SATT Sud-Est, bringing a business mindset to public research

Active in many fields at the cutting edge of innovation, SATT Sud-Est (which specializes in boosting technology transfers) is developing a number of initiatives and approaches to forge stronger links between academic research, business and industry. The goal? To help the private sector generate commercial value from the results of public research conducted in PACA and Corsica in order to drive economic development, innovation and growth. Since 2012, SATT Sud-Est has provided support to 220 researchers and its efforts have resulted in 376 invention disclosures, 205 intellectual property rights and 57 license agreements. These are just a few of the successes credited to the organization and CEO Laurent Baly, who works in close collaboration with several local players, including CVT Valorisation Sud and Provence Promotion, to turn public research into a conduit for developing the regional economy and attracting investment.

Through the work of public laboratories and joint research units in PACA and Corsica, SATT Sud-Est tests and documents innovative technologies with strong commercial potential produced by public research. When it comes to driving the implementation of new projects, SATT Sud-Est is the right contact for researchers, entrepreneurs wanting to establish innovative businesses, and CEOs looking for new growth or diversification opportunities.

As part of ongoing partnerships with regional incubators, including Belle-de-Mai and the Impulse inter-university incubator, start-up such as Click4Tag, Anapix Medical, Led's Chat and KeeeX have received patent licenses that enabled them to launch their businesses. The organization has also helped SMEs such as EcoLogicSense obtain exclusive licenses for their innovative technologies.
SATT Sud-Est, with support from the government and regional or European policies, intends to tailor its services to appeal to SMEs and ETIs, for a growth target of 30% over the next 10 years.

Mobilizing complementarity

While SATT Sud-Est's goal is to generate commercial value from research by obtaining intellectual property rights and licenses, its 41 full-time employees focus on boosting technology transfers through the use of complementary knowledge. One of the tools employed by SATT Sud-Est involves monitoring industrial needs in other countries – making prospecting trips to San Diego, for instance. "We also pay close attention to sustainable development, energy, healthcare and risk-management technology with a particular focus on Mediterranean countries. We strive to be strategic when it comes to identifying proposals," explains Laurent Baly, "That is why we are working with CVT Valorisation Sud and Provence Promotion."

Provence Promotion has provided valuable insight into the local industrial network. Through its initiatives in France and abroad, the economic development agency has piqued the interest of business owners, encouraging them to learn about everything Provençal R&D has to offer. When making presentations on the region to investors, SATT Sud-Est is highlighted as one of the main selling points, since it identifies promising opportunities at public laboratories in PACA and Corsica.

> View the SATT Sud-Est technological portfolio at www.sattse-technologies.com