• Techtra

Successful joint conference organised by Techtra and UIIN in Budapest

The University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) and the TECHTRA Technology Transfer Institute 2023 organised their first joint conference in Budapest on 9-11 May 2023. The three-day event aimed to strengthen the interaction between university and industry, promote technology transfer, and the link between business and higher education.

The first joint conference of the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) and the TECHTRA Technology Transfer Institute took place from 9-11 May 2023. The event took place at the Budapest Congress Centre. The three-day event focused on strengthening the interaction between university and industry, promoting technology transfer, and exploring the future relationship between business and higher education. The conference offered participants the opportunity to share their insights, practices, and achievements in the field of knowledge and technology transfer. UIIN, founded in 2012, held its first conference in Budapest, co-organised by our institute, TECHTRA.

The event’s panel discussions provided insights from renowned experts such as Cristina Riesen, Founder and CEO of Educreators Foundation, Diana El-Azar, Strategic Communications Director of the Minerva Project, Emma Salgård Cunha, Commercial Manager at the University of Cambridge, Kelly Sexton, Vice President of Research and Innovation Partnerships at the University of Michigan, Philipp Gerbert, General Manager of TUM Venture Labs, Robert Giezendanner-Thoben, Director of Industrial Affairs at EPFL, or Roberta Malee Bassett, Global Head of Higher Education at the World Bank. The panel discussions focused on topics such as partnerships and the future of education, entrepreneurship in universities, and the dynamics of the knowledge landscape in future higher education.

On the first day of the conference, participants were introduced to the basics of the Knowledge Space and the Knowledge Triangle concepts in a workshop. The workshop was moderated by Johan Blaus, Senior Business Relations Advisor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Torbjörn Lundh, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gothenburg. The workshop aimed to further develop the two concepts mentioned above, with a particular focus on innovation and social service.

During the three days of the conference, UIIN and TECHTRA hosted panel discussions, case studies, and research-sharing hubs, as well as a stand at the event to support networking between participants. This unique event provided 450 attendees from over 60 countries with a range of opportunities to gain key strategic insights into the world of knowledge and technology transfer, as well as to build their networks in this dynamically evolving sub-system.