Proof of Concept Center — A Promising Tool for Innovative Development at Entrepreneurial Universities

The article reviews the USA experience in creating the new element of national innovative infrastructure for Russia — the Proof of Concept Center (POOC). The article uses the term POCC as an abbreviation; it considers the POCC functions, its role in the innovative chain, and its difference from Centers for Technology Transfer. Evidently, the key feature of POCC is the availability of its own foundation for financing innovative projects. The article analyzes the major sources for these foundations and suggests distinguishing the two types of POCC in terms of financing. It presents examples of POCC of the USA of varied scale and which were founded at different times. It highlights the correlation between the establishment of POCC and the increasing number of innovative companies. The work also presents information about the structure analogous to the first type of POCC in Russia, and considers the potential for creating university-based POCC of the second type. The article also presents information regarding the high potential and the efficiency of POCC as a unit of innovative infrastructure.