What attracted you to SATT SE and what are your impressions as president and CEO so far?
I was attracted through a personal interest. If you look at my career, I knew the industry part very well, and before my dissertation I spent a lot of time in research labs. I’ve always wanted to be in the middle of those two ecosystems to unite them.
When I was a researcher, I always hoped that my research would have real-world applications, but struggled to find industrial partners. When I worked in the industry, I realised that it was very difficult to work with academic researchers and access their knowledge.
So this was very much an opportunity to bring those two together, and that’s what convinced me to take this job.
My first impression was that this is a great team, because they have a real understanding of both the scientific and industrial worlds. And if we work together well and make the SATT model work, I am certain that we can foster a fruitful relationship between academia and industry in our region.
What is the economic importance of SATT SE for the region?
There are two important factors: first, to create employment. If we help launch startups, we are creating jobs in a way that support scientific research. I hope that, a bit like Silicon Valley, the region will become the place to be for startups.
Second, the commercialisation of public research. Today, France and particularly the south east is internationally recognised for scientific research, has a high number of patents and research publications. However, we are lacking when it comes to technology transfer. So the goal of SATT is to apply that research for the common good.
Do you have any specific financial goals?
The government is certainly giving us a fantastic opportunity here, on the global stage, allocating a portion of its budget to public research and economic development of industry. That programme expires by 2021, and my ambition is to have proven our socio-economic impact and to be able to operate independently from government funding. I hope that, by 2021, our exits will enable us to keep the organisation going indefinitely – and that vision motivates the entire team.
How would you judge the success of SATT SE to date?
I have to point out here that we started from nothing. We were formed three years ago, and have grown to 40 staff – if you include staff in laboratories, it’s 60.
For me, the first success is that SATTSE has managed to integrate itself into the ecosystem. Then, it’s all the patents that have been filed, and the 11 startups that have been created. In total, we have about 200 projects.
Would you change anything about the SATT model?
Today, SATT is perceived by industry to be an academic instrument, and by academia as being an industrial actor. I would like to change that view, and make them understand that SATT is not either of those, but both, and its purpose is to reunite them.
Interview conducted in French, all translations by Thierry Heles.
