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Claus Hélix-Nielsen, PhD, CSO, Aquaporin A/S

National and European research and innovation programs …an SME perspective. National and European research and innovation programs – an SME perspective. Claus Hélix-Nielsen, PhD, CSO, Aquaporin A/S

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Claus Hélix-Nielsen, PhD, CSO, Aquaporin A/S

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  1. National and European research and innovation programs …an SME perspective National and European research and innovation programs – an SME perspective Claus Hélix-Nielsen, PhD, CSO, Aquaporin A/S Assoc. Prof. TechnicalUniversity of Denmark

  2. Aquaporin – the mission • Our mission is to become the world leading company in developing, producing and commercializing biomimetic membranes for water treatment 2

  3. Aquaporin –the company • Founded 2005 • Main shareholder: Goldschmidt Capital A/S • Expected ‘large scale’ market entry 2013 with 1G membranes • 15 Employees - education of 5 PhD students – 3 on-going • Subsidiary company Aquaporin Asia established in Singapore 2011 Aquaporin A/S Denmark Aquaporin AsiaPte. Ltd. Singapore at NTU Clean Tech Park 3 21.06.2012

  4. Aquaporin –the protein 4

  5. The Aquaporin Inside™ technology • Membrane operation • Reverseosmosis • Forward osmosis RO FO 6

  6. Aquaporin Inside™ in FO action http://www.aquaporin.dk/164/fo-experiment-video.aspx 7

  7. MEMBAQ FP6 STREP • Incorporation of Aquaporins in Membranes for Industrial Applications – MEMBAQ • Budget: 2,100,000 € • 300.000 € to Aquaporin A/S • Project duration: 01/10/2006 - 31/03/2010 • Nine partners from Denmark, France, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden • Coordinator: DHI Denmark MEMBAQ • Reflections • Our first major grant – allowed us to move from the conceptual idea to dedicated R&D. • Many partners – good opportunity to network – but also challenging to maintain a shared vision. • Project goals were very ambitious and had to be modified during the project period. • Substantial work needed from the coordinator – without DHI this would not have been possible. • Some partners more willing to adapt to changes than others. • Scientific blind dating is fun - but requires hard work to get results. 8

  8. Ultrapurewater – the naturalway • Ultrapure water – the natural way • Budget: Total: 2,550,000 € / 1.350.000 € from Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation (Højteknologifonden, HTF) • 400.000 € to Aquaporin A/S • Project duration: 01/10/2007 - 31/03/2010 • Six Danish partners: four academic, two industrial • Coordinator: Technical University of Denmark MEMBAQ • Reflections • Complemented the MEMBAQ project well and provided access to Danish partners. • Effective (low-bureaucratic) coordination from HTF. • Be clear about RCA field-definitions. • Be proactively prepared to change project scope as the project develops. • Don’t be afraid to ask the ‘tough questions’ – even if you are a small SME! 9

  9. Going international… • Aquaporin Based Biomimetic Membranes for Water Reuse and Desalination • Funded by Economic Development Board Singapore • Budget: Total: 2,400,000 € • No money to Aquaporin A/S! • Project duration: 01/10/2009 - 14/2/2013 • Three partners: DHI, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Aquaporin A/S • Coordinator: Singapore Membrane technology Center (SMTC) at NTU MEMBAQ • Reflections • Fewer partners made it easier to focus the project. • University bureaucracy is a non-trivial issue. • The establishment of subsidiary Aquaporin Asia enabled us to control the IP, open the Asian markets, and to gain access to further funding sources. • Having a Danish RTO ‘on site’ is a great advantage when setting up an organization ‘far from home’. • Do not underestimate cultural differences – be prepared to spend time building relations! 10

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