IMAST acts as a Knowledge Integrator, experimenting with a model of management of complex and multi-sector research projects, in which at the same time and on the same project, in addition to numerous research groups, several companies are involved, which actively cooperate to achieve a common goal.
 
At this purpose IMAST:

• has drawn up a taxonomy of the innovation needs of the member companies, intersecting them with existing skills;
• has planned the integration and acquisition of the missing skills;
• has initiated and implemented a multi-sector research plan aimed at meeting the needs of the aggregated members;
• has designed new training paths, useful for projects in which public and industrial research are integrated;
• has created mechanisms and skills to identify, select and exploit results.