IASP participates in VALLEYS project kick off meeting

IASP has joined the new European project VALLEYS (Valorisation Alliance Linking Laboratories, Enterprises and societY Stakeholders) as a consortium partner. The project officially kicked off on 11-12 May in Gran Canaria, Spain, with a meeting hosted by project coordinator ATRINEO.  

VALLEYS is a new EU-funded initiative addressing a key challenge within Europe’s innovation ecosystem: the fragmentation and under-recognition of knowledge valorisation intermediaries. These organisations, including technology transfer offices (TTOs), incubators, science parks, clusters, and citizen engagement organisations, play an essential role in translating research into societal, economic, and policy impact. The project aims to establish a network of such intermediaries to strengthen collaboration, professionalisation, and capacity-building across Europe, with a particular focus on EU widening countries. 

In addition to establishing the European network of more than 150 organisations across 25+ countries, over the next three years VALLEYS will develop a digital toolbox to support knowledge valorisation activities, deliver training and mentoring programmes, and launch cascade funding opportunities supporting 25 projects. Additional activities will include mobility exchanges, peer-learning initiatives, and sustainability actions designed to strengthen Europe’s knowledge valorisation ecosystem and maximise the impact of research and innovation outcomes. 

Representing IASP at the meeting were Alicia Shelley, Director of Partnerships and Operations, and Caitlin Boucher, Projects and Insights Manager who introduced the work plan for the work package led by IASP, centred on dissemination, policy feedback and sustainability. Through a targeted communication and outreach strategy, the work package aims to boost the project’s visibility and impact while ensuring the long-term continuity of the network and its toolbox beyond the project lifetime. 

Stay tuned for updates as the project gets underway!