

ECOTECH
The Technion's International Conference
on Research Universities as Hubs for Eco-Systems
Technion - Churchill Auditorium, Haifa, Israel

Dear Conference Attendees,
It is with deep regret that we announce that EcoTech 2024 is cancelled in light of the ongoing security situation.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have lost loved ones, as well as those who are held hostages.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
The Organizing Committee


About the conference
While the classic approach to research at universities is based on public funding (sometimes augmented by philanthropic sources), there is an increasing amount of research which is funded by industry, including multinational corporations. Funding of this nature has unique advantages and disadvantages, and its optimized utilization can increase the impact on society by modern research universities.
At the same time, academy-industry research includes challenges related to intellectual property (IP) rights, reporting and publishing, and the involvement of students. The review process is not equal to competitive research, and it is often difficult to maintain the balance between research, development, and engineering. However, the added value to industry combined with the innovative approach often found at research universities can be worth the effort required to promote this form of collaboration.
Recent years have seen increased efforts by research universities to form companies based on IP developed during the course of research. Forming new “startup companies” has unique advantages compared to licensing IP to existing industry and has been demonstrated to significantly increase employment opportunities.
In order to properly define these challenges, to review solutions currently in use, and to learn about new avenues for enabling collaboration between academia and industry, it has been decided to hold the international conference EcoTech 2024.
The conference will look deeper into university – industry collaboration challenges, review solutions currently in use, and learn about new avenues for enabling collaboration between academia and industry.
In 2025, the Technion will celebrate its centennial, the 100th anniversary of opening its doors to students. To celebrate this once-in-a-century milestone, the Technion has scheduled an array of centennial events.


EcoTech is part of the Technion's centennial events
• Mechanisms to matchmake between industry and faculty/scientists at universities
• Models for industry-academia research and/or development collaboration
• Patenting and IP ownership models
• Licensing models
• Incentives to maintain a balance between fundamental research and applied development programs
• Student involvement, and other potential conflict of interest issues
• Consortia approaches
• Shared facilities

The event will discuss the following topics:
For EcoTech 2024 sponsorships please contact Technion centennial coordinator - Mrs. Suzie Eid - Suzie@technion.ac.il