From Science to Impact

A conversation with Maarten Steinbuch, Professor of Systems and Control at the Eindhoven University of Technology four days a week, and an entrepreneur one day a week.

To get innovations off the ground, research and new businesses are needed. Students are by far the best entrepreneurs, mainly because of their resilience, Professor Peter Rem contends.

At Kendall Square in Boston, the hotspot for startups, it is completely natural to try new things, fail, learn and try again. That is the vibe that the Netherlands also needs, says Miao-Ping Chien.

‘A university is not a patent machine’
The original purpose of patents was to share new ideas and encourage invention. Today, it often obstructs innovation. This needs to change, argues Ernst van den Ende.

‘The best scientists also have start-ups’
Companies are constantly testing new products in the marketplace; scientists should do the same with research, Eveline Crone believes.

‘How many start-ups did you help?’ Better cooperation between knowledge institutions and SMEs can take high-tech innovations further, argues Hamed Sadeghian. 

In this advisory report, the AWTI has investigated what the main obstacles are in the growth of knowledge-intensive startups and what measures we can take to ensure that such knowledge-intensive startups grow into scaleups much more often. If you have suggestions for more relevant reports on this topic, please email us at technologies@techleap.nl

Dutch knowledge institutions are at the forefront of research internationally. But few entrepreneurs know how to take advantage of this. That's a missed opportunity. In applying the knowledge, the Netherlands is lagging behind when compared to the neighboring countries. The report is in Dutch only, you can download it for free below.

Startups that want to tackle problems related to the environment, food, and care are often held back in various ways. This is apparent from a literature study by the Rathenau Institute into knowledge ecosystems and startups with social impact. For the startups with a zeal to flourish, more is needed than just funding. Read more in this report (in Dutch only), download below.