The NGI Valorisation Award is an annual award of € 1 million. Each year, the award is given to the NGI Genomics Centre that has performed exceptionally on a specific theme in terms of valorisation.
2011: Excellence in societal valorisation
With the 2011 Valorisation Award, NGI aims to reward the NGI Genomics Centre that has demonstrated excellence in societal valorisation. Societal Valorisation is the use of results of scientific research for the benefit of society.
To distinguish the 2011 award from the former awards, where the emphasis was on commercial/economic returns, we particularly invite programs with a clear focus on improving our society, without specifically targeting a financial return. Examples, serving as illustration only, could be educational tools, processes to improve clinical trials, methods to enhance a healthy long life, introduction of a more competitive regulatory environment, approaches to transfer knowledge to developing countries and projects improving the development of a more sustainable environment.
2010: Excellence in establishment and growth of spin-off companies
With the 2010 Valorisation Award, NGI aims to reward the NGI Genomics Centre that has demonstrated excellence in establishment and growth of spin-off companies. Creating and growing spin-off companies is often a lengthy and complicated process and it takes considerable time to build the relevant and needed expertise and experience within a technology transfer environment. The award will be judged on the strategy, the team and the tools put in place to be successful in spinning out companies.
2009: Excellence in deal making with Industry
Establishing partnerships with existing companies is a proven approach to translate research results from academic institutions into products for the benefit of society. Standard approaches include option and license agreements and bilateral R&D collaborations. The new wave of open innovation has sparked alternative partnership models. With the 2009 Valorisation Award, NGI aims to reward the Centre which has demonstrated excellence in deal making with industry.
2008: Excellence in structuring and managing the technology transfer activities
A solid organisation and set-up of de technology transfer activities within the NGI Genomics Centres is one of the requirements for optimal valorisation of the research results obtained within the centre. As all NGI Genomics Centres are (virtual) collaborations between several universities, medical centres, research institutes and/or companies, the organisation and structuring of the technology transfer activities requires collaboration and synchronization between the various Technology Transfer Offices of the partners participating in the centre. With the choice of this theme NGI aims at rewarding that centre that have demonstrated that they have the necessary technology transfer infrastructure and organisation in place.