SMEs represent a large reservoir of jobs. More must be made so that they can better exploit the global markets and create new activities and jobs. In Italy, more than 10% of SMEs would become more competitive if they engaged in relevant R&D (Research & Development). Based on this recent book From Science to Business (www.sciencetobusiness.ch), Dr Georges Haour presents the specific aspects of SMEs innovating and benefitting from technology transfer, mainly coming from Universities, or public research, such as CNR. One aspect is that SMEs must effectively use R&D/Innovation as a strategic tool; second, collaborative work and multi-company projects can be used to share cost and risks; third, websites can be used to identify problem-solvers; finally, Universities and public research may offer relevant knowledge and technical expertise.
Innovation and Technology Transfer in SMEs
Relator: Dr. Georges Haour
Professor of entrepreneurship, innovation management and technology commercialisation, International Institute for Management Development, SwitzerlandDr. Georges Haour is Professor at IMD in entrepreneurship, innovation management and technology commercialisation. For several years, he has been associated with the incubator/innovator firm Generics (now Sagentia), in Cambridge, UK. He is an adviser to firms & organisations on effective R&D/innovation management for competitiveness and growth. He is on the board of several companies and worked as an expert to evaluate Italy’s CNR. Born and raised in Lyon, France, he graduated from the higher school of chemistry ENSCP, Paris. He has a Master of Sciences (New York) and a Ph.D in Chemistry & Materials Science from the U. of Toronto, Canada. Dr. Haour has 8 patents and four books. His latest book is From Science to Business (Palgrave, London, 2011) on technology transfer.
