressed hybrid incentives to embed collaboration as a core institutional practice; and Dr. Carlos María Correa (Switzerland) highlighted how informal early-stage engagement can pave the way for formal R&D partnerships.
Source: INSME Secretariat
