The "Little Breakfast Meetings" of Sopartec were born in December 2007. The purpose of these meetings is to promote reconciliation between the people involved in the process of upgrading academic research and create synergies within the project spin-off from the UCL by the establishment of a platform for informal contacts. The success of "Little Breakfast Meetings" shows a need to exchange ideas and experiences to build on them.

On 16 October 2008 Sopartec welcomed Mr Pol Flamend, Minister Simonet’s Staff Expert in Cell Research and New Technologies, and Mr Luc Vandendorpe, Assistant Chief of Staff to Minister Marcourt.

The theme of this meeting was to discuss policies for supporting the creation and development of spins-offs in the Wallonia region.

Everything begins at the University, which has the missions of education, research and services to society. For projects to be developed, it is necessary to start with fundamental research and then to move towards applied research in order to see a spin-off created.

Development of the results of university research may include the stages of taking out patents and creating a spin-off, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Collaborations and research contracts with companies are certainly the most important tools for developing the research.

Various centres of competition are set up with the aim of encouraging the region’s competitiveness in sectors where it already has potential. This policy is aimed at developing, in key segments, a critical mass and a level of excellence that make it possible to generate a dynamic of new growth at regional level and to position Wallonia internationally. To achieve this it is necessary to rely on the region’s potential for knowledge, research and innovation, which must be converted into economic value.

The Wallonia region supports development by financing University Interfaces, in particular through the intermediary of the MIRVA L project for which 35 to 40 experts have been engaged. It also subsidises patent applications, which certainly must not be allowed to curb development (patent applications by universities can be 100% funded by the Wallonia region).

The spin-offs constitute an important link in the process of development of the research for economic purposes, and they create jobs. Eventually they should make it possible to develop high added-value channels for Wallonia and thus help the region’s industrial landscape to evolve. In this context, the Marshall Plan has allowed the region to intensify its policy of creating such companies, in particular by reinforcing the First Spin-off programmes run by the General Directorate for the Economy, Employment and Research to allow young creators to develop their business model. The Wallonia region is very aware that 20 mandates granted and 25 to 30 files submitted per year are not enough.

The First Spin-Off (FSO) programme begins with the end of the research project and finishes just after the creation of the spin-off. At the start of a First Spin-Off, the proportion of research equates to 80% and the business part 20%; this will evolve to become 20% for the research and 80% for the business part.

The objectives of the First Spin-Off programme are:

• To increase the scientific and technological potential of university or university level research units through the realisation of research deemed likely to have a positive impact on the economic and social development of the Wallonia region, and on the creation of long-term jobs;
• To train future company executives in the emergent technologies and in the methods for creating and managing industrial activities;
• To encourage university researchers to investigate the conditions for industrial and commercial exploitation of the results of their research, and if possible to go on to create a company in the Wallonia region.

The Wallonia region has made a few changes to the FSO programme since 2006 :

• Finance up to a maximum of EUR 2,500 is available to cover the costs of training in company management.
• Finance for the research unit’s operating costs has risen from EUR 10,000 to EUR 20,000 a year.

A grant of EUR 5,000 is given for external consultation fees related to legal or financial assistance with the drawing up of a business plan.

Various other changes are planned to increase the efficiency of the First Spin-Off programme, which has granted 120 mandates since 1999 and seen 32 spin-offs created.

The questions under consideration are: are the consultation fees high enough? Would it not be useful to implement a system whereby the business plan is evaluated by experts after 18 months so that these can give their opinion on continuation of the project. The experts’ opinion could then be taken into account in the renewal of subsidies. The project would be assessed at the General Directorate for the Economy, Employment and Research. This committee of experts would be made up of various players (businessmen, research workers, promoters). Another idea suggested by the Wallonia region is to hold a competition inviting proposals for "innovative young companies" projects which would involve the spin-offs.

The Wallonia region fully supports innovation by encouraging companies to centre their activities around innovation, and by improving and developing organisational and business methods with the aim of developing new products.