2. SMEs – collaborating with a HEI
9.00 – 9.30 registration
9.30-9.45 Introduction to the day
9.45 - 10.15 Intro and icebreaker – getting to know, reflecting and sharing, use the rose
motif (petals and thorns) – was your education a petal or a thorn? Take 10 minutes to
reflect, 10 minutes to discuss with the person to their right, 5 minutes group reflection.
10.15 – 11.00 BENIFITS/WHY BOTHER?
10.15– 10.30 - Problem Solving
•Video on how an SME solved a problem with HEI help
•Summary power point
10.30 – 10.45 - Expertise/ Research/Equipment
•Power point: One slide on each topic (Expertise/Research/Equipment)
10.45 – 11.00 - Credibility
•One case study – video?
11.00 – 11.15 - International R&D networks
•Power point highlighting networks such as FP7 and their benefits
11.15– 11.30 - Tea Break
11.30 – 13.00 CHALLENGES
11.30 – 12.00 - The modern university and business – Interactions and common challenges
(MLU)
•Flow chart & power point slides
12.00 – 12.30 - Understanding the research challenge? The need to clarify costs
•Video and discussion (interactive)
•Hard copy spread sheet to begin the thought process (link to afternoon practical session)
12.30 - 13.00 - IPR
•Technical presentation
13.00 LUNCH

6. Facilitators
• HEI Programmes
• Expected results
• Facilitator – who is that?
• HEI and SME facilitators: primary providers
and supporters
• Government Programmes to engage
HEI&SME
• HEI Business Engagement Programmes
• Technology Transfer Programmes

7. Facilitators
• Science Innovation Centres NCN
• Business Support Units
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental
Organizations
• Enterprise Agencies
• Business Incubators
• Private Investors

8. HEI Programmes
• Involve SMEs and HEIs into mutually beneficial
cooperation
• Ensure SMEs access to research and innovation
• Provide HEIs with financing and return of
investment made in research

9. HEI Programmes
• HEIs enhance their business credibility
• HEI Programmes identify barriers in
cooperation between SMEs and HEIs
• HEI Programmes Management Stuff often
comes from business circles to use their
business practice

10. Expected results
• Overcoming of barriers in cooperation
between SMEs and HEIs
• Access to innovation and research
knowledge for SMEs
• Understanding of SMEs functioning by HEIs
• Creation of cooperation community of HEIs
and SMEs

11. Expected results
• Financial return of HEIs investment in
research
• Self-employment in HEI sector – students and
start-up companies
• SMEs growth

12. Expected results
• Developed materials incorporation into
different courses and studies
• Sectoral organizations getting involved in
research
• SMEs operating within Business
Incubators, Innovation Centres and acquire
investors, such as venture capital companies

13. Facilitator – who is that?
• „A facilitator is someone who helps a group of
people understand their common objectives
and assists them to plan to achieve them
without taking a particular position in the
discussion.”
• „Facilitation in business, organizational
development (OD) and in consensus
decision-making refers to the process of
designing and running a successful meeting.”
• Wikipedia

14. HEI and SME facilitators
Primary Providers
• Government Programmes
• HEI Business Engagement Programmes
• Technology Transfer Programmes
• Science Innovation Centres NCN
• Business Support Units

15. HEI and SME facilitators
Primary Providers
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• Enterprise Agencies
• Business Incubators
• Private Investors: Business Angels, Venture
Capital Organizations

16. HEI and SME facilitators
Supporters
• Science Innovation Centres NCN
• Business Support Units
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental
Organizations
• Enterprise Agencies
• Business Incubators

17. Government Programmes to
engage HEI&SME
• Funds are distributed by managing authorities
on the basis of competition
• Proposals are granted according to a
competition and quality of proposals
measured through points
• Proposals with the highest score are funded
• In Poland, among others, the money are
distributed by National Centre of Research
and Development

18. Example
• EUROSTARS – a programme to increase
competitiveness of Europe through support of
SMEs and HEIs
• Innovative products processes and services
on European level
• Facilitation of access to national funds with
involvement of international partners for
SMEs

19. HEI Business Engagement
Programmes
• Aim to support transfer of knowledge
• Suport projects that have chances to be
implemented in economy
• Stimulate cooperation between scientist and
entrepreneurs
• Increase expenditure for research and
development works
• Enhance cooperation between enterprises
and universities

