The Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), Valencian region’s public instrument devoted to promoting innovation, financed the constitution of ICMol’s Scientific Unit for Industrial Innovation (UCIE) in 2018. The general objetive of the UCIE is to facilitate the industrial uptake of ICMol’s research results implementing a two-fold strategy. The first one consists of further developing ICMol technologies towards higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) and, when necessary, redirecting ICMol’s research lines to give answers to the challenges faced by industry. The second consists of better positioning ICMol in the regional R&D system network by strengthening the relationships and collaborations with other complementary agents to promote a successful technology transfer.

The set-up of the UCIE was the main milestone in 2018. The main objectives achieved have been:

1.- Constitution of a functional structure. Under the direction of Prof. Eugenio Coronado and the management of ICMol’s general manager Ruth Manzanares 6 people have been incorporated to the UCIE. Their profiles include innovation and technology transfer experts, researchers and technicians.

2.- Creation of a scale-up laboratory. A new fully equipped laboratory has been stablished covering the large scale synthesis and preparation requirements of ICMol’s applied projects.

3.- Establishment of a collaboration network. ICMol has joined or approached several platforms, industrial associations and other innovation promoting structures to facilitate the relation of the institute with companies.

4.- Impulse to innovation projects and technology transfer. The scientific-technological focus of UCIE has been placed in those R&D applied projects with TRLs of 4 and higher. Their technologies have been pushed to more advanced stages to facilitate the technology transfer.