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Knowledge Transfer Office

KTO gives shape and meaning to UM’s third task: Its mission is to promote, foster and facilitate the transfer of academic knowledge from Maastricht University to society with the goal of  maximizing both societal as well as economic value.

Activities

KTO supports researchers in the complex process of valorisation. KTO is an institute of Maastricht University that supports and coordinates fundraising, knowledge cooperation and knowledge transfer by university faculties and manages the knowledge commercialization processes.
Specialists working at KTO provide tailor-made services to researchers active in fundraising and the valorisation of their knowledge.

How valorisation benefits your research:

  • external collaboration allows you to develop new knowledge and insights
  • it grants access to empirical data
  • it increases your chances of receiving external funding
  • ​it offers different insights and contacts that might benefit your career.
 Valorisation is the process of creating value from knowledge by making knowledge suitable and available for societal and/or economic application and by transforming it into products, services, processes and new business. 

The various ways we can support you:

  • Working together to develop your project case, from idea to product or service
  • Examining (other) possibilities to create impact with your scientific knowledge
  • Implementing joint network, stakeholder, and market analyses and project plans.
  • Preparing cooperation agreements, conducting negotiations and establishing partnerships.
  • Brainstorming with you on how to incorporate all of this into your research, research group or faculty.
  • Exchanging best practices for research funding and sharing business opportunities.
  • General support: Pooling the expertise researchers need for their research contracts, innovations and societal impact including financial, legal, tax, administrative, fundraising and business development.

KTO will achieve its mission through the activities of its four clusters:
Technology Transfer, Knowledge Cooperation, Knowledge Dissemination and Entrepreneurship.

Knowledge Transfer*
Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus

Knowledge Cooperation
Contract Research Centre
  • Scouting
  • IP protection and IP management
  • Business development
  • Technology licensing
  • Starting spin-offs
  • Sponsored research cooperation
  • Contract research
  • Consultancy by researchers
  • Executive training and education

Entrepreneurship
Maastricht Center for Entrepreneurship

Knowledge Dissemination
  • Entrepreneurship awareness
  • Stimulating entrepreneurship education
  • Supporting and coaching start-ups
  • Student start-up (pre)incubation
  • Academia-Society personnel mobility
  • Participation in professional networks
  • Improving access to knowledge for society
    and business

* As of 2016, UM/MUMC+ decided to accommodate all valorisation and related business development activities in the field of Health and (Life) Sciences at BLMHC. As such, BLMHC is responsible for the entire process, from developing business cases based on your inventions through, if applicable, financing and guiding new businesses. Valorisation activities resulting from the so-called alfa-gamma sciences are performed via the Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO), which is highly connected with BLMHC.