20. Technology Transfer
• „Technology Transfer is the process of skill
transferring, knowledge, technologies, methods
of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing and
facilities among governments or universities and
other institutions to ensure that scientific and
technological developments are accessible to a
wider range of users who can then further
develop and exploit the technology into new
products, processes, applications, materials or
services. It is closely related to (and may
arguably be considered a subset of) knowledge
transfer. „

21. Basic types of Tech Transfer
• “Vertical Technology Transfer”
• „Horizontal Technology Transfer”

22. Technology Transfer
Programmes
• Some government programmes are set for
funding technology transfer in the market
• Many TTPs are implemented within
incubators
• Different countries have different methods for
commercial exploitation:
 licensing agreements
 setting up joint ventures and partnerships
 spin-offs
 spin-outs

23. Example
• Technology Fishing Rod - Polish Ministry of
Science and Higher Education aims to develop
new products and technologies based on Polish
research-technology achievements
• Programme is addressed to SMEs, research
teams, and intermediaries supporting transfer of
technology
• Two steps subsidy – research and
implementation phase
• Two main modules – for entrepreneurs,
universities and scientific units, and for
intermediaries

24. Science Innovation Centres
NCN
• HEIs have capacity to produce new
technology
• they face obstacles in research and market
transfer
• NCN facilitate conduct of research and
adjustment to market needs
• Create culture of innovation and
entrepreneurship

25. Science Innovation Centres
NCN
• Ensure cooperation between business and
academic environments
• Increase accuracy of innovative technologies
implementation into economy
• Initiate and rationalize technology transfer
from R&D sector into economy

26. Business Support Units
• Business Support Units provide assistance to
SMEs and HEIs cooperation
• BSUs are set within HEIs as specialized cells
dedicated to a particular HEI and work in its
advantage
• Such BSU are i.e. Chambers of Commerce,
which occur in most of the countries

27. Non-Governmental
Organizations
• Often conduct projects to support SMEs
cooperation with HEIs
• Provide assistance and consulting to facilitate
implementation of SMEs and HEIs projects
• Provide information on current opportunities
in funding, and assist in application for funds
and conducting projects

28. Non-Governmental
Organizations
• Provide opportunities for networking between
HEIs and SMEs with measurable help in the
first phase of enterprise development – office
on preferential conditions and other
incentives
• NGOs operate mostly on local level, which
gives a sense of belonging, more
engagement in their projects with a strong
support of local society and decision makers

29. Quasi-Autonomous Non-
Governmental Organisations
• Quangos with government devolved powers
can be advisory or executive bodies
• Execute central power, i.e. agencies for
enterprise development, that support SMEs
and innovation
• In Poland there is i.e. Polish Agency for
Enterprise Development

30. Enterprise Agencies
• Have role of integrating body for enterprises
and create cooperation opportunities with
HEIs
• Offer managed worksapce – relatively cheap
office plus service
• Enterprise Europe Network joints 570
organizations of business support from 45
countries, and its aim is help SMEs to use
new opportunities of the EU market

31. Business Incubators
• It iswhere new businesses may find a place
which is not expensive to run their venture
and develop an idea
• Is an infrastructure available on beneficial
basis for business on an early stage
• Its infrastructure includes: telephone, fax,
internet and other resources, like training-
advisory service, bookkeeping
• Help in finding business partners, applying for
funds for running a business, etc.

32. Private Investors
• Tend to make decisions based on offered
financial return, and on liking
• It takes some serious effort to make this kind
of investor content

33. Private Investors
Business Angels
• Business Angels are individuals interested in
investing in undertakings with high potential
for growth
• They often share also their experience, know-
how and skills
• Usually it takes from 10% up to 50% of
company’s equity and sometimes
management fees

34. Private Investors
Business Angels
• Def.“Business angels are wealthy,
entrepreneurial individuals who provide
capital in return for a proportion of your
company’s shares. They take a high personal
risk in the expectation of owning part of a
growing and successful business.”

35. Private Investors
Venture Capital Organizations
• Fund collected from many investors, which is later invested in
shares of companies, that usually are not issued in public stock
market
• Collected funds may have specified area of investment (i.e.
technology, real–estate or ICT) or even region in which investment
will be undertaken
• Fund is usually managed by specialized professionals, who are
responsible for finding a company to invest in, to provide them with
reasonable funds and to minimize risk

36. Private Investors
Venture Capital Organizations
• Is not a debt to to pay back - stream of money is usually exchanged
into shares in a venture in which the capital invested
• After success the shares are sold with profit: management usually
earns 2% fee a year and 20% of all the sum on investment and the
remaining 80% go to the investors