NEXT-HEI today announces the official launch of HEIconnect, a new European innovation community designed to bring together Higher Education Institutions, startups, innovators, corporates, and investors. The initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between academic talent and the entrepreneurial world, accelerating the flow of knowledge, skills, and market-ready solutions across Europe.HEIconnect is a core pillar of the NEXT-HEI Horizon Europe project, which supports universities and innovation stakeholders in turning cutting-edge research into impactful ventures. The new community provides a structured meeting point for those working at the intersection of education, research, and business—particularly in emerging innovation regions.

One founder describes her transition in clear terms: “I stopped thinking like a researcher proving a hypothesis and started thinking like someone responsible for a customer’s problem.”She had been working on a new water purification membrane in a university lab. The technology was promising, but the turning point came when a local municipality invited her team to observe field operations. Standing next to technicians who struggled with clogged filters every week made the problem tangible. She began shaping her research around an actual user need instead of a purely scientific challenge.
Tools other can use:

• Map the problem ecosystem and talk to operators, regulators and buyers, not only scientific peers.
  
• Build short validation loops and test assumptions with a few users before planning a full study.
• Supporting participation from moderate and emerging innovator regions
• Create a one page problem brief written in plain language to guide decisions.
  

A biomedical researcher turned founder often says that “the first prototype embarrassed me, but it also gave me my first pilot partner.”In academia, precision and completeness are essential. In venture creation, progress happens when early, imperfect versions are shown to the right people. His spin-off began with a crude diagnostic device assembled from off-the-shelf components. Instead of being discouraged, clinicians appreciated the intent and joined the project as co-developers.

Tools others can use:

• Define a minimum usable experiment rather than a polished prototype.
  
• Involve early adopters as design partners, not only evaluators.
• Shift from defending results to co-creating solutions.

The Team Decision that Changes Everything

One materials scientist said that the most transformative step was realising that her company was not her research group. Academic teams are structured around hierarchy and specialised expertise. Startup teams function through complementary skills and shared ownership.She brought in a business focused postdoc and an operations oriented technician. Together they became a team investors could trust. This shift from individual scientific excellence to collective execution capacity is often cited as a decisive factor in early stage success.

Tools others can use:Identify missing roles early, such as business, product or operations.

Co-write a simple team charter that defines responsibilities and expectations.

Practice team based decision making rather than PI centred decision making.

Understanding the Innovation EcosystemFounders who succeed tend to understand quickly where they sit within a broader landscape. They do not wait for partners to find them. They position themselves in existing networks of corporates, innovation agencies, public authorities, investors and other HEIs.One physics researcher developing remote sensing technologies built momentum by joining community programmes, matchmaking sessions and investor events. Each interaction expanded his network and refined his understanding of how his science connected to market needs.Tools others can use:Map five relevant ecosystem actors, such as corporates, regulators, investors, accelerators and universities.

Attend several sector specific networking events before designing a go to market plan.

Use every interaction to test and refine the value proposition.

When Science Meets Entrepreneurship CultureFounders often share a similar insight. Your scientific identity does not disappear. It evolves. Entrepreneurial skills do not replace research skills. They complement them. Critical thinking becomes customer discovery. Experiment design becomes product iteration. Peer review becomes market feedback.These founder stories show that the path from research to venture is not a dramatic leap. It is a series of small, intentional adjustments. With the right tools and mindset, any researcher can navigate the journey from discovery to real-world impact.Practical Starting Points for ResearchersIf you are in a lab today and wondering whether your work could live beyond the academic environment, start here:Write a one page description of the problem your research solves from the user’s perspective.

Talk to ten potential beneficiaries and listen to what truly matters to them.

Test your idea with the smallest possible prototype or workflow simulation.

Seek a cross functional team early.

Explore programmes that support HEI based innovation, such as mentoring, matchmaking and ecosystem-building initiatives.

Treat venture creation as an experiment rather than a dramatic career shift.

Turning research into a venture is a path of curiosity, collaboration and learning. Scientists who made the transition show that with the right tools, the journey from lab to market can be both achievable and rewarding.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe.