Research to Business

Professions in technology transfer: Innovation manager for transfer projects

Just as diverse as the field of innovation is, so can be the professional orientations in innovation management. We met the experienced innovation manager Dr. Rainer Körber for an interview to talk to him about his work in the project business.

Innovation competition NEULAND 2018: The award-winning project "3D USCT for multi-center study in China" has been accompanying Dr. Rainer Körber (left) in technology transfer for some time. (Image: Patrick Langer / KIT)
Innovation competition NEULAND 2018: The award-winning project "3D USCT for multi-center study in China" has been accompanying Dr. Rainer Körber (left) in technology transfer for some time. (Image: Patrick Langer / KIT)

Dr. Rainer Körber is project manager for the NEULAND Innovation Fund, an internal KIT funding program for product-oriented research cooperations - i.e., technology transfer projects carried out by an institute together with an industrial partner. The aim is the product-oriented further development of research results together with the industrial partner to a market-ready product, which is then to be manufactured and distributed by the industrial partner. Rainer Körber accompanies the technology transfer projects from the very beginning: as a supporter of the KIT researchers in their search for partners, as an advisor in the application for funding, and as a project manager and mediator in the ongoing funding project.

How do you become an innovation manager? How did you come to your profession?


Rainer Körber: Science and development have always aroused curiosity in me. I originally studied process engineering and then worked for an industrial company in Darmstadt for two years. The daily routine as an engineer was not what I had envisioned for my professional development, so I realized my dream of entering science. That's how I ended up studying chemistry at the KIT and then working there as a postdoc in a team that was developing gas sensors for detecting odors, so-called "electronic noses". This already included a lot of my current field of activity as an innovation manager: creatively implementing an initial idea and developing it into a product. Many people confuse the term innovation with invention. Being inventive means having new ideas, but as soon as I develop this idea further and bring it to market, then it is innovative.

 

Why did you choose a career in technology transfer?


Rainer Körber: There is a gap on the way from science to business - how do you get from an experimental prototype to a saleable product? On the one hand, it takes a certain amount of know-how to have an idea and secure intellectual property. But to get from prototype to product, you have to ask yourself completely different questions: What is the benefit of the product? How long is the life cycle of the product? How much does the product cost? Is this price acceptable? What funding is available to financially support the development steps and scaling? This is much more than pure science. As innovation managers at a research institution, we try to establish contact with industry at an early stage so that we can jointly consider how a clever idea can be developed into a marketable product.

„My driving force: Recognizing potential, implementing it with a motivated team and seeing it come into use with a corporate partner. That's why I chose a career in technology transfer.“

Dr. Rainer Körber

Dr. Rainer Körber (center) establishes important contacts with potential industrial partners at the annual Hannover Messe. (Image: KIT)

What are the requirements of the profession? What should you bring to the table?


Rainer Körber: My work involves project work with industrial partners to enable the technology transfer of scientific findings from research to industry. To be able to assess and communicate such projects, you need an education in the natural sciences. Other crucial points are soft skills, such as persuasiveness, negotiation skills, personal presence and an instinct for the "trends of tomorrow". I have been working as an innovation manager for several years now, so I rely a lot on my wealth of experience, which I have continued to expand over the years.

The job as an innovation manager has its finger on the pulse of the times. We think about what the world of tomorrow might look like. I can read trends here, but how something will ultimately develop cannot be predicted. These are very exciting aspects of my job: on the one hand, the impulses that influence my professional activities, and on the other, my creative responsibility to deal with them.

 

What does a typical day look like for you? What exactly does your job involve?


Rainer Körber: There is no such thing as a typical day in innovation management, because the topics and tasks are so varied. Some tasks that I do regularly are: Screening people doing their PhDs at KIT, sifting through applications for the innovation fund and competition, and talking to the patent departments about interesting inventions. Often, scientists ask me if we can support them in negotiations with industrial partners and then I am there as a middleman. In addition, I also deal with inquiries from companies about technology offers from our technology exchange. A good example from last year: after promoting an air purification system to deactivate Covid-19 viruses, called Aerobuster, we were inundated with inquiries. The system was in high demand from manufacturers and potential users alike, so I suddenly had a new project, which took up 30 percent of my work time.

I don't have a clear focus in my work, but the topics and projects come from all kinds of scientific fields: electrical engineering, architecture, mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics and geology. This diversity always fascinates me and I am literally a scientist who has a rudimentary knowledge of everything.

We are also increasingly relying on the KIT Industry Experts network, which my colleague Laura Bosch is in charge of, in order to be able to use the solidarity of KIT alumni positively for the initiation of cooperation between industry and KIT. Here, I use the expertise of the members to get specific feedback from industry on individual technologies. This exchange brings important insights for the exploitation strategy.

At the KIT Innovation Day, Dr. Rainer Körber informs about funding opportunities through the Innovation Fund. (Image: Patrick Langer / KIT)
At the KIT Innovation Day, Dr. Rainer Körber informs about funding opportunities through the Innovation Fund. (Image: Patrick Langer / KIT)

Why does KIT need innovation managers?


Rainer Körber: KIT needs innovation managers so that the scientific findings from research and teaching also give rise to concrete developments and products for the common good. In our role, we promote the transfer to industry, so to speak, and ultimately the application of the research contributions. In the last 15 years, many new points of contact have been established between industry and science. Small mountains have already been moved. But we should definitely look at how we can move big mountains. As a university of excellence, KIT wants to continue to play a leading role.

 

What do you like about your job?


Rainer Körber: I really like the fact that the exchange between research and development, in particular, is always in a lively flow. Routine? No, in a few years I'll be dealing with completely different issues than I am today, and I'm looking forward to that! The creativity, the innovative power and the constant change on the pulse of time, and to be able to participate in this again and again, is what makes the job for me. After 15 years, I still feel I'm in the right place!

The interview was conducted by Marie Simon.

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