How AI and Partner Mapping Accelerated Technology Commercialization for CONECTUS

CONECTUS partnered with NineSigma to accelerate the technological commercialization of two early-stage technologies: MeteorBioPrinting and SiCOI (Silicon Carbide-on-Insulator).

Using NineSigma’s proprietary AI discovery platform ‘AKCELI,’ combined with targeted partner mapping, NineSigma provided two services that enable the organization to move rapidly from an early-stage technology to a prioritized set of applications and a concrete list of market-ready partners.

CONECTUS team, with the support of the NineSigma team, rapidly reviewed a dozen application ideas generated from AKCELI, prioritized the most commercially promising use cases, and received a structured list of potential industry partners from the NineSigma team. At the end, CONECTUS project team benefited from a clear new targeted list of potential applications and partners to contact, as well as a clear and actionable path to market.

The challenge

CONECTUS sits at the intersection of public research and private enterprise. As one of France’s 13 TTOs (Technology Transfer Office) federated within the French technology Acceleration transfer organization, its mandate is to invest in the technological development of innovations resulting from Alsacian public research, to define the roadmap development, and to secure the IP and the valuation trajectory for out-licensing and start-up creation.

For two early-stage technologies, three deceptively complex questions had to be addressed:

– Which industries and application domains offer the most viable business potential?
– Who are the relevant and suitable industrial patrners to approach, and where are they in Europe?

The early-stage technologies offer great potential with a leverage business strategy to define.

The solution

NineSigma deployed a two-stage methodology, combining AI-powered discovery with deep human expertise in open innovation.

Stage 1 – AKCELI Application Discovery

NineSigma’s program managers worked closely with CONECTUS to summarize and structure the technologies’ descriptions and criteria into precise inputs. AKCELI then processes this, extracting the key features to generate ideas.

To make the process more robust, the NS team executes multiple runs in AKCELI, varying the technology features, the number of features considered, and their relative weight. Steering the output toward the most commercially relevant directions. Our experienced program managers are involved throughout, ensuring diverse perspectives and stronger outcomes with each iteration.

For each prioritized application area, AKCELI also produced a market and environment snapshot covering market size, customer segments, competitive landscape, pricing benchmarks, and channel routes, giving CONECTUS the intelligence and insights needed to evaluate opportunities with confidence.

Stage 2 – NineSigma Partner Mapping

Building on the application areas selected by CONECTUS, NineSigma mobilized its cross-functional team for in-depth partner mapping. By leveraging NineSigma’s proprietary platform NineSights and 25+ years of open innovation delivery, the team conducted:

– Technical due diligence and IP landscape assessments
– Targeted adopter searches with a European focus for both SiCOI and MeteorBioPrinting applications (as requested by CONECTUS).

Each resulting partner list included a short rationale per company, covering technical fit, scale capability, and geography to enable fast, prioritized outreach.

“AKCELI offered an in-depth analysis and openness to a multitude of domains and applications to explore.”
Dr. Sébastien ZUIN, Business Manager at CONECTUS

The results

Across both projects, the CONECTUS team received rapid, structured intelligence that would have been time-consuming to produce manually.

Meteor-BioPrinting — Project:

• Outcomes of the NineSigma’s project performed with AKCELI’s:

Of the 210+ application ideas initially assessed, 60+ were validated as commercially interesting and grouped into 7 application categories. NineSigma subsequently conducted a targeted adopter search for lab applications of the BioPrint technology across Europe, producing a demo list of 22 target adopters, with 9 companies flagged for immediate exploratory action

SiCOI – Project outcomes:

• Outcomes of the NineSigma’s project performed with AKCELI’s:

For SiCOI, AKCELI generated fifteen application ideas. Based on the areas selected by TTO CONECTUS, NineSigma conducted an additional European-focused (as requested by TTO CONECTUS) adopter search and produced a demo list of 23 target adopters, again with 5 companies identified for immediate action.

“The combination of AI-driven discovery and NineSigma’s expertise helped us rapidly move from broad technology concepts to a focused set of business opportunities.”
Dr. Sébastien ZUIN, Business Manager at CONECTUS

What these numbers represent goes beyond a report. In a matter of weeks, CONECTUS went from early-stage technology with the business strategy to establish to a structured map of the most promising markets and a shortlist of companies ready to engage. That clarity, normally the result of months of manual research, is what AKCELI and NineSigma’s open innovation expertise deliver together.

The value is not just in the volume of ideas generated but in the speed and precision with which they are filtered, validated, and connected to real market opportunities. For any organization managing early-stage technologies, this means less time guessing and more time building the right partnerships.

Key insight: Combining AI Discovery with Human Expertise

AI-powered discovery tools such as AKCELI are transforming how organizations explore the potential of emerging technologies. Platforms like AKCELI can rapidly analyze large volumes of scientific, technical, and market data to generate application ideas, identify opportunity spaces, and provide early market insights in a short timeframe.

However, generating ideas is only the first step.

Human expertise remains essential to interpret these insights, assess technological feasibility, and prioritize the most commercially promising pathways. Through partner mapping, NineSigma’s open innovation experts evaluate potential adopters, analyze technical fit, and identify organizations most capable of translating technologies into real-world applications.

By combining AI-discovery opportunity discovery with expert partner identification, organizations can move faster from early-stage innovation to targeted market engagement.

For CONECTUS, NineSigma’s combination of AKCELI’s AI discovery and proven open innovation delivery provided exactly that, enabling their team to move confidently to a prioritized partner pipeline across two distinct deep-tech projects.

The results: faster decisions, clearer market focus, and a concrete list of companies ready to engage.

Ready to accelerate your technology’s path to market?

Contact us to explore how AKCELI and NineSigma’s partner mapping services can help identify applications, validate markets, and connect with the right partners—faster.