M-Cube project
In 2017, the International Research Consortium, which includes ITMO University’s Center for Nanophotonics and Metamaterials, was awarded a European Horizon 2020 grant, surpassing more than 500 participants. The M-Cube project unites scientific groups and companies from seven countries working on a new antenna technology for MRI. In the course of four years, the scientists plan to develop the prototypes of devices based on a new approach that allows for a significant increase in the speed and accuracy of the MRI procedure. To learn more about the project, read our previous article on this topic.
Innovation Radar
The European Commission supports both fundamental and applied research, as well as promotes the commercialization of research results. Innovation Radar is a European Commission initiative aimed at identifying high potential innovations in EU-funded research and innovation projects. The platform’s goal is to allow every citizen, public official, professional and business person to discover the outputs of EU innovation funding and give them a chance to seek out information about the most promising projects, which, in turn, provides innovators with the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of companies such as Skype, TomTom, and ARM Holdings, all of whom received EU funding in their early days.
By providing greater access to information about the most prospective projects, the platform aims to encourage the development of a dynamic ecosystem of incubators, entrepreneurs, funding agencies and investors that can help get EU-funded innovations faster to market.
Choice of project
Innovation Radar builds on the information gathered by independent experts involved in reviewing ongoing projects funded by the EU under such initiatives as Horizon 2020, Framework Programme 7 (FP7), and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP). The EC experts have several assessment criteria, such as the results of the implementation of declared programs, project management, the number of leading researchers involved in the project, men to women ratio and so on. The most important indicator is innovativeness: experts give most consideration to the projects that can bring innovative products to the market. Among other criteria are the technology readiness level, the overall performance of a project or consortium, etc. More information about the Innovation Radar methodology is available here.
Benefits for participants
The research projects singled out by the experts receive an opportunity to gain better visibility among potential investors and partners. That’s why publication on the Innovation Radar platform can become a competitive advantage for research groups.
