SET UP OF THE R4I PROGRAM, THE INFN FUND FOR INNOVATION

Basic research produces new knowledge and technology. That means innovative, leading edge technology, which can often provide useful applications in society. It may occur, though, that when the research reaches its scientific objective and concludes its programme, the developed technology is not sufficiently mature to leave the scientific laboratories and become innovations that are of interest to the market and make an impact on society. The INFN has therefore decided to provide an opportunity for these technologies: this is why the R4I (Research for Innovation) program has been set up. The INFN has introduced, within its new regulatory system for safeguarding, developing and improving INFN knowledge, the opportunity to use part of the proceeds deriving from the activities of technological transfer to build up a fund of incentives for selected technologies, in order to bring them up to market readiness. The INFN National Committee for Technology Transfer has recently completed its first selection, identifying four projects from the nine that made applications. The four selected projects will be granted €106,000 overall and they include two projects from the medical sector, one from mechanics of accelerators and one from the cryogenics sector. Three of them have already aroused interest from industry in their various sectors.