Interview : Gabriel Crean
CEO Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
Source : Echo des entreprises
Publication date : 04/08/2016
Mr Crean, since 2015 you are the CEO of the LIST, a Research and Technology Organization resulting from Public Research Centres Henri Tudor and Gabriel Lippmann. What were your motivations and interests that led you to take up this challenge?
I spent the initial part of my career in science and technology education and research. My work was recoqnized in my election as a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, as President of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) and more internationally, as President of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS).
More recently, I have also been involved at European level in the formulation of European Commission research, development and innovation policy. I became a member of the European Commission "Mirror Group on Smart Specialisation" advising European Commissioner Hann on smart specialization strategies for Europe's regions and member States. I also played a key role in the European Commission High Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) established by European Vice-President Commissioner Tajani to advise the European Commission and member states on a competitive industrial and technological policy.
Reflecting this work in European innovation policy, I was elected an Academic Fellow of the European Policy Centre (EPC), one of Europe's leading Think Tanks and chaired until 2015, the prestigious EPC Taskforce on "A new European Industrial Policy".
The opportunity that I saw in Luxembourg, after dis cussion with leading actors in the Luxembourgish Government. its National agencies and industry, was to combine both my interest and expertize in strategic research and management. with a passion for advancing innovation and industrial policy in Europe. The opportunity, to work hand in hand with Government and its agencies, to shape a new entity, LIST. to become the innovation engine to accelerate the future economic growth and diversification of the Luxembourg economy through the development and deployment of new technologies, software and services, to Luxembourg industry and Government was an opportunity I could not decline.
What will be the future strategy of the LIST and what are the research areas you plan to focus on?
To discuss the future strategy of LIST. one must first discuss the increasing critical role of innovation in the global economy. Innovation is now recognized as the key driver of economic growth in advanced countries. Innovation can be simply described as the first to acquire scientific knowledge, first to transform this knowledge into technology building blocks and prototypes and first to develop and deploy these technologies and solutions into competitive products and services on European and global markets.
The LIST strategy, as the Luxembourg Government RTO, is firmly focused on being the innovation engine to accelerate the future economic growth and diversification of the Luxembourg economy through the development and deployment of new technologies, software and services, new innovation fuel and momentum, to Luxembourg industry and Government.
This strategy relies on a matrix organization, where three technology departments (Materials, Information Technologies and Environment) transform scientific knowledge into technology building blocks, acting as technology providers to fuel cross-sectorial corporate innovation programs dedicated to providing integrated solutions in Smart Manufacturing, Smart Finance, Smart Cities and Smart Space. These programs are designed to underpin with the national ambition to transform Luxembourg into a Smart Nation and in doing so qeneratinq business opportunities for Luxembourgish companies.
One of the key challenges will be to develop partnerships with industry and business in order to foster collaborative research and innovation projects. How do you intend to tackle this challenge and how do you envisage to encourage Luxembourg SMEs to get involved in this process?
Fostering collaborative research and innovation in Luxem bourg requires, not surprisingly, a collaborative approach. To do so LIST takes full advantage of the new and exciting innovation eco-system on the Belval Innovation campus. LIST has reinforced its strategic collaboration with Luxinnovation and FNR. "both less than five minutes from my office", in both the build-out and promotion of its innovation toward Luxembourgish industry. In parallel, LIST works hand in hand with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Higher Education & Research in initiating major industry support projects in Luxembourg in areas of strategic interest.
One specific example of this collaborative approach is the creation of the National Composite Centre Luxem bourg (NCC-L) in Luxembourg The NCC-L, will be operated by LIST, will act as a major accelerator for Luxembourg's composite industry, will play a key role in attracting talents and industry investment. supporting the Luxembourg materials and manufacturing sector. The NCCL will provide a best-in-class technology platform to allow Luxembourg SMEs to develop new technology building blocks and prototypes to accelerate their products to global markets.
A second example I can cite, is one in support of the Luxembourg Government "Digital Lëtzebuerg" initiative to accelerate the development of the Digital Economy within Luxembourg. LIST, with the Ministries of Economy and Higher Education and Research, and our counterparts in France, Italy and Spain, released a European strategic positioning paper on High Performance Computing and Big Data applications. The objective of this initiative was to prepare along with our European Member States partners and, the European Commission, the launch of an important project of common European interest on HPC and big data applications. Consequently, the Luxembourg Minister delegate for Higher Education and Research, Marc Hansen announced at the European Data Forum in November 2015 that "Luxembourg, France, Italy & Spain have started an "Important project of common European interest (IPCEI) on high performance computing and big data enabled applications (IPCEI-HPC-BDA)". At the same event the European Commissioner for Digital Economy Gunther Oettinger reinforced this statement by highlighting that the initiative "has already been endorsed by the European Commission".
What is your opinion concerning the valorization of research results, and the process of technology transfer from public research institutions towards businesses?
I am firmly convinced that undertaking strategic technological research without patenting is, simply, philanthropy.
LIST is therefore placing considerable emphasis on the patenting of its research generated intellectual property for the benefit of Luxembourgish industry.
It has bench marked widely with other European RTO's in the development of its IP Policy and has agreed same with the Ministry of Economy and key industry partners. The final goal must be to facilitate the protection and transfer of key technology building blocks, both hardware and software, to industry.
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