Since its founding in 1954, CERN has been powered by the passion of scientists and engineers determined to push the boundaries of knowledge and technology in the quest to understand the universe. This drive has sparked groundbreaking innovations and continues to shape the future of science and society. But these achievements are more than just milestones. They are the result of relentless curiosity, bold collaboration, and a deep commitment to exploration. At CERN, innovation isn’t just a goal.
This event serves as a dynamic platform, bringing together all key actors involved within the ATTRACT phase 2 to showcase their achievements and impact. It underscores ATTRACT’s transformative role in fostering deep-tech innovation, bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and market-ready applications, and strengthening Europe’s global competitiveness.
Around the world, governments spend billions of euros a year to get new discoveries out of the lab and into the market. But do they actually know what works and what doesn’t?
Spoiler alert: not really. In many cases, the design of R&D support programmes is just a matter of “well-intentioned guesswork,” says Albert Bravo-Biosca, director of the London- and Barcelona-based Innovation Growth Lab, a non-profit that studies innovation policy.
Collaboration between universities and industry is essential for transforming academic research into practical innovations that can impact the real world. However, the strategies used to make these collaborations possible have often lacked rigorous testing. This has led to uncertainty about which approaches work best in helping researchers and businesses partner effectively.
The Socioeconomic Studies (SES) seek to enhance the conventional impact metrics and build upon them towards new insights on how to measure the potential of European Research Infrastructures and Innovation Ecosystems (ERI-IEs) like ATTRACT. The goal is to understand what works, why it works, and which mechanisms could be improved.
ATTRACT serves as a catalyst for integrating science into society, transforming innovative ideas into concrete solutions for a better future. This initiative is a collaboration between major research infrastructures, industry leaders, and business experts, aiming to enhance people’s lives by developing new products, services, companies, and jobs.
Nowadays, the commercialisation of scientific and technological innovations is crucial for economic and social advancement. However, one of the biggest challenges is transforming scientific discoveries into viable market products and services.