The innovation center looked back on a successful year
The Moravian-Silesian Innovation Center (MSIC) held an annual meeting after a year and a quarter from its start. Entrepreneurs, technology visionaries and shareholders' representatives participated. The meeting, titled Innovation consomme - "Inovační vývar", summed up the best of what has been achieved in the innovation ecosystem.
MSIC was set up in summer 2017 and promised entrepreneurs, innovators, but also for institutions to help to change the face of the region. Has the young company fulfilled these expectations?
"The MSIC was established on the foundations of the Science and Technology Park Ostrava, founded by the city in 1997. With equal participation of the City of Ostrava, the Moravian-Silesian Region and local universities, the company transformed in 2017, resulting in new management and bringing new dynamics, which has produced the first tangible results", said Tomáš Macura, Mayor of the city.
More and more growth companies are coming to Ostrava and the region, and the share of investment in innovation, research and development is increasing. At the same time, the MSIC has intensified cooperation between business and academia. Examples include strong companies with high-level innovation activities such as Hella or BROSE.
"The expansion of MSIC’s activities brings with it the need to build a new, fifth building in the existing complex and, in the longer term, the possible expansion to another part of the city. Ostrava vitally needs the support of not only start-up local entrepreneurs but also established companies with ambition to grow and expand to international markets. This is also fully in line with the objectives of fajnOVA, the City’s strategic plan", added the Mayor.
MSIC is not limited to its own programs, It also uses the proven ones that are available to help their clients succeed. E.g. the European Commission's SME-Instrument program. It supports close-to-market activities, with the aim to give a strong boost to breakthrough innovation with a market-creating potential. Highly innovative SMEs with a clear commercial ambition and a potential for high growth and internationalisation are the prime target. Thanks to the MSIC support, Northern Moravia can boast the first company - Invent Medical, which received this SME-Instrument grant.
The results of MSIC's cooperation with partners are also visible on the site. The two new shared laboratories were opened in cooperation with the Moravian-Silesian Automobile Cluster - a development laboratory providing services for the development and production of functional samples and prototypes - IdeaHub and the center of collaborative robotics. The preparation of another laboratory, aimed at supporting the introduction of robotization and digitization in manufacturing companies in the region, is in full swing.