CERN supports new business incubation network in Spain

Harriet Jarlett

Rolf Heuer, CERN’s Director-General, and Javier Cáceres, INEUSTAR´s General Manager, sign the BIC agreenment [Image: Sophia Bennett/ CERN]

This week CERN signed its eighth Business Incubation Centre of CERN technologies (BIC) agreement with INEUSTAR, the Spanish Science Industry Association.

The program, called the INEUSTAR-Pioneers, aims to bridge the gap between basic science and industry, supporting businesses and entrepreneurs to turn innovative technologies related to high-energy physics from technical concepts into a market reality.

INEUSTAR-Pioneers will identify local incubation centres where ideas based on CERN technology can be explored and nurtured further.

“CERN is committed to maximizing the benefit to society of CERN technology through the development and exploitation of innovative ideas in all CERN’s areas of expertise,” explains Rolf Heuer, CERN’s Director General.

INEUSTAR was founded in 2010 to promote collaboration between large scientific facilities and the industries that build scientific instruments such as accelerators, telescopes and array antennae.

“The INEUSTAR-Pioneers programme is based on the experience and specialization of INEUSTAR as a nationwide, industrial association, which promotes collaboration with the large scientific facilities industry and will help provide new routes to market. I hope it will be a catalyst for many new start-ups and activities with a positive impact on Spanish industry and society as a whole,” says Fco Javier Cáceres, INEUSTAR’s General Manager.

Successful applicants will be invited to participate in a 2-day technical visit to CERN, with access to scientific, technical and business expertise provided by CERN, INEUSTAR and the local incubator infrastructure. This will include business planning consultancy and access to related facilities, funding and other expertise.

The CERN Knowledge Transfer group is actively involved with Business Incubator Centres, contributing their experience of running a BIC, know-how through technical visits to CERN, support for the centre and preferential-rate licensing of CERN intellectual property. They also support the selection process, ensuring that companies applying to the BIC with proposals that are compatible with CERN’s mission and values go through.

via CERN: Updates for the general public
http://home.cern/about/updates/2015/10/cern-supports-new-business-incubation-network-spain