THE NETWORK

Every year since 2008, the Science|Business Innovation Board has gathered entrepreneurs and innovators from across Europe for its annual awards. Meet this year’s winners – transforming education, enterprise, and the economy.

Advocates for cross-sectoral R&D support fear a downgrade in the new Commission – but in individual areas such as energy, digital technologies, and pharmaceuticals, a stronger emphasis on growth and investment is good news for many

The world’s most innovative regions have much in common – excellent universities, cutting-edge industry and talented entrepreneurs.

Over the past five years the Science|Business Academic Enterprise Awards have thrown a spotlight on 70 of Europe’s hottest technology spin-outs. The ACES winners are individuals who created companies based on cutting-edge research.

Third generation cognitive computing is making sense of data mountains and starting to deliver remarkable improvements in healthcare. Now, sensitively calibrated data protection rules are needed – to reassure patients and protect privacy, whilst allowing progress to continue.

The Annual Report 2012-2013 is a summary of the activites of the Science|Business Innovation Board over the past year. The Science|Business Innovation Board seeks to improve the climate for innovation in Europe through:new ideas in innovation policy, strategic relations between top universities and companies, and top-level dialogue with EU policy leaders. The Board, which began meeting in 2007, was founded by international business school INSEAD, ESADE Business School, and Science Business Publishing Ltd., with the support of Microsoft Corp. and BP PLC. Its membership has broadened to include Imperial College London, SKF and some key individual innovators.

Perceptions of ACES finalists about the process of science entrepreneurship

European researchers working to advance technology frontiers face a dilemma. To keep their academic careers on track they must publish the results of their work as quickly as possible and present scientific breakthroughs at scholarly conferences. But to reap the benefits of possible commercial applications for themselves and their universities, they must remain silent until a patent is filed.

The ACES, now in their fifth year, are the only pan-European awards for enterprise in university and public research institutes. They give public recognition to those researchers, engineers, professors, students and government officials in Europe who have done the most to foster a culture of enterprise on campus.

Europe is currently a world leader in the fundamental science underpinning regenerative medicine and cell therapy, and in its therapeutic use and regulation. But how can Europe build on its leading position?