The Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) announces the launch of the Knowledge Transfer and Commercialization of Research Results Services to support Cypriot universities, research institutions and businesses, which will be available through the RIF Central Office of Knowledge Transfer, whose operation is financed from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Cyprus – Tomorrow.
The Central Office of Knowledge Transfer of RIF will provide support for the cultivation of culture, know-how and skills related to Knowledge Transfer, contributing to the strengthening of the innovation ecosystem. It will also provide a comprehensive range of knowledge transfer support services that will include property evaluation and development of intellectual property strategy, provision of funding to cover part of the cost of intellectual property protection, promotion of technologies and identification of potential buyers, partners or investors and support in negotiating knowledge transfer agreements.
The services of the Central Knowledge Transfer Office will be provided free of charge and will be available to all stakeholders of the ecosystem based on state aid regulations, within the requirements of Article 28 of the European Commission's General Block Exemption Regulation (651/2014) for SMEs and the De Minimis Regulation (1407/2013) for large companies. The head of the activities of Knowledge Transfer and Support of the Commercialization of Research Results of the RIF is the internationally acclaimed Dr. Phyllis Leah Speser, who in her long career has commercialized technologies in different fields that have generated billions of dollars in revenue for academics, research organizations and businesses. Dr. Speser has taught, among others, Intellectual Property Law at the State University of New York at Buffalo USA, Technology Commercialization at Moscow State University. She is a Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) and certified New Product Development Professional.
In his statement, the Chief Scientist for Research and Innovation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of RIF, Dr. Nikolas P. Mastrogiannopoulos stated: "International experience shows that Knowledge Transfer activity at the national level contributes significantly to strengthening competitiveness, creating new jobs as well as diversifying, sustaining and maintaining the vitality of national economies. The transfer of knowledge and its commercial exploitation is a key strategic objective of the National Strategy for Research and Innovation and a catalyst for the realization of our vision for a more dynamic and competitive economy, in the context of the "Cyprus - Tomorrow" Recovery Plan. At the same time, we are moving forward with the modification of the institutional framework that governs the transfer of knowledge and in particular the creation of tech start-up companies from public universities to strengthen this effort".
