I'm going to speak for my own bailiwick.
Applied research centres can help emerging companies get to a minimum viable product quickly. Those start-ups need help when it comes to fast-tracking the development of the first version of a product that can be commercialized.
That is why it is incredibly important to bring applied research players and start-ups together. The first version of the product has to be commercialized quickly so it can be improved quickly to arrive at a second, better quality, version. Bringing those two together is extremely important because start-ups have very limited research capacity and little money for equipment. Giving those companies access to cutting-edge infrastructure in applied research is immensely valuable.