Successful research is one thing, whether it finds a partner from the commercial sector and catches on in practice, an altogether different one. The Technology Transfer Center of the CAS (CeTTAV) and now the new website, which offers services for potential partners and for institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CAS), are both helping with this.

Introducing research results and new technologies (not only) to businesses

The new platform brings simple online access to the available research results of the institutes of the CAS. Be it research into the treatment of neuropathic pain or gels for cleaning historic surfaces; all is within a single click’s reach.

The database of technologies and apparatus is a showcase of research results suitable for wider use, commercialization and transfer at various phases and technological readiness levels (TRL).

“Results and equipment are presented in the form of structured product sheets to meet the requirements for presentation of information to wider interest groups, such as investors, business representatives and industry organizations,” describes Lenka Scholzová, head of CeTTAV. “In the database, results can be filtered according to various criteria, such as research field.”

The platform offers not only an overview of applicable research results, an overview of devices and laboratories for use, but also a range of consultations and services for researchers and business, and information on knowledge transfer. “For anyone inside or outside the Academy, this database represents an opportunity to orientate themselves in obviously or potentially useful activities across institutes and fields,” says Michal Filippi from the Institute of Geology of the CAS.

Supporting researchers and interconnecting them

The platform mainly opens up space to present applicable research results for the CAS institutes, which can also establish contacts with the commercial sector here. Support for the commercialization process, marketing research and consulting services are all a matter of course. Last but not least, the the platform can offer unused capacities of lab equipment and space within the CAS and on the open market.

“The database will help in institutes where tech transfer so far has been a bit of a tough nut to crack“

„The new platform with a database is above all a powerful communication tool connecting all institutes and branches of the CAS. The database will help in institutes where tech transfer so far has been a bit of a tough nut to crack, easing finding one’s bearings and  tap into the experience and knowledge of others,“ explains Radka Šmídová, an implementation team member of CeTTAV.

At the moment, CeTTAV is creating the database content along with 12 CAS research institutes. „Despite the initial slight mistrust, it now turns out that this form of presentation of research results on the so-called product sheet is in fact interesting to researchers and they can continue to work with it independently and use it easily,“ Radka Šmídová recounts the outset of the project.

Two databases, one click

About to launch is the connection of the database with a sister database by Transfera.cz, a platform combining tech transfer activities of academic and university institutions in the Czech Republic. When publishing technology entries in the CAS database, the product sheet can be automatically published in the Transfers database with a single click.

A professional workshops system for database editors is also underway, the first session took place on 16 February 2021.

“This type of publicly available database can also stimulate interest in cooperation in people from economic sectors the Academy does not cooperate with often, and  inspire new, useful research.”

„For the Academy staff, it is also an opportunity to compare activities of the institutes – what is interesting and useful and what could be worth considering in terms of cooperation. This type of publicly available database can also stimulate interest in cooperation in people from economic sectors the Academy does not cooperate with often and  inspire new, useful research,“ says Michal Filippi.

„Only the future will tell the usefulness of such a database. Either the presented information will catch on, and the database will grow, or a layer of online dust will gradually cover everything. I, however, am optimistic.“