Tech Transfer Offices is not only a missing link to be created between University and Industry. It's a highly complex ecosystem to be developped around formal processes, covering the IP production and protection to the Tech Transfer project engineering and contracting. In this presentation, the author insists on the importance of the private sector to handle the Tech Transfer as knowledge based Industry itself.

1. Where we stand today…
where we should go tomorrow.
1
Regional Workshop
Activating a Tech Transfer capability
The Tunisian
Case,
Presented by
Mondher Khanfir
C.E.O at Wiki Start Up
mk@wikistartup.tn
Tunis, July 17th 2017

2. Agenda
• National Innovation System,
• Technological Capability and Industry
absorption capacity
• Where is Tunisia now?
• Potential & perspectives for Tunisia
• Recommendations for a more efficient
Governance of the NIS
Regional Workshop
Activating a Tech Transfer capability

3. What NIS is not?
 NIS is not a Research focused entity but Knowledge
and Information flows platform enabling Innovation.
The flow of knowledge and information among people, enterprises and
institutions which is key to the innovative process.
 NIS is not infrastructure but an Ecosystem supporting
Technology Transfer (In & Out)
It is a META Network of interconnected institutions to create, store and
transfer the knowledge, skills and artefacts which define new
technologies.

4. What NIS is not?
 NIS is not a traditional « Public Service » but a high level
policy maker and a strategic provider of information on
innovation.
Gathering all actors whose interactions and linkages determine the
innovative performance of national firms. Government’s role is to to
promote and activate trust among the different innovation actors
 NIS is not only applying rules but formulating strategies,
anticipating changes and updating rules for a better
global innovation flows.
Changing rules to make a better interaction between knowledge producers
and users, and providing the framework within which governments form
and implement policies to influence the innovation process.

5. So what’s a NIS?
 The National Innovation System (NIS) is a
pillar of the Knowledge Based Economy
 NIS is a “Tech Transfer Turbine”, which capacity
is resulting from a complex set of relationships
among actors within a specific environment….
 .. the network of institutions in the public and
private sectors whose activities and interactions
initiate, import, modify and diffuse new
technologies.

6. • Transferring research results to economic sectors
is one of the missions of NIS.
• - Three main ways to transfer research findings co-
exist:
✓ Assignment of rights through licensing or collaborative
research projects
✓ through spin-out (or spin-off)
✓ By technological integration (or spin-in)
So what’s a NIS?

7. Matching between
Offer and Demand in Tunisia
 It’s mainly the
Government that
determine the main
axes of R & D (the
offer)
 The process of
technology transfer relies
on Big Companies which
usually prefer
international
collaboration (the
demand)
A highly decisive role of universities and
research laboratories for the production and
dissemination of knowledge.

8. Technological Capability
Technological Capability is composed of a variety of
sources of knowledge and experiences. Some are
subtle and intangible, such as new ideas and
inventions. Others are embodied in equipment,
machinery or infrastructure, and are more and more
carried out by artificial intelligence.
The main outcome for NSI is to develop Technological
Capability of local actors and enhance Technology Transfer
and cooperation with international actors.

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12. Key drivers for Technology Transfer
 These are generally
large companies or
governments that
determine the main
axes of R & D (the
trends)
 The process of
technology transfer
requires
collaboration and
collective
commitment
A highly decisive role of universities and
research laboratories for the production and
dissemination of knowledge, in particular though
RBSO.

13. At the policy level
To produce a relevant and coherent Governance on the
NIS and covenring the IPP and the technology transfer
industry in Tunisia
Some principles to be observed:
 To set up an institutionnal Board in charge of the
Tunisian National Innovation System including public
and private sectors representatives
 To craft a formal strategy and to fix priorities for the
short, mid and long tem.
 To define a common referential for assessing the STI
policies and their impacts

14. The NIS includes the NIPS
 We cannot talk about National Innovation
System without setting up first, an National
Intellectual Property System (NIPS).

15. How to industrialize the TT process in
Tunisia
 Create a national organization whose mission is the
centralized management of R&D.
 Making market studies available to researchers
 Establish specific incentives for spin-off
 Privatize TT by creating companies vis-a-vis traders
researchers
 Creating TT acceleration companies (market the projects
by sector)
 Facilitate access for civil society to R & D funds
 National Steering Committee of TT (ANPR, APII) and
regional committees (Univ, CT, CR, NGO, APII, Poles)

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How to industrialize the TT in Tunisia
 Create more Technological Resource Centres
 National Council for TT
 Create pilot Labs exclusively performing applied research
and experimental
 Develop Personal Statement TT
 Financing (funds, motivation, procurement procedures)
 Apply existing legal texts TT
 Involve the end customer from the beginning with the
research team (lab / Unit Ets)
 Create and promote specific trades TT

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How to industrialize the TT in Tunisia
 Use a proportion of the budget allocated to
R&D for Applied Research
 Development of the marketing approach of
products from TT
 Encourage firms to create R & D cells
 Encourage a dynamic clustering
 Create public / private joint laboratories

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IN CONCLUSION:
A deep REFORM COVERING THE 3Ps
 Many pre requisites and key success factors are missing, at the 3 different
levels:
Process People Policy
Technology Transfer differs
from one sector to anther. It’s
not only about licencing or
spining off, it’s also about the
process itself.
Staffing high level
competencies to be able to
provide world class services
Crafting policy papers to
stimulate the reforms at the
government level
IP strategy formulation relies
on expertise and international
presence. Initiating a
marketplace for IP could start
with local events until reaching
a critical size for
internationalization.
Non permanent experts
should be hired easily to
proceed with IP Valuation or
Patent writing….
Financial autonomy is a crucial
condition to develop the TT
industry. Planning a sustainable
strategy for TTO, based on
clear National Innovation
strategy.
Communication is a key driver
for business exposure.
Launching a Media & a Data
Center is compulsory.
Parterning with local and
international bodies and
organization to share
resources and experience.
Performing a TTO requires an
entrepreneurial spirit. A good
option could be to call for a PPP
project with private sector.

19. THANK YOU!
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