Workshop on good practices on increased accessibility of research/innovation infrastructure to industry for testing, demonstration and co-creation: Test beds as drivers for EU growth and innovation

From 30 November to 1 December 2017, a workshop discussing the role of test and demonstration facilities to drive innovation and growth was held in Gothenburg, Sweden. The event was co-organised by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and the Association of Swedish Engineering Industries (Teknikföretagen) in collaboration with Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) under the JRC/TTO Circle network. The theme of the workshop was: “Good practices on increased accessibility of research/innovation infrastructure to industry for testing, demonstration and co-creation”. Panel debates and presentations took place, during which representatives from business, RTOs, academic institutions, the Swedish Government and the European Commission expressed their views. This brief report summarises the workshop’s main findings and sets out the way forward. The objectives of the workshop were to: Discuss how to develop a strategy for test and demonstration infrastructures at EU level, and how to integrate different kinds of infrastructures into attractive and leading global innovation environments. Review different approaches for business models, quality controls, IPR conditions, funding opportunities, etc., with a view to their potential harmonisation. Explore synergies with the ESFRI network. Look into In-Real-Life (IRL) test and demonstration sites, such as cities. Explore ways of open innovation partnerships, for example, collaboration between SMEs and larger corporations. Identify potential pilot activities within the framework of the Support to the TTO Circle network. Provide guidelines to the JRC on how to make their infrastructures more accessible for external use. The conclusions of the meeting will feed into the broader political debate on how to maximise the use of test and demonstration facilities in Europe in the run up to the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. In response to strategies on both regional and national levels, RISE and Teknikföretagen would like to see a comprehensive European strategy towards a “Test bed Europe” in the framework of EU, national and regional programmes. Such a strategy would encourage collaboration between business, the research environment and the public sector. It would also increase innovation and competitiveness and help the EU meet global challenges.JRC.I.4-Intellectual Property and Technology Transfe