INESC TEC, Finland, Australia: OpenInnoTrain is a bridge for knowledge and the exchange of experiences

The OpenInnoTrain project brings Europe and Australia closer together, promoting a closer cooperation between academia and industry. More than 20 partners form an open network for researchers (and others) who seek knowledge with social impact. INESC TEC is a starting (and arrival) point, and recently organised a workshop with researchers and companies.

Bianca Banica found a haven to foster “relationships, collaborations and friendships” in the Finnish coastal city of Vaasa. Under the OpenInnoTrain programme, the INESC TEC researcher continued her research work in the city bathed by the Gulf of Bothnia. According to researcher, it was a “rewarding” experience.

The researcher’s experience through northern Europe was the same as dozens of others: researchers, PhD students and technical staff, in different regions. The “passport” in the search for knowledge features an OpenInnoTrain “stamp”. This European project aims to create a global network of industrial partners and academia institutions, promoting a series of mobility initiatives targeting researchers from partner entities – called “secondments”.

This sharing of knowledge and ideas between Higher Education and the industry is one of the main axes of the programme. The goal? To understand the scientific research’s impact on the real world and translate new concepts into solutions that can help people in their daily lives. The possibility of exchange is one of the means to achieve this end and is open to all members of the consortium – featuring 13 academia partners and nine from industry (Portugal is represented with INESC TEC and UPTEC). All secondments are financially supported and can range from one month to one year.

This is how Bianca Banica landed in Vaasa, for a season at the Merinova research centre, which is part of “several European energy-related projects”. “I learned about the progress of the RIPEET project, which focuses on Transition Labs. This was particularly useful for my PhD on citizen engagement in the transition to sustainability”, she explained.

“At the University of Vaasa, and with the help of Mona Enell-Nilsson (OpenInnoTrain programme), I also met several researchers whose work relates to mine; I had conversations about the projects they are involved in, and the courses they are teaching (sustainable urban development or gamification for citizen engagement),” stated Bianca.

The city that the researcher describes as “picturesque, very close to nature and perfect for hiking and cycling” was also the home to another INESC TEC researcher. Morteza Ghavidel left with an OpenInnoTrain “passport” bound for Finland, and the same research institute. Morteza recalled the “friendly environment, very similar to INESC TEC”.

The Iranian researcher was able to closely study several European projects related to the energy transition and learn more about policy recommendations for energy communities in Finland. “For potential future candidates, I strongly recommend that they visit Merinova. It is an R&D centre like INESC, and it provides a platform to address issues related to industry in the Nordic countries”, he said.

Australia is closer

But OpenInnoTrain is not exclusive to Europe. With a partner in Australia, the project crosses borders and favours a bridge between the European continent and Oceania. It was there that Cristina Barbosa did her secondment. At the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), the INESC TEC researcher met other researchers and professionals in the fields of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, and actively participated in local and international events.

“It was a wonderful and unforgettable adventure. I am very grateful to INESC TEC and RMIT Australia for the opportunities provided; it was a life-changing and valuable learning environment, thanks to all the people I met and the experiences”, stressed Cristina Barbosa.

INESC TEC organised a workshop to foster relationships

But this initiative is not only about exchange. On the path to transfer knowledge generated via research to businesses, INESC TEC was once again a major point. In early October, researchers, students, and managers came together to solve innovation problems in the business field.

“As a partner entity of the project, [INESC TEC] hosted and disseminated the event,” said Cristina Barbosa, a researcher at the Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CITE) and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), a network that helps small and medium-sized companies grow in the international market. “I supported the organisation of the event during stay at RMIT Australia”, she mentioned. The session brought together companies supported by EEN, to work in innovation. This “cross-cutting dimension” was, according to the researcher, “vital”.

This STREM session (students, researchers and managers) took place in Porto, at INESC TEC; it featured ZØR Thermal and Invisible Cloud, and it was promoted by Anne-Laure Mention, professor at RMIT University of Melbourne and INESC TEC researchers Cristina Machado Guimarães, Alípio Torre and Manuel Matos

“As a mentor, it was rewarding to interact with new minds and support the valuable insights they provided. These outlooks can be used to question our notions about certain problems, to define new directions or to approach challenges in a different way”, explained Alípio Torre.

INESC TEC hosted the international summer school last year. Between June and July, students and researchers focused on the importance of the impact of research on universities and companies.

The OpenInnoTrain initiative is coordinated by the European hub of the RMIT University, in Barcelona; it’s funded by the Horizon 2020 programme, and it brings together Europe and Australia to support a global network of industrial partners and academia institutions. The project brings together a consortium of 22 members from 12 countries, with INESC TEC part of the group of 12 research and development institutions.

Learning in a “supportive” environment

We asked some of the people who attended the session – participants and mentors – the most valuable lessons: the “supportive” environment benefited all those who met at INESC TEC to jointly share outlooks and bring the academia closer to the “real challenges of the industry”.

Cristina Machado Guimarães – INESC TEC Researcher | TEAM MENTOR

“The co-development of solutions not only serves the companies/start-ups and market needs but surpasses the prior ideas of what would be the endpoints, bringing new paths and solutions to be tested. The richness of teams lies not only in the different backgrounds but also in the different range of ages, bringing freshness of perspectives, balancing, energy with serenity, focus with details”.

Manuel Victor Matos – INESC TEC Researcher | TEAM MENTOR

“I believe that the business dimensions explored broadly and exhaustively contributed to the researchers and managers involved in identifying the key elements for assessing the market context and proposing business solutions. As a mentor, I consider that the main competence developed was co-working and co-designing strategies. The researchers and companies gained learning and experience from the opportunity to face the technical and financial challenges of business and innovation cases with the appropriate support and guidance. In addition, the companies benefited from the ideas and solutions that emerged during STREM.”

Marcella Mendes – STREM | TEAM PARTICIPANT

“The OpenInnoTrain STREM was an incredibly enriching experience. It was inspiring to witness the collaboration between students, researchers, and managers working together to find innovative solutions to real-world challenges. Also, the different backgrounds of the participants helped me to see things from another point of view, learning more than usual. This opportunity not only allowed us to apply our academic knowledge practically but also encouraged us to think outside the box and enhance our problem-solving skills. This session was truly inspiring and motivating, reinforcing the importance of open innovation in the academia and the business world.”

Bozidar Vlacic (Portuguese Catholic University) | TEAM MENTOR

“It was a super nice event, and I really enjoyed it. In my opinion, the participants had a valuable opportunity to tackle real industry challenges within a supportive and empowering environment, allowing them to assess the validity and quality of their approaches and solutions”.

Luís Silva – Invisible Cloud (a company supported by INESC TEC in the EEN – Enterprise Europe Network project)

“I’m pleased that the challenge from Invisible Cloud sparked insightful discussions and creative problem-solving. What struck me the most was the collaborative approach among the participants, representing diverse fields of expertise. This diversity of perspectives allowed us to examine the problem from various angles and triggered ideas of innovations. This event was undeniably valuable in fostering connections and generating fresh ideas.

Joana Fonseca – ZØR Thermal – Cold Chain Logistics (a company supported by INESC TEC in the EEN – Enterprise Europe Network project)

“As a representative of ZOR-THERMAL, it was very gratifying to participate in the event. The working groups came up with very innovative and refreshing solutions to the proposed challenge.”