Between the lab and the boardroom
Alongside research and teaching, the transfer of knowledge and technological expertise is one of the key tasks for ETH Zurich. ETH transfer helps researchers to share their findings from the lab with the world of business.
“I ended up here completely by chance – but it's my dream job,” says Silvio Bonaccio, his eyes lighting up and showing the passion that the 52-year-old has put into managing the ETH transfer staff unit for over 11 years. After a number of intense years training and travelling with Nestlé, Bonaccio – who is from St. Gallen and has a PhD in chemistry – came back to Switzerland for a brief stay. Just as he was planning to head back into the world of international business, a former fellow student told him about a vacancy in “technology transfer” at their old university. The combination of business and natural sciences and the opportunity to share the latest research findings with society were what won over Bonaccio at the time – and he has been fascinated by the same subjects ever since. “I see my work as a great privilege. And I love the variety: every day is different and you can never get bored,” explains Bonaccio.
He has certainly seen a great deal of change – the current team has little in common with the specialist group in which he began his career at ETH. The five employees in 2001 have become a team of 26; the annual number of new spin-off companies has almost tripled with over 20 a year, as has the number of contracts with third parties. And the small specialist group has become a staff unit in its own right, reporting to Vice President Research and Corporate Relations Detlef Günther. The support services are divided into the areas of research contracts; inventions, patents and software licences; spin-off support;and the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lab (ieLab). Over the next few years, the team plans to further expand and optimise its established services.
Important contact point for spin-offs
The professionalisation of ETH transfer is largely down to Bonaccio – he and his team set up the spin-off area from scratch 11 years ago. Today, ETH transfer is the contact point for any ETH members wanting to set up a company. Along with advice and support before and during the founding process, Bonaccio's team also helps young entrepreneurs to network with important stakeholders, acquire premises, access the ETH infrastructure and find suitable coaches.
ETH transfer also looks after the Pioneer Fellowship Programme, which was launched in 2010 and helps talented young entrepreneurs to develop innovative products and launch them on the market. “There are two application rounds per year, where researchers can present their projects to an expert judging panel. The best ideas win 150,000 Swiss francs and an 18-month programme in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lab,” explains Bonaccio. Founded in 2011, the ieLab has space on the Hönggerberg campus in the HPL building and in the LEO building in the city centre. Here winners of the Pioneer Fellowship Programme are guided, supported, encouraged and challenged in their entrepreneurial work by experienced mentors and coaches – people working in industry and successful business owners. Of the 68 winning projects, 51 have now been completed – and the programme, which is financed through donations, has already resulted in the founding of 35 companies, according to Bonaccio. That represents a “conversion rate” of 70 percent.
Along with providing spin-off support, another of ETH transfer's main tasks is assisting in collaborations with industry. Each ETH department has various contracts with industry partners, federal offices and foundations, with around 1000 new contracts agreed every year. Bonaccio's team is responsible for designing and negotiating the contracts. One of the best examples is the Disney Research lab, which was founded six years ago in Zurich. The collaboration between the ETH Department of Computer Science and The Walt Disney Company has already resulted in just under 300 research projects and countless patents.
Record number of patent applications
Bonaccio's team also look after all the patents generated within the university. Before an invention can be patented, a series of substantive conditions must be met. Among other things, the invention to be patented must be new and commercially applicable. As well as assessing and evaluating the invention, ETH transfer also organises and coordinates the registration of property rights, looks after technology marketing and helps to find licensees, leads the licence negotiations and takes responsibility for controlling and distributing income. Of the 215 invention disclosures submitted by ETH members in the past year, a record number – over 100 – were patented successfully. The 78 licences granted set a new record as well.
According to Bonaccio, the greatest challenges for the team are the growing number of patent applications, spin-offs and commercial contracts, along with the increasing complexity of the projects and the different legal situations they encounter in international collaborations. Overcoming these challenges requires two things: extensive expertise and an alert team with the right spirit. Above all, it is this team spirit that keeps Bonaccio motivated every day, even after spending over 16 years in total at ETH transfer. “We're like a big family. That means a lot to me!” he says. It's clear that there is no danger of getting bored when you work at the interface between science and business.
This article appears in the current issue of "life".