BIP’s third edition supports 12 more technological projects
On 1 February took place the opening session of the third edition of the Business Ignition Programme (BIP), in which 12 new previously selected projects with technological base were announced to be part of this edition.
The session took place at the Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), at the Porto Cruise Terminal, and was attended by members of the three partners of the Programme: Carlos Brito (U.Porto), Vítor Vasconcelos (CIIMAR) and Luís Carneiro (INESC TEC), as well as Marlos Silva from Sonae. The importance of this programme was highlighted as connecting the link between university and industry and, above all, as a way to value the knowledge created by researchers of these three institutions.
The teams immediately had the opportunity to participate in an Immersive Bootcamp, in other words, it’s a kind of 20-hour intensive training dedicated to innovation strategies. Its aim is to promote the emergence of ideas that arise from sustainable business models for new products, processes or services.
During the 12 weeks of the programme, participants will be accompanied by mentors, who will allow the validation of their ideas in the market, with the support of methodologies and resources.
INESC TEC teams go in for a competition
Among the selected participants, there are two teams with INESC TEC’s collaborators.
Inclusion Co-creation Labs is a platform that brings designers and curators together interested in bringing historical heritage to contemporary design, craftsman whose arts are in danger of disappearing, thus safeguarding the past through innovation. This team has three members of the Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CITE), namely Andreia Passos, Cristina Barbosa and José Coelho Rodrigues, and joined by Joep van der Wal, student in the Master of Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (MIETE).
Imago Scio has the purpose of creating an adaptable tool capable of supporting image work from any professional area, allowing the reduction or elimination of the time spent by specialists in the selection and description of images. Tiago Guedes, from the Centre for Advanced Computing Systems (CRACS), is the project leader of this project.
In this edition, BIP will also support another INESC TEC's team, which intends to value their skills through INESC TEC participation in the Collaborative Laboratory linked to Forest and Fire field. In order to face the national challenges of FCT with activities based on technological knowledge.
BIP – Business Ignition Programme
Business Ignition Programme it is a programme for enhancing and developing business models for technologies developed in academia. The business models are presented and validated on the market, promoting the transfer of technology and promoting the development of new businesses. The programme aims to identify market opportunities for potential products/services resulting from research and aims to give the necessary skills to participants, so they can value and commercialise technologies, creating new opportunities with technological base.
At the end of the programme, participating teams should have developed a technology valorisation action that is capable of generating economic value from their research results.
Sonae participates in this project as a business partner, providing expertise or some ideas with application in the retail area. The technologies for other areas will also be supported by mentors.
On the last two editions, 20 projects with technological base were supported, and six teams from INESC TEC participated in those editions.
The researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with INESC TEC.
