Bootcamp and Outlab: a method tested in San Sebastian
Entrepreneurial researchers bringing scientific discoveries to the market
A challenge across many European regions is the slow uptake of advanced technologies in SMEs, low investment in R&D activities and limited technology transfer from science to business. For the European economy to be competitive globally, there is a need to be strong in the knowledge economy. However, this can only be achieved if European businesses generate more value; ergo when they use scientific discoveries and applied research to bring groundbreaking innovation to market.
One solution sometimes sought is bringing the academic/research community closer to the business ecosystem and getting the two sides to collaborate so that the latter would use the scientific findings of the former. However, the intrinsic differences of these two communities may lead to conflicting expectations regarding goals and timelines and sometimes this approach does not yield the intended results.
The alternative approach is getting people from the scientific community to become entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, that is also not an easy feat, considering that these individuals have mostly had a calling to conduct research and becoming a businessperson is often seen as “alien”, if not unthinkable.
Successful examples of such transitions are few and far between. Therefore, any programmes that have sought to create entrepreneurs from researchers and to promote the setup of spin-off companies are greatly appreciated. The following story explores one such example.
Bootcamp and Outlab – a method tested in San Sebastian
One approach to this challenge is put forward by Fomento San Sebastian (FSS), the municipal company responsible for the socio-economic development strategy of Donostia-San Sebastián, project partner in the NOTRE project. They tested a two-phase programme to improve the skills of researchers.
Awareness-raising: the Bootcamp
In the methodology of Fomento San Sebastian, raising awareness among the scientific community is considered fundamental. This is done through the Bootcamp – an intensive 1-day workshop to raise awareness and encourage scientists to start an entrepreneurial project in their field.
The session starts with an inspirational testimony from scientists who have already become entrepreneurs; preferably alumni of the programme. The idea is to bring a practical success story example of a spin-off from a technology centre or a start-up that was born in a laboratory.
That is followed by more general training on what entrepreneurship means, its phases, how to go from the laboratory to the market, etc. Specific focus is also put on challenges that these types of businesses normally face and where to set their efforts to overcome them. For example, in one iteration, the programme touched upon aspects such as:
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Imposed barriers and how to break them
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Self-diagnosis of your profile: strengths and weaknesses
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Working on leadership and entrepreneurial attitudes/skills
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Managing uncertainty and visualising alternative ways forward
Overall, the Bootcamp wants to break the cliché of the scientific profile and boost hidden skills among the scientific community. The idea is to encourage scientists to explore the possibility of being the ones to take the lead in turning their scientific team’s idea into a viable business.
Entrepreneurial training: the Outlab
The Outlab is the second phase that builds on the interest generated during the Bootcamp. It is meant for researchers who have more advanced research that is closer to the market. The aim of the Outlab is to support the creation of spin-offs.
In other words, it provides the scientific community with the skills needed to launch technology-related businesses. The approximately 10-week programme helps to shape and package scientific results to a business project that could be validated on the market and give researchers the skills and competencies to get their business project off the ground.
The programme is structured around four development phases:
- Opportunity generation
- Financing
- Go-to-market strategy
- Pitching
Each phase consists of various training sessions. In addition to the usual topics one can find in most entrepreneurial programmes, e.g. business modelling, access to finance, and marketing, the programme also has sessions that are specifically relevant to the scientific context. These include patentability, certification, intellectual property, and also sale or licence of technology to a company.
The program also contacts with industry and business experts as well as allows peer learning among the participants. Individual mentoring is also provided to minimise the risk of the project and to increase its potential and viability.
Lessons learned
The Policy Learning Platform reached out to Fomento San Sebastian to get further insights into the implementation of these programmes. According to Xabier Hualde Amunarriz from FFS, there are several takeaways:
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Matching the service to the target group’s needs - when designing such interventions, it is important to know which are the real needs of the local scientific community. In some contexts, the local universities or R&D centres might have their own internal training programmes or they could be better positioned to develop in-house programmes to address their own particular needs and interests.
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Paying attention to the time and dates of the training sessions - there has to be a balance between the number of sessions, the number of hours dedicated to each session and also, the space between sessions.
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Extending the pipeline – it would be beneficial to also have a third phase programme, e.g. an accelerator programme or an incubator to host these business ideas in order to continue promoting their development.
The experience gained has served to re-adapt and re-focus on other targets and activities in San Sebastian. FSS is no longer running these programmes as it is now focusing on other types of target groups, such as students of Vocational Training, as well as other programmes related to entrepreneurial culture.
Many other Interreg Europe projects have developed policies to promote research valorisation. A range of policy recommendations on designing and delivering effective policies for research valorisation, including support for entrepreneurship, can be found in this policy brief on research valorisation.