UNICORN - Piloting Integrated Non-Technological Readiness for Academic Health Startups

The UNICORN project seeks to address the structural risks that hinder the development and sustainability of early-stage startups, strengthening knowledge valorisation processes and promoting alignment with the policy priorities of the European Research Area (ERA) and the WIDERA programme.

To this end, it aims to design, pilot, validate and consolidate a Non-Technological Readiness Framework for academic health startups, through pilot programmes implemented across 5 European Lighthouses.

The objectives of the UNICORN project are:

• Develop a harmonised European framework for assessing non-technological readiness: design and implement a structured methodology covering four key dimensions (Business, Regulatory, Innovation and Societal), supported by an assessment tool to identify and compare maturity gaps across the five European ecosystems.

• Strengthen the capabilities of academic health startups: deliver capacity-building programmes, thematic bootcamps and mentoring sessions to support startups across the areas of business, regulation, innovation and societal impact.

• Validate and consolidate scalable support models: assess the results of the pilot programmes, identify common structural barriers and consolidate good practices that can be transferred across ecosystems.

• Promote cohesion and collaboration across European health innovation ecosystems: mobilise a transnational community of universities, startups, regulatory experts, investors, healthcare professionals, innovation support organisations and societal representatives, fostering knowledge sharing, peer learning and the development of cross-border partnerships.

• Embed project results in European knowledge valorisation strategies and frameworks: develop modular guidance and policy recommendations aligned with ERA and WIDERA priorities, contributing to their dissemination and promoting the adoption of the model by other innovation ecosystems.

• Ensure the sustainability and replicability of project results: make the methodological framework and resources developed publicly available, enabling their adaptation and uptake by other European ecosystems.