The network was established in October 1995 after a smaller, more narrowly focused pilot network had demonstrated the effectiveness of the idea. Each IRC is an independent business and technology consulting office partly funded by the EC's Innovation Programme. Staffed by professionals with experience in industry, business and technology, each Centre has been selected through an open competition to provide innovation services and has an in-depth knowledge of the technology needs of the industries in the region. While the first months were spent establishing the network, it has recently gathered momentum and started to deliver concrete results. It has identified best practices from among its members, begun exploring the use of the Internet in improving its operations and established relationships with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Data covering the first sixteen months of the network's operations are encouraging.
The idea behind the performance indicators is to focus the network's attention on results - signed technology transfer agreements, EC funding for new research projects, and so on. The resulting overview of the effectiveness of the network and its impact on European companies will help spread best practices throughout the network and improve understanding of intra-European technology transfer. Developing and implementing a performance indicator system is always a difficult task. In the case of the IRC network, differing national approaches to financing innovation and regional variations in innovation contexts added further complications. In all cases, the indicators measure success, not good intentions.