Doctoral Training

We want to raise awareness in the world of higher education and research with a systematic approach to promote the development of a mentality increasingly open to new business initiatives, ready to seize opportunities deriving from technology transfer processes.

For this reason, we promote a series of actions to develop strategic skills, to train future technology inventors and leaders of new entrepreneurial initiatives with a focus on technology.

From Research to Business: a knowledge transfer approach

From Research to Business: a knowledge transfer approach (R2B) is a program for Ph.D. students intending to reflect on the value of their research work in the market. Specifically, at the end of the course, those who participate will be able to understand:

• the value of their research project in a market;
• the strategic role of intellectual property and other intangible assets in their research project and future professional scenarios;
• how to plan and develop new entrepreneurial and intra-entrepreneurial projects in different contexts.

Who is it for and how does it work?

The program is aimed at doctoral students of the University of Trento and local research foundations, and it is in collaboration with the university’s departments and doctoral courses. It lasts 25 hours and it is held in English.

General objectives

The goal is to provide Ph.D. students with the necessary concepts to create impact from their research. The main activities carried out in the training course are:

• exploration of trends and markets, to understand how to best take advantage of the innovation potential identified within their research;
• analyses with experts of the concepts of value proposition, opportunities related to strategies and protection of intellectual property;
• presentation of strategies and opportunities for public and private financing of innovative ideas, both to collaborate with companies and for the creation of new businesses.

Methods

The teaching methods are mainly based on active learning. Therefore, alongside the traditional presentation of content, real-life experiences and case studies are introduced by researchers, entrepreneurs, managers of local and/or international companies. Lessons, discussions, individual and group work, practical activities and games are all combined.

Past Editions

From 2020 onwards, 4 editions of R2B have been organized so far, involving more than 70 participants, mainly from the Departments of Information Engineering and Information Science (DISI), Industrial Engineering (DII), Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM) and the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (C3A).

At each edition, at least 2 professionals from the world of business and industrial research were invited.