Nuclear Science Symposium
and
Medical Imaging Conference

Lyon, France
October
15-20, 2000

WORKSHOP: Basic Science and Entrepreneurship

Thursday 19th October 2000, 9.00 am

Organised by: François Bourgeois / CERN,
Marc Cuzin / LETI, Francesco de Notaristefani / INFN,

Basic science does not usually have immediate benefits for industry or the economic world in general, and delays in return are often incompatible with the short-term expectations of market driven activities. In the course of the last decade, employment generated by start-up companies has more than compensated for the unemployment produced by layoffs resulting from the restructuring of multi-national companies. Since the early 70's, universities and their incubators, particularly in the USA, have been supporting young entrepreneurs in the start-up phase of their entrepreneurial endeavors. More recently, a culture of entrepreneurship has developed in major R&D laboratories all over the world and start-up companies resulting from these activities are flourishing, despite a certain lack of support and motivation in the organizations themselves. The workshop aims at highlighting the necessary factors for success and the best practices to be adopted in the specific environment of R&D laboratories.

Morning session, 9.00-12.00 a.m.
"The do's and the don'ts of entrepreneurship"
Chairman: Yves Jongen / IBA

Former President and CEO, Yves Jongen has been Chief Research Officer at Ion Beam Applications (IBA) since March 2000. Mr Jongen graduated from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) in 1970. Director of the Cyclotron Research Centre of UCL until 1986, he founded IBA in 1987. Following several acquisitions, the company now occupies a leading position in the market for the medical applications of accelerators.
The goal of the first session will be to discuss what is needed for start-up companies to be successful in a basic science environment. Six entrepreneurs will give talks reporting on the problems they faced in the development of their business.

1. Alan Jeavons, Director, Oxford Positron Systems (UK), "So you want to be a High-tech Entrepreneur?"
   
2. Tony Anson, Director, Anson Medical Ltd, "Risk, Communication and Romance, The Basis of a Commercial Company"
   
3. Roberto Bonino, Director, Adance, "The ABC of the physicist entrepreneur : from Academia to Business and Commerce , a personal journey"
   
4. Klaus Roehrich & Harald Wirth, Directors, Creative Services (F), "Applying Physics: from Research to Business!"
   
5. Sandor Zoletnik, Director, CAT-SCIENCE Bt (HU) "Scientific consultancy experiences"
   
6. Frank Rouaix, Director, MEDIAM (F), "The development of a start-up company in pharmaceuticals - a personal experience"
   A 45-minute panel discussion will follow aimed at identifying relevant pitfalls and factors for success in a basic science environment.
   

Afternoon session, 2.00-5.00 p.m.
"How to turn a scientist into an entrepreneur"
Chairman: Gerd Muehllehner, President, UGM Medical Systems, Inc.

Dr Muehllehner is a leading developer of PET equipment who graduated in Nuclear Physics at the University of Michigan in 1966 and held a professorship at the University of Pennsylvania until 1990. He is a world-renowned scientist who has successfully moved from academia to business and founded UGM in 1990.

This second session will present the most recent actions taken in major R&D laboratories aimed at promoting a change of culture, following their development of more pro-active technology transfer policies. Oral presentations will give special attention to training actions, support given to entrepreneurs, identification of nascent technologies, seed capital and other measures aimed at fostering a more entrepreneurial spirit.

1. Uwe Haug, Head of International Affairs, Steinbeis-Foundation (D), "Transfer, Entrepreneurship - The approach of the Steinbeis-Foundation"
   
2. Alan Wells, Director, Space Research Centre, University of Leicester (UK) "Technology Transfer from Space Science Instrumentation"
   
3. European Commission IPR-Helpdesk, (to be confirmed)
   
4. Ken Wittamore, International Technology Promoter, Department of Trade and Industry (UK), "A UK approach to the development of university intellectual property"
   
5. Carlo Rizzuto, Professor and Vice-Chairman Scientific Council INFM (IT), "From Research to Venture"
   
6. Robin Miege, Head of Unit, Joint Research Centre (EU), "Entrepreneurship Training at the Joint Research Centres of the European Commission. A pilot concept for researchers in a public research centre"

Following the oral presentations, a 45-minute panel discussion gathering all the speakers of the day as well as members of the audience will aim to identify the best practices to be adopted and consequent actions to be taken.