They are afraid to introduce their ideas
You have definitely heard the word “nano” and you know that it is a new and growing science. Nanotechnology is the ability to produce and build new materials, tools and systems by taking control at the nanometer scale, or the atomic and molecular levels, and using the properties that appear at these levels. In this field, new ideas and new businesses have definitely entered. Nanobridge Acceleratoris a specialized accelerator in this field, follow Ecomotive’s conversation with the CEO of this collection:
please introduce yourself:
I am Maisham Hatami, a graduate of polymer engineering from the University of Research Sciences and a master’s degree from Amirkabir University of Technology, and I am a member of the board of directors and CEO of Fidar Bespar Ark. Fidar Bespar Ark is a knowledge-based company that operates in the field of commercialization. I have been active in the field of “plastics” since the beginning; I entered the industry in 1994 and worked in large industrial companies. In 2016, my friends and I decided to enter the topic of “commercialization” and technology transfer due to the needs in industries.
In this way, we penetrate into the industry and investigate the problems of the industry and find solutions with the help of individuals, teams and companies with R&D (keeping the confidentiality of the demand), then connect the applicant and the technologist. we do; Of course, we stay with both teams from the beginning to the end of the product purchase contract.
After some time, we came to the conclusion that there are needs in the nanotechnology and polymer industry for which there are no applicants, and on the other hand, the solution to these needs may be in universities or in the hands of individuals or groups, so we decided to develop these projects. to find and commercialize and with the background we had in the field of commercialization, together with several of my friends, we launched a specialized accelerator in the field of polymers.
In principle, we are the first specialized accelerator in the field of polymer, as well as the agent of the nano headquarters and the scientific assistant in the field of knowledge base and nanotechnology and polymer engineering (in all its dimensions). At first, we presented this plan to the Nano Headquarters of the Vice President and the Nano Headquarters also announced their readiness to support us in order to launch this accelerator. We presented our first call at the Polymer Research Institute and the second call at the Nano headquarters site, and with the help of the headquarters, we were able to get off to a good start.
The location of the Nanobridge accelerator is the Polymer Research Institute; Since this research institute is the largest scientific center of the country’s polymer and petrochemical industry, it has very good professors and workshops, and for this reason, we came to the conclusion that if projects in the field of nanotechnology are included in the research, we can develop it because We have a good space and raw materials, as well as many professors and students are present here, and also if different industries refer to the research institute to meet their needs, a chapter of cooperation with the applicant industries will be opened.
Apart from Nano Headquarters, what groups supported you? Did you attract investors?
As I said, Nano headquarters and its fund is our first supporter. Currently, we have not attracted investors and we are in the phase of checking investors to advance the work a little. Of course, we plan to enter into negotiations with several funds to start bilateral cooperation in the field of accelerating their projects and attracting capital; We currently run the accelerator at our own expense.
What facilities do you provide to teams?
We provide private office space and shared space, laboratory and workshop to the teams. We offer a series of grants for laboratory and workshop expenses; Because to enter the laboratory and workshop, fees must be provided, which we pay. We have another series of grants for the use of laboratory and workshop services and devices, and even if the research is done outside the Polymer Research Institute, we will accept it up to a ceiling. Providing the cost of purchasing raw materials, consulting costs, providing training classes, attracting investors, etc. are among the services we provide to teams.
How are the teams called?
Our first call in August 2019 was specific to Polymer Research Institute, then we made the call public and 2 calls were extended for 2 months, and we left the call open until March of last year and began to attract ideas. We published the invitations in the universities of the country and sent emails to the professors of the universities. On the other hand, the vice-president of the Nano headquarters has access to a list of active students in this field, which of course does not provide us with that information, but we requested the headquarters to send an invitation to the e-mails of all people in this field, which include professors and He was a student. In general, the calls are public, and it is not even necessary to be in the field of technology and polymer, and we also recruit teams from different fields, but the principles of the work are that the technology should be in the field of polymer engineering and centered on nanotechnology.
How many teams did you attract and at what stage are they?
Since we are at a stage where our goal is to accelerate growth and then attract investors, we currently have strict judging procedures and currently 50 projects have been referred to us and we have signed contracts with 6 teams out of 20 judged teams. We are cooperating.
What do the judges expect from the teams?
At first, two forms are provided to the applicants; One of the forms is the product ID, which explains the product, and the other is the request to enter the accelerator, during which the teams introduce themselves and their needs. We review forms and consult with referees; Since the judging panel is highly specialized and demanding, if a team successfully passes the judging stage, it is more likely to be successful in the accelerator.
What challenges do teams often face?
One of the problems that technologists have, especially in the field of nanotechnology, is that technologists are afraid to introduce their design and they all have the thought that their design might be stolen. On the other hand, our country has not been a leader in industries and we have always copied from developed countries, and this has caused that the latest technologies in the world cannot be used in our country, because a network is needed to use new technology. When a technology enters the market, there must be a customer for it. When a technology imports nano and polymer, even though that foreign product may be a better product, but due to its high price, it remains without customers and customers prefer the domestic product, even though it is of lower quality, but with a lower price. Buy less. Another challenge is that the industries in our country often do not look for new technology and progress, and whoever has a new plan faces the roadblocks of large companies and economic problems, and for this reason, new technologies, especially nanotechnology, in Iran. The chain of production to purchase is difficult; In this regard, we also established the Nanobridge Accelerator to complete this chain. In a way, we are a specialized commercialization accelerator that directly enters the industry and delivers the plans to the customer after growth; Although in Iran, the phrase “specialized commercialization accelerator” may be unusual, but commercialization exists in the field of acceleration at the global level.
Final speech…
First of all, I would like to give special thanks to the Nano headquarters; Because few organizations support start-up companies and young people like us. Dr. Najimi, the director of the industry department of the Nano Headquarters and Engineer Bagheri, the director of the polymer nanocomposite department of the Nano Headquarters, helped us a lot. I request all friends active in the field of polymer engineering and nanotechnology to make a little change in procedure; Because we are usually a little weak in shared tasks and we think that we have to do everything ourselves; Therefore, these perceptions must be changed. I invite friends to visit the Nanopole accelerator and use the classes and mentoring, because collaborative work leads to the growth of the team and makes them more successful.
