The Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer operates on behalf of its members (primary Italian biomedical research hospitals ‘IRCCS’ and research centers, both public and private) with the aim of supporting the process that leads from scientific research to products and solutions that benefit patients and society.

The Italian biomedical research system is excellent in terms of the quantity and quality of its scientific publications, consistently ranking at the top of international comparative rankings and holding a recognized leadership position in certain therapeutic areas.

Conversely, it is less brilliant in terms of the quantity of patents, licenses, spin-offs, and start-ups.

The gap from the best is even more pronounced in the case of public research centers, especially for public research hospitals ‘IRCCS’, due to particular regulatory and administrative difficulties.

The technology transfer offices within the centers are competent in managing scouting activities and the early development stages up to the patent application. However, it is inherently challenging for them to manage the subsequent stages of commercializing the patented inventions, due to regulatory hurdles, budget constraints, and expertise issues that make it difficult to establish relationships with international industrial and financial players.

For these reasons, FITT was established, with the mandate to actively promote the development of new therapies and medical devices through collaborations with established companies or new entrepreneurial initiatives, through IP licensing agreements related to discoveries and inventions developed by its members.

Thanks to its integrated structure, composed of business development professionals with international experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device sectors, its international relationships, and its tools, in collaboration with internal TTOs, FITT enables companies and financial resources to collaborate to leverage the results of its members’ research activities.

Partnerships can occur in all stages of the process, from invention, patenting, licensing (or optioning) to creating a spin-off or engaging with an established company, involving investors, to the subsequent stages of proof of concept, pre-clinical and clinical research, towards the final goals of regulatory approval and market availability.