The IAC's Institutional Actions and Transfer Office (OTAI) held the third edition of the technical conference of the Research Results Transfer Offices (OTRIs) in the Canary Islands on La Palma. This meeting brought together fifty management teams and institutional representatives from a dozen public institutions of the archipelago to advance in the consolidation of collaborative work towards a Canary Islands Network of Knowledge Transfer Offices and R&D&I project management. 

The opening session was moderated by Anselmo Sosa, manager of the OTAI on behalf of the IAC, accompanied by the director of the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society (ACIISI), Javier Franco; the vice-rector for Research of the University of La Laguna, Antonio Aparicio; the director of Innovation and Transfer of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Sebastián López and the director of Tourism of the Island Council of La Palma, Beatriz Páez.

This third meeting also included the participation of several invited experts in areas of action of the TTOs such as valorisation, innovation and transfer, attraction and management of funding, public-private collaboration or the gender dimension in R&D&I projects, among others, highlighting as speakers Gemma Cañas del Olmo, head of the Knowledge Transfer and Technology Centres Area (MCIN), Manuel Desco Menéndez, Universidad Carlos III/Hospital Gregorio Marañón/ITEMAS; Elisa Álvarez-Bolado Cornejo, head of the CDT Framework Programme Area and Lydia González Orta, Universidad Carlos III/Hospital Gregorio Marañón/ITEMAS; Manuel Desco Menéndez, Universidad Carlos III/Hospital Gregorio Marañón/ITEMAS; Elisa Álvarez-Bolado Cornejo, head of the CDT Framework Programme Area and Lydia González Orta, NCP Widera-Cross-cutting gender of FECYT.

ll these interventions contributed to identifying the current difficulties and challenges faced by institutions in managing the transfer of research and knowledge results, including the management of industrial and intellectual property, the valorisation and commercialisation of technologies, and the creation of technology-based companies. In addition, a nationwide streaming connection was made to the OTRI network (more than 200 registered OTRIs) to make them participate in the information session on the creation of the new Knowledge Transfer Offices (OTC) promoted by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

The afternoon session was organised around technical work tables specialised in areas promoted by the OTAI team, such as Valorisation and Transfer, Agreements and Contracts, and R&D Projects, as well as a table of Institutional Representatives from ULPGC, ULL, FGULL, PCTT, PLOCAN and IAC coordinated by Anselmo Sosa. They highlighted the urgent need to promote networking among all the regional offices, optimising the available resources, promoting the shared management of knowledge, capacities and R&D results that can be transferred, and strengthening the training and professional careers of the technical and management staff associated with these offices, among other aspects.

The day of Friday 20th October was developed with a networking session at the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory, with the opportunity to get to know the astronomical facilities and new projects promoted by the IAC, and then giving way to the closing of the conference at the Roque de Los Muchachos Visitor Centre.