In a world where hesitation equals obsolescence, innovation can’t wait for trial-and-error. But what if breakthrough technologies already exist – just in another industry? From space-age inventions to cutting-edge Belgian startups, technology transfer offers a fast, lower-risk path to competitive advantage. Here’s how companies are repurposing frontier innovations to leapfrog development cycles, cut costs, and unlock entirely new markets.
Velcro is one of the many ubiquitous products originally invented for space
What is technology transfer
Technology is increasing the speed of competition in pretty much every industry: companies that don’t innovate or even just hesitate too long are quickly outcompeted by challengers. To keep up with this nonstop pace of innovation, companies have to constantly bring new products or features to market, but developing them from scratch can be a lengthy, costly, and risky process, often carried out through trial and error. A shortcut to this risky path could be technology transfer from an industry where an innovation has reached maturity to one where its application is novel but promising.
A typical pattern for tech transfer is from heavily knowledge-intensive industries, such as space or scientific research, where the most advanced technologies are developed for frontier applications, to mass-market applications where these advancements can make a difference for consumers and other companies unrelated to the original application of the invention.
Why companies find technology transfer appealing
There are multiple reasons why the technology transfer route can be appealing:
- Risk reduction: The technologies to be transferred have been proven to work in other applications, so the risk is only about adaptation.
- Speed: By merely reusing something rather than coming up with it, a company can leapfrog many stages of development and get the new product or feature on the market in a considerably quicker way.
- Cost: The investment needed for the transfer is often only a fraction of what it would cost to develop something from the basic research stage through all the development phases.
- Synergies: Transferred technologies can leverage a company’s existing strengths, enabling it to seize previously unforeseen opportunities, such as entering new markets or fending off competitors through other strategic moves.
- Image: Associating a company’s products with technology coming from frontier applications can instill in the public the perception that the company is at the forefront of progress.
Technology transfer examples
There are plenty of successful examples regarding this. During the space race in the aftermath of World War II, the brave investments in the space industry (up to 4% of all federal spending in the US in the mid-1960s) yielded a treasure trove of innovations that propelled our species forward. A few noteworthy examples from that era include: memory foam, mylar, anti-scratch glass, wireless communication, etc… The list goes on and on. All these inventions were later incorporated into mass-produced products that improved the quality of life of billions of people.
In Europe, ESA has developed incredible technologies since its creation more than 50 years ago. Since 1990, ESA’s official tech transfer program has given hundreds and hundreds of companies a competitive edge in their non-space markets.
A few interesting case studies related to Belgian companies:
- APO-GEE, a company based in Seraing, originally invented the ‘Butterfly cage’, an innovative cage for ball bearings that eliminates instabilities in hard-to-service satellites. The company is now adapting the product for non-space applications, such as high-precision automation and machine spindles, both markets worth tens of billions.
- Nuclivision, a software company from Ghent that develops diagnosis assistance tools for medical nuclear imaging, took an algorithm developed for Earth observation purposes by the Greek space company OHB Hellas and included it in their product to automate the diagnostic process for nuclear PET scans, thus decreasing the wait time for patients and the cost for hospitals.
Butterfly cage technology transfer demonstration for machine-tool spindles ©APO-GEE
The ESA tech broker and Spark Funding
There is an enormous amount of patents, software, and inventions from ESA R&D activities, potentially up for grabs, in addition to the thousands of space companies in the ESA ecosystem that might be willing to commercialize their technology. To navigate this unstructured ecosystem, ESA has a network of Technology Brokers all over Europe. These brokers help companies find the technology best suited to their needs (in Belgium, this tech broker is managed by Verhaert Masters in Innovation).
When companies find space technology that could make them more competitive, they can apply for Spark Funding, a grant of up to €120.000 to help smooth the adaptation of the space technology into a product in another industry (a.k.a. a ‘spin-off’). The measure is also for companies willing to commercialize their technology towards the space industry (a ‘spin-in’).
In addition to identifying new technologies and applying for the Spark Funding initiative, the ESA Tech Broker Belgium can help Belgian companies willing to strengthen their intellectual property, enter the space industry, or find new customers/investors.