CAS president Radomír Pánek and Czech deputy prime minister Karel Havlíček arrive at the meeting to announce the new subsidiary. Photo: Josef Landergott.
The public research institution Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) is setting up a commercialisation subsidiary as a joint-stock company with an initial eight of the academy’s 54 institutes as shareholders.
The subsidiary is expected to bolster entrepreneurial activities by focusing on the creation of spinouts, including by introducing transparent procedures for founding companies and defining clear rules for raising external capital to fund projects.
A core offering of the subsidiary will be an incubation programme that connects researchers with strategic partners in order to jointly develop and commercialise technologies. It will also work to attract talent.
CAS already has a Technology Transfer Centre, also known as CETAV, that was created in 2016 and will operate alongside the new subsidiary. Martin Smekal, who heads CETAV, will also be in charge of the new subsidiary.
“We are actively engaging with potential managers and founders who could become part of future spinoff teams. We are building a community that connects visionaries from the world of science with business while attracting experienced leaders.”
Martin Smekal
The subsidiary, which appears to be as-yet-unnamed, will be co-owned by the Centre of Administration and Operations of the CAS, together with the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, the Institute of Scientific Instruments, the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, the Institute of Plasma Physics, the Institute of Geonics, the Institute of Molecular Genetics, and the Institute of Hydrology.
“For a long time, we have been actively seeking ways to put our scientific results to practical use. Establishing a joint-stock company fully owned by the Czech Academy of Sciences will professionalise the creation of spinoff companies that build on our research outputs and will connect them with entrepreneurs and investors.”
Radomír Pánek, president of the Czech Academy of Sciences
