We develop innovation talent. Can we retain it?

When we think of innovation, we often think of technology, patents or start-ups. But behind every transfer project or collaboration between university and business there are people who connect different worlds. They are interface profiles (project managers, transfer technicians, university–business collaboration facilitators) who move between research, business and institutions.

They are particularly difficult profiles to find, train and retain, as they work in what the academic Celia Whitchurch defined as the “third space”: neither fully academic nor purely administrative. These are positions that require combining technical knowledge, relational skills, strategic vision and an understanding of very different languages. Their function, therefore, goes beyond connecting actors, and involves translating languages, rhythms and expectations between worlds that often operate very differently.

To be good professionals, much of what they know is learnt through practice: by taking part in meetings, solving real problems, making mistakes, putting things right and learning from others.

This is where a little-seen paradox emerges. Small, dynamic organisations (such as foundations, science parks or instrumental entities) tend to be excellent spaces for developing this talent. But precisely for this reason, they also become nurseries for professionals destined for larger, more stable structures. And, in the case of instrumental entities, this brain drain often does not go outwards but inwards: towards the parent institution itself, which attracts them with the stability of a permanent post, even if the destination is not, objectively speaking, any better. It is set up to lose.

The problem is that people often compare only the security or prestige of the institution, not what really helps them grow professionally: what they learn, how much autonomy they have, and how quickly they develop.

In a small organisation, you take on a wide variety of challenges, make real decisions sooner, and see the impact of your work more directly. Whereas large structures tend to specialise (and often pigeonhole) in more narrowly defined roles, a small organisation offers breadth. And it is this breadth of experience that accelerates learning and produces profiles with a cross-functional outlook; an outlook that is especially valuable in innovation, where the most important thing is connecting disciplines, people and opportunities.

When these profiles work, collaborations increase, friction between organisations is reduced and projects go further and faster. That is why the first great retention tool is not financial: it is also making this value visible. Clearly explaining what career path can be built, what learning opportunities exist and what real impact the work being done has.

Of course, making value visible does not replace the fundamentals: no growth argument will hold up if the salary is below the market or the big company. Since a small organisation can hardly compete on stability, it must compete (and win) where it has room to manoeuvre: remuneration, flexibility, work-life balance and autonomy. All this also forces us to adopt a more systemic perspective: in an innovation ecosystem, talent should not be seen merely as a resource to be recruited, but as a shared responsibility.

At the UAB Research Park, we work from this perspective. We define ourselves as an intelligent bridge between UAB's research, businesses and the local area. And we know that this bridge is not sustained by spaces or procedures, but by people capable of understanding different needs and turning them into real collaborations.

That is why we are driving three complementary growth strands: the professional development of individuals, learning based on the 70-20-10 model and the creation of a shared Knowledge Hub.

The 70-20-10 model is based on a simple idea: most of what we learn comes from working on real challenges and learning from others. Formal training is important, but not sufficient for these types of profiles.

At the same time, the Knowledge Hub is a tool that allows us to convert experiences, methodologies and learnings into shared knowledge, so that the accumulated value does not depend solely on specific individuals and continues to grow the organisation and the ecosystem.

We don't do this because we have the challenge solved (far from it), but because we believe that looking after the people who sustain innovation is as strategic as driving projects or securing funding.

Because innovation doesn't just happen in laboratories or companies. It happens, above all, with the people who are able to connect them.