What is an Innovation Hub?

Authors: Raquel Moreno and Ioanna Deligkiozi, from AXIA Innovation.

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Firstly, we should explain what Innovation is. Innovation is the action of innovate, this is making changes in something established, especially by introducing new products, methods or ideas of doing something. There is a difference between invention and innovation. Invention is the creation of a product or introduction of an idea, process, method for the first time, a discovery. While innovation is the implementation of that invention and adding value to something already existing. On the other hand, Hub means the effective center of an activity, region or network. This is the heart of an interconnected system. 

Hence, the SurfBio Innovation Hub is the main driver for connecting all the interested and concerned parties -stakeholders-, focusing on introducing an effective way of using, producing, and distributing knowledge and skills for strategic innovation development. 

SurfBio Innovation Hub aims to become a stable innovation ecosystem intended to act as an organisational tool bringing together science, political and standardization requirements, society and industry needs, into one combined beneficial and valuable network on Surface and Colloid Biology Research.

Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) in  Ljubljana, Slovenia, will be the axle of the Hub governance. The Hub will align JSI with the strategies with the industrial and societal needs, at Regional, National, European and International spheres.

The SurfBio Innovation Hub will work specifically on:

• Team up and strive for creating better linkages between academia, business, government and society. Strengthening cooperation and research networks.
• Mobilisation of national and European resources.
• Greater involvement of regional actors in R&I.
• Outreach of international targeted audiences.
• Foster a real innovation culture among all actors.
• Encouraging entrepreneurship, standardizations, patent applications.
• Ensuring sustainability, creating additional business opportunities and attracting investments.
• Create new services to respond to future needs.
• Improve the connections between economy and R&I, bringing research outputs closer to the market and industry.
• Improve Technology and Knowledge transfer to build a highly-skilled workforce.
• Develop education and training activities in research activities.
• Support job creation in the strategic fields.
• Establish a training network in System Biology.
• Defining and implementing joint programmes.
• Increasing development of innovation actions.
• Inform citizens and involve society in the benefits of the research outcomes.