INESC TEC is the only Portuguese institution featured in the recently published European Commission (EC) report on deep tech entrepreneurship and the crucial role that Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) play in creating high-impact industrial spin-offs. The report, available on the EC website, is titled “Deep tech entrepreneurship in Europe and the crucial role of RTOs fostering impactful industrial spin-offs.”
The document – prepared by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with EARTO -the European association representing leading RTOs of which INESC TEC is a member -analyses the challenges and opportunities for Europe to establish itself as a leader in technological innovation.
Twenty-nine members of the TTO Circle – the European network of technology transfer offices, where INESC TEC is the sole Portuguese representative – participated in the study. Among them, INESC TEC stood out for its strategy in technological valorisation and support for scientific entrepreneurship.
INESC TEC is presented in the report as one of eight European best practices in supporting the creation of deep tech spin-offs, alongside institutions such as CEA (France), VTT (Finland), Fraunhofer (Germany), and TNO (Netherlands).
The report highlights INESC TEC’s spin-off iLoF and the Institute’s internal programme called Seed Projects, first implemented in 2018, which has since supported researchers with entrepreneurial ambitions.
Regarding the internal Seed Projects initiative, it has funded proof-of-concept projects with up to €20,000, playing a crucial role in maturing emerging technologies in areas such as photonics, quantum computing, and robotics. iLoF, in particular, is a clear example of INESC TEC’s ability to transform scientific knowledge into solutions with economic and social impact. This INESC TEC spin-off is included in the list of the 49 most relevant industrial deep tech spin-offs in Europe over the past decade.
This recognition comes at a time when the European Commission is reinforcing its focus on deep tech start-ups as a driver of reindustrialisation and competitiveness, proposing specific policies to support these initiatives with high-intensity R&D.
The report also advocates for new success metrics for deep tech ecosystems – moving beyond the traditional counting of “unicorns” – and recommends the creation of venture builders, industrialisation platforms, and mobility programmes to attract talent.
According to Daniel Vasconcelos, head of INESC TEC’s technology transfer office and the Institute’s representative in the TTO Circle, “INESC TEC’s presence in this study positions us as a relevant stakeholder in shaping European innovation policies and strengthens our role as a bridge between science and society.”
INESC TEC thus joins the leading European RTOs in promoting a technological development model with a strong industrial approach and societal impact.
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