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About the Innovation Center

 Why the Innovation Center was founded as the starting point for innovations in life science and health. Facility
Why the Innovation Center was founded as the starting point for innovations in life science and health.

About us

The Innovation Centre plays a crucial role in positioning, guiding, and facilitating the innovative power of the UMCG. It interacts as the first point of contact to support healthcare professionals and researchers - both within and beyond the UMCG - to successfully innovate, aligning with the Institution's valorization objectives.

Through continuous interaction with the staff, researchers and external partners, we strive to support the translation of innovative ideas into tangible outcomes, using our multidisciplinary expertise, experience and extensive network. That's how we contribute to maximizing the UMCG's potential to create societal impact.

Meeting
 

Routes and areas of support towards valorization and innovation

  1. Implementation of healthcare innovations
    We support colleagues working on innovations on their, mostly challenging, journey through the innovation process. We help to mature ideas to valuable and sustainable solutions. An innovation can create great value for its end users!
  2. License agreements
    By granting a company the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to exploit UMCG generated IP, there is a good chance that the UMCG’s science will be utilized correctly to impact citizens and patients accordingly. License agreements also often result in public private partnerships in relation to the further development of the licensed technology, product or knowhow.
  3. Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
    As a knowledge institute, we collaborate frequently with industry partners to create societal impact. Having an industry partner involved in a defined research area reinforces the societal need associated with the research line. This gives the UMCG confidence that the results generated through the collaboration are likely to address a societal need and the existence of a partner capable of bringing the product or service to the market. Moreover, the industrial partner is willing to take a risk to fund the defined scientific field with no guarantee of success (science can be unpredictable).
  4. Spin-off companies
    Creating a spin-off company and granting that company the IPR, if required, is a second way to valorize specific UMCG IP. The company will be the vehicle to impact citizens and patients and strengthen the regional and national economy with the acquired invention.
  5. Innovation ecosystems
    To foster a multidisciplinary approach on a broader clinical or research area, an Innovation Ecosystem or Community may be created as a strategic alignment of departments, innovative employees, researchers, projects, universities and/or companies. These ecosystems and communities foster the creation of new partnerships and sharing of knowledge and experience.