Aiming to support R&D Units in the technology transfer and business incubation component, INESC Porto created the new Innovation and Technology Transfer Unit (UITT) that started functioning in January 2007. The mission of this new unit,  coordinated by Alexandra Xavier, is to create, strengthen and divulge practices of knowledge value, acting directly in the internal processes of innovation management and creating mechanisms of support to entrepreneurship and R&D activities.  Some initiatives are in course and are expected to start soon.

According to the manager of the new Unit, "the objective of this Unit is to value knowledge, perform directly in the internal processes of innovation and technology transfer, develop an entrepreneurship culture and support promotors of entrepreneurial projects creating tools of support to the entrepreneurship activities and developing R&D activities in innovation management and technology transfer".

Placed at the same level as the other R&D units, UITT will act as a link between these and the market, identifying business opportunities and supporting the carrying out of initiatives.  It will perform in three specific vectors: Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship and R&D.

BIP February 2007