The transmission of CEA Tech technologies to SMEs

It is well known that innovation is the main leverage (excluding costs) of corporate competitiveness, and an increasingly large number of public policy tools exist to create innovation ecosystems. The CEA Tech model, which was created in the Grenoble Electronic and IT Laboratory, hosted at the Minatec micro-nano technologies research centre and then at other CEA (French atomic energy commission) laboratories‚ is currently being distributed via regional platforms for technology transfers in five regions. It is proving to be particularly suitable to technological transfers and the creation of start-ups. Thanks to this model and the technological transfers, two hundred million Euros’ worth of industrial contracts were made in 2013; six hundred patents have been granted every year; and five hundred industrial contracts, 45 % of which are with SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and middle-market companies, have been signed. Marie-Noëlle Séméria explains the guidelines, tools and methods used which have led to these results.