I have been working in Research-Development-Innovation projects for the past 8 years. Even before that really. I am not the most experienced, but you can say that I am acquainted with its processes. What we call RDI projects is a way to push state-of-the-art, beyond current boundaries while also addressing implementation issues. During an RDI project, such as in Horizon Europe, the project executes the research, develops the technology and tests it, probably in a controlled environment. Consequently, the projects develop (usually) tangible results. Neither the European Union, nor its taxpayers would hope for technologies to be shelved. They want to generate value and wealth, job positions that are sustained through years to come. Europe is about “Excellence in Science” and these RDI projects are oozing of this aspect.
Yet, RDI projects are lacking a significant aspect; productization. It’s not only a matter of the EU and how it is handling things. This article is not about how the government handles funding. It is about how project partners handle the outcome of this funding.
When I started my company, I had many ideas and not much money. Funded RDI projects like Horizon 2020/Europe were seen by me as the perfect mechanism to bring these ideas to life. I would submit a proposal with a well-thought, well-studied out-of-the-box idea of mine, get the funding to build it and then commercialize it. I felt like I broke the system, like I found the holy grail. You can imagine how this feeling climaxed when I got my first project, My-TRAC.
I really worked on the project, not like with current projects since the company is bigger, and I have to work on many administrative stuff. During My-TRAC I spent hours theorizing, testing, building, sometime failing and sometimes succeeding, in the proper fashion of any research project. My-TRAC was the beginning of a long journey of personal work that led to TransiTool. But it was not the project that made TransiTool; what the project did was only allow for the basic research to be conducted, to elicit user requirements, create user stories and determine potential added value.
After TransiTool was built, it had to be sold and become a self-sustained product, even a company. Now imagine this, you have built something with well collected user requirements and thorough research, and are now on the brink of saying “And now what? Where are the customers?”. Most entrepreneurs reading this will naturally say that it must be put out there through expos, cold calls and other marketing mechanisms, which we did. But again, imagine the question and the gap between creating something and having people use that something. The distance is immense.
I grinded for hours over the code of TransiTool and its designs to make it work and after finalizing it, I grinded (and still do!) for double the time to make just the first sale. No RDI project prepared me for this, and no meeting, deliverable, presentation or person even hinted me what the future of such an endeavor would be.
What I understand from my few years of experience is that RDI projects should be treated as businesses in the end. Achieving sustainability and economic viability of research outcomes is an entrepreneurial ordeal. With this realization came my second “gotcha” moment. Why not make my company AETHON such a vessel, one that brings entrepreneurs not only closer to funding but that provides the tooling, both technical and business, for converting research outcomes to successful businesses. This would be a research enabler, a venture studio, an idea lab. This is what we need to convert all this money that goes into research to sustainable products and companies that support our European economy. And we need more of this.
Alex Papacharalampous CEO-CTO, AETHON Engineering
Alex Papacharalampous is the CEO and CTO of AETHON Engineering and a visionary thought leader dedicated to creating value for humanity, the environment, and our ecosystem. With expertise in engineering, AI, and innovation, Alex focuses on developing sustainable solutions to address contemporary challenges.
Alex’s extensive knowledge spans multiple domains, driving forward-thinking initiatives that enhance urban mobility and improve quality of life. He is a passionate advocate for democratizing public transit, striving to make transportation more accessible, efficient, and eco-friendly.
Connect with Alex on Linkedin for insights into sustainable development and transportation solutions.
