After the first meeting, how does innovation continue?

A brief conversation during a conference, the exchange of a business card or a meeting between a research group and a company may seem like modest gestures. However, many innovation collaborations begin exactly like this: with two organisations discovering that they share a challenge, a need or an opportunity.

Events such as UAB Innovation Week facilitate these initial connections. They allow you to discover scientific and technological capabilities, identify business needs and bring together people who, under other circumstances, would scarcely have met. But the meeting is only the starting point.

Between an initial conversation and the start of a project, there is an often-invisible process. It is necessary to understand what each party can contribute, define the challenge, align expectations, build trust and find the necessary resources. In some cases, this journey is quick. In others, it can take months or even years.

Recognising a shared interest

The first step is to identify whether there is actually a point of connection. A company may be looking for a solution to improve a process, develop a product, access a technology or anticipate a market change. A research group, for its part, may have knowledge, methodologies, data or scientific results with potential for application.

However, sharing an area of interest is not enough. For a conversation to progress, both parties need to identify a potential complementarity.

This involves going beyond general questions such as ‘what are you working on?’ or ‘what technologies do you have?’. The most useful conversations tend to start when specific questions are asked: what problem is being solved, why it is relevant, what solutions have been tried so far, and what does each party need to move forward.

At this initial stage, curiosity and listening skills are as important as technical knowledge. Often, a collaboration opportunity doesn't arise because a technology fits a pre-defined need perfectly, but because the conversation allows the problem to be reframed from a new perspective.

From a general need to a concrete challenge

One of the decisive moments is the definition of the challenge. Phrases such as ‘we want to incorporate artificial intelligence’, ‘we need to be more sustainable’ or ‘we are looking to innovate our product’ can serve to start a conversation, but they are still too broad to build a project.

They need to be turned into more precise questions. Which process is to be improved? What outcome is desired? What data, infrastructure or resources are available? How will it be assessed whether the solution works? What technical, economic or regulatory limitations must be taken into account?

This level of detail allows us to determine whether the available knowledge can address the challenge and what type of collaboration is most appropriate. Perhaps an initial study, a proof of concept, a collaborative research project, validation in a real-world setting, or simply a workshop to explore alternatives is required.

Definir bé el problema també ajuda a evitar un dels errors més habituals en innovació: començar a desenvolupar una solució abans d’haver acordat clarament quina necessitat es vol resoldre.

Barriers after the first contact

Even when there is a shared interest, collaboration is not automatic. After the first meeting, barriers related to deadlines, resources, priorities or ways of working can arise.

Research and industry can operate on different timescales. An organisation may need results within a few months, whereas certain scientific questions require longer processes of experimentation and validation. There can also be differences in language, in the perception of risk, or in expectations regarding the results.

Other issues, such as confidentiality, intellectual property, data access, regulation or the available budget, can influence the project's development.

These barriers do not necessarily mean that the collaboration is unviable. They often indicate that its scope needs to be adjusted. An ambitious project can start with a smaller initiative that allows the relationship to be validated, evidence to be generated and uncertainty to be reduced.

The role of transfer and innovation teams

In this journey, transfer and innovation teams play an essential role. They act as a bridge between environments that may have different languages, priorities and procedures.

Their role is not just about putting people in touch. They can also help to identify the right contacts, interpret each party's needs, structure a collaboration proposal, and provide guidance on funding routes, contractual instruments, or knowledge protection.

These teams help to turn an initial conversation into a potential roadmap. They can help answer questions such as: what is the realistic first step?, what capabilities need to be brought in?, who should be involved in the next meetings?, and what evidence is needed before a decision can be made?

This support is particularly relevant in the early stages, when there is not yet a formal project or allocated resources, but there is an opportunity that needs to be explored.

How long does it take to get a project off the ground?

There is no one-size-fits-all timeframe. Some collaborations can be finalised in a matter of weeks, especially when the challenge is well-defined, the capabilities are easily identifiable and resources are available.

In other cases, the process can take months. It may be necessary to bring in new partners, prepare a funding call, obtain data, carry out a feasibility study, or wait for the project to fit within the strategic priorities of the organisations.

The time that passes between the first conversation and the start of a project is not always time wasted. During this period, trust is built, information is shared and the other party's context is better understood. This maturation can be crucial for the strength of the future collaboration.

The key is for the process to be continuous and for both parties to know what the next step is, however modest.

Keeping a relationship alive without funding

Not all connections have immediate funding, and not all can quickly become a project. This does not mean they have to be written off.

A relationship can be kept active through regular meetings, the exchange of information, participation in joint activities or identifying future calls for proposals. Low-cost actions can also be promoted, such as a laboratory visit, a technical session, a shared case study or the preparation of a small exploratory study.

It is important, however, to avoid the relationship depending solely on goodwill or on conversations that lack continuity. Securing simple commitments, such as sharing specific information, meeting on an agreed date or drafting an initial proposal, helps to maintain the initial momentum.

Sometimes, a collaboration does not mature because the timing is not right. Priorities change, new needs arise or funding opportunities open up. For this reason, keeping in touch can allow you to resume an idea later on under more favourable conditions.

Connecting is just the beginning

Innovation needs spaces for meeting. Without connections, many scientific capabilities fail to reach the organisations that could apply them, and many business or social challenges fail to reach the teams that could help to solve them.

But the value of these encounters is not measured solely by the number of contacts made. It also depends on the ability to build on them, translate interests into concrete challenges, and forge relationships based on trust and shared objectives.

The UAB Innovation Week represents an opportunity to start these conversations. The real challenge begins afterwards: turning a match into a relationship, a relationship into a proposal, and a proposal into a project capable of generating results.