Technology Transfer

in 2022


The IFAE’s knowledge and technology transfer (KTT) unit facilitates the attraction of public and private funding for boosting the applied research projects, especially those oriented to the development of novel technologies solving industry challenges and/or addressed to the society wellness.

The main KTT activities at IFAE are the support to the valorisation of novel technologies, protection of research results, collaborative research agreements negotiation concerning intellectual property rights and technology exploitation terms and conditions, entrepreneurship promotion and spin-off growth support. 3 active spin-offs were incorporated in the last few years resulting from the basic research of IFAE, currently offering products and services in Europe and Asia for different industrial sectors: medical imaging, quantum computing and production quality control.

IFAE makes also available its wide engineering capabilities, equipment and infrastructures by offering mechanics, electronics, microelectronics & computing services. The continuous development of disruptive technologies generates new inventions that are evaluated, identifying those with higher market potential, protecting and transferring them by means of licensing in/out mechanisms.


2022 TECH. TRANSFER OUTPUT AT IFAE


320k€

Awarded in public competitive calls for KTT projects in 2022

42%

OF OUR Portfolio OF technologies IS licensed for industrial applications

30

private companies ARE engaged in collaborative R&D projectS with IFAE

3

Spin-offs created in the last 5 years.

2

PAtents granted in 2022


  • 2 novel technologies were valorised in 2022, getting public competitive funds for increasing the technology readiness level of IFAE new medical devices.
  • 1 quantum computing technology, was protected by an EU patent application.
  • 2 technologies of the IPR’s portfolio became patent granted (medical device and IoT sensor).
  • 5 IFAE technologies (2 patents and 3 proprietary know-how) are currently licensed, 2 of them generating royalties.
  • The interactions with the private sector led to the signature of 3 collaborative research projects; 2 of them regional Industrial Doctorate projects (AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya) and 1 international public-private collaborative research project (Horizon Europe, EC), engaging 4 for-profit entities. 5 customers (2 new) were users of the IFAE’s engineering services (computing and microelectronics).
  • 3 IFAE’s spin-offs were active, 2 of them were acknowledged by receiving national start-up awards, sustaining more than 30 high qualified job positions as a whole.
  • The KTT Unit committed to an European Big Science project preparatory phase (Gravitational Waves research) as Innovation Strategy Leader.
  • The funding raised by IFAE from competitive grants and private incomes related to innovation actions performed in 2022 was valued at 0.4M€.