by Richard Norman
A new white paper titled “Guidance and Best Practices for European Centres of Excellence in High Performance Computing Aiming to Build Their Commercialisation Capabilities” has been released. The document, born from a close collaboration among leading European HPC Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and supported by the CASTIEL2 project, offers practical guidance and strategic insights to help CoEs strengthen their commercial and innovation‑oriented activities.
For Europe’s High‑Performance Computing (HPC) Centres of Excellence, excellence in research alone is no longer enough. To ensure long‑term sustainability and to maximise their contribution to Europe’s economy and society, CoEs are increasingly expected to exploit their results, to turn Key Exploitable Results into services or products, and to develop clear pathways to commercialisation. Building these capabilities is vital for transforming scientific breakthroughs into tangible benefits for industry, policymakers and citizens.
“This white paper is a practical guide for transforming cutting-edge research into market‑ready services. It highlights routes and strategies for CoEs to go beyond excellence in science and deliver real‑world value,” says Guy Lonsdale, CEO of scapos AG and partner of the CASTIEL 2 Project. The CASTIEL 2 Project provides support activities for both the national HPC Competence Centres and the CoEs, with scapos having a particular focus on the latter.
Developed within the Taskforce for the Sustainability Vision for CoEs, the White paper captures the combined expertise of BioExcel, ChEESE, ESiWACE, EXCELLERAT, HiDALGO2 and MultiXscale. It is freely available on ResearchGate and Zenodo, and provides tools, lessons learned and practical steps to help CoEs build strong value propositions, develop services and establish sustainable business models.
Key sections of the white paper include:
- Stakeholders and Value Proposition: How understanding user needs and building communities shapes strong service offerings.
- From Research to Service: Methods to identify and develop services from technical results using readiness level frameworks (TRL, MRL, SRL, etc.).
- Business Models and Legal Structures: How CoEs can navigate legal options (e.g. AISBL, GmbH, SCE) and build sustainable commercial entities.
- Lessons Learned: Real-life examples from CoEs like BioExcel, ChEESE, ESiWACE, EXCELLERAT, HiDALGO2, and MultiXscale.
- Recommendations: From piloting early with SMEs, Midcaps and Big caps to building strategic alliances and investing in innovation management.
- Vision for the Future: Outlines a path to self-sustaining CoEs capable of delivering long-term value across sectors.
The white paper is openly accessible and designed for CoE coordinators, innovation managers, business developers, policymakers, and all actors supporting applied innovation in European research.
Read the full white paper:
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28093.58083
Interested in collaborating or learning more?
Join the discussion and contribute to shaping the future of the European CoE ecosystem by visiting https://hpc-portal.eu or sharing your feedback on the white paper here.
