This document describes the Technology Watch Unit at IRTA, whose mission is to provide strategic information to help define and achieve organizational goals. The unit monitors data, information, knowledge and intelligence around markets, competitors, technologies, clients/consumers and providers to help clients anticipate changes. Services include positioning reports, business intelligence reports, bottom-up studies, project preparation support, and ongoing technology watching. The trained team specializes in the agro-food sector and provides value-added information to help clients identify innovation opportunities and track competitors. Working with partners, the unit has helped launch new collaborative research projects focused on new markets.

1. Technology Watch Unit
Strategic information
in the agro-food sector

2. Background
Identification of
innovation key
processes
Internal
survey
(2008)
Corporate
Strategy
review
(2010)
Learning
and
Training
IRTA
TW-CI Unit
(2011)

3. Our mission
“To provide the organization with a professional
service of information that contributes to the
definition and achievement of our strategic goals”
• Begoña de la Calle (Agronomist)
• Sara Jimenez (Documentalist)
• Carme Reverté (Documentalist)
• Xantal Romaguera (Documentalist)
• Anna Palli (Agronomist)

4. Information
Only the data that provides us with a new
knowledge should be considered as relevant
information
DATA
NEW
KNOWLEDGE
iNFORMATION
Information is a strategic resource that has to be
managed appropriately

5. DATA
INFORMATION
KNOWLEDGE
INTELIGENCE
Using strategic information in the decision
making process to improve our competitivity
Strategic watch &
Competitive intelligence

6. MARKET
WATCH
COMPETITIVE
WATCH
TECHNOLOGY
WATCH
COMMERCIAL
WATCH
Current and emerging technologies
Clients
/consumers
Providers
Current and future
competitors
Strategic watch
It is a tool that helps the organizations to anticipate and to
react to the changes in their operational framework,
boosting the innovation process

7. Establishing a collaborative TW system focused on:
• Detection of opportunities and threads in our
operational environment.
• Implementing available tools and resources to
improve our capacities and efficiency.
• Using key information in the decision making process
IRTA VT-IC
INTERNAL SERVICES
-Positionig reports
-Bussiness intellingence reports
-Bottom-up studies
-Project preparation support
-IP protection support
-On going TW

8. How do we watch?
21/05/20149
Scientific papers
Patents
Regulation
Market
Relevant sources of
information+ tools and skills
News

9. 10
VT/IC and IP
Trained team
Specialists in
the agro food
sector
Information
with strategic
value
VT-CI services
for the agrofood
sector
TW-CI UNIT

10. How can we help our clients?
SERVICES INFORMATION NEEDS
COMPETITORS What are my competitors and referents at?
IP PROTECTION Can a certain result be protected?
TECHNOLOGY WATCH What’s new ? Do I know my environment ?
What’s the state of the art?
TRENDS What are companies interested in?
Where is technology heading at?
CLIENTS AND PARTNERS Who may become a good partner?
What is my potential market?

11. Working together with our partners to identify innovation
opportunities to enter the agro food sector
Identification of innova
tion opportunities
This information helped our client to select three new proposals to
add to their research portfolios, focused on new markets
Launching of 3 new research collaborative projects

12. State of the art review
In the framework of a granted project we
identifyied some patents and a product very
similar to the ones we were working in
We reoriented the research that was being carried to
improve innovative value of the final prototype

13. Newsletter: products, materials, and technologies
Patents News Projects
Example : packaging information for a
sectorial cluster
Sorted and value added information for the companies,
about new materials, products and technologies

14. Trends
High increase of
papers and patents
since 2000
Analysis of key
Actors performance
Example: bioactive compounds
We used this information to benchmark with other institutions and
to adjust our strategy

15. Tracking our Competidors/Referents
Regular follow up of strategic information
That enables us to identify market strategies an positioning
of our referents

16. 17
serveisvt@irta.cat
Thanks!
Tecnology watch: an innovation tool