R&D costs for innovative products are enormous, and technological inventions can often be transferred to other product development projects. Today, four out of five product launches from multinational companies have been developed through external inventions. Ten years ago, the percentage was 20%. It is no wonder that the search for interesting technologies has become such a big market. Small and medium sized companies in particular see the advantages and new business opportunities in buying the complimentary technologies they need and/or selling their own innovative technologies. For universities and research centres too this trend opens up vast possibilities for joint ventures. IPTEC brings together all these companies and institutions and acts as a marketplace for technology transfer.
The event consists of a conference, an exhibition, workshops and ‘New Technology Presentations’ and offers a variety of networking opportunities. The IPTEC Awards are considered a highlight of the event. Its winners are carefully chosen by the IPTEC Advisory Board. In 2007 Thomson, NASA and Tsinghua University were the winners of the prestigious awards for excellence in technology transfer.
IPTEC covers the following industry sectors: IT, Telecommunications, New Materials, Consumer Goods, Medical Technology, Nanotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Environmental Technology. Being a cross-sectorial event, IPTEC addresses small and medium-sized enterprises, multinationals from all of the above industry sectors as well as research centres and universities.
The main focus lies in business development and licensing and therefore IPTEC crucially differs from events, which tend to concentrate on the legal aspects of patenting. IPTEC’s conference programme is interactive and features a range of workshops and case studies. The New Technology Presentations directly approach technology scouts and venture capitalists in search for specific technologies.
With Frankfurt, the organisers, Mack Brooks Exhibitions, have chosen a venue which is renowned world-wide as a business and finance centre, offering the excellent infrastructure of a national and international hub. Frankfurt Airport is the biggest airport on the European continent, with direct flight connections to cities all over the world. The location is therefore an ideal place for an international event which previously had participants from all over Europe, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China.
Moreover, Greater Frankfurt serves as a seat for a large number of multinationals as well as for many smaller upcoming companies, e.g. in the IT, telecommunication or biotechnology sectors. A large variety of research institutions and networks are also located in this region.
IPTEC 2008 takes place at the Steigenberger Airport Hotel. For more information about the event visit www.iptec-marketplace.com