The Spanish Federation of Technology Centers FEDIT

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The Spanish Federation of Technology Centers
FEDIT
April 2008
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Technology Centers and Fedit

• A Technology Center is a non-profit private body
  with its own financial and human resources in
  order to undertake activities aimed at the
  generation of technological know-how as well as
  its implementation by surrounding companies or
  through new entrepreneurial initiatives. Its
  success is measured by the competitive
  improvement of its client companies and its
  overall contribution to the economic development
  of its region

• FEDITs vision
• To be the organization that draws private
  Technology Centers together and represents them
  within the Innovation System (Science-Technology-E
  nterprise-Society).
• To operate as a qualified party acknowledged by
  the other agents, specially governments and
  international bodies.
• To be the Innovation and Technology excellence
  standard, seeking the competitive edge of
  companies and the benefit of society.
• FEDITs mission
• To establish and encourage the model of the
  Technology Centers that comprise it, as well as
  to achieve and sustain their full participation
  and integration in the Science-Technology-Enterpri
  se-Society system.
• To encourage an innovation culture in companies
  and to promote cooperation among its members.

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Organizational Structure
Executive Council Mr. Emilio Pérez Picazo
(AIDO) Mr. José Javier Zalacaín (AIN) Mr. Xavier
López Luján (ASCAMM) Mr. Fernando Molpeceres
(CEDETEL) Mr. Juan Carlos Merino Senovilla
(CIDAUT) Mr. Luis Dussac (CTC) Mr. José Manuel
Prado (CTM) Mr. Luis Goenaga Lumbier
(FATRONIK) Mr. Iñaki Letona Picaza (GAIKER) Mr.
Javier Zabaleta Meri (ITENE) Mr. Alejando Bengoa
(TEKNIKER)
Technical Team General Director Mr. Iñigo Segura
Díaz de Espada
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The History of Technology Centers

• In Spain, during the late 60s, soaring in the
  80s.
• They are born as a private initiative to satisfy
  specific industrial needs raised by collectives
  in specific environments unattended by the
  resources of the day
• They enjoy institutional support, specially on a
  regional basis
• Based on the innovation concept, mostly
  technological, overcoming the classic limitations
  of RD centers bottom-up or demand-driven
  approach

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Development (factors)

• The lack (at a regional level) of a solid
  university structure or the absence of public
  research bodies
• An understanding of universities of the need to
  separate its educational and research functions
  from those focused on the contribution to the
  industrial technology development of their
  environment, by means of external structures
• The ability of some regional governments to
  understand the need of a new approach
  (limitations of current systems) in addition to
  the powers transferred by the central government
  to regional governments during the latest decades
• The lack of an active role of the Central
  Government in the support of the model and the
  coordination of the various regional initiatives

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Keys to Success Learning
Learning the creation of a relational space has
allowed

• To the industry to acknowledge the relevance of
  technological competitivity factors and to pose
  its requirements in accordance to technological
  innovation processes
• Risk
• Cost
• Time constraints, ...
• To Technology Centers to acknowledge the
  relevance of non-technological competitivity
  factors and to design solutions compatible with
  the business processes of the industry
• Confidentiality/Exclusivity
• Profitability
• Opportunity ...

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Keys to Success Flexibility
Flexibility and adaptation ability of the model
to specific requirements of the environment and,
specially, to the specific situation of each
industrial sector and each company

• Technology services
• Technology consulting
• Training and Propagation
• Contract Projects
• New industrial activities

• AGE RD Projects
• Regional RD Projects
• International RD Projects
• Funding by Objectives
• Infrastructures

Strategic RD
Contract RD
We distance ourselves from the industrial world
We disable ourselves technology wise
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The Model
A Technology Center is a non-profit private body
with its own financial and human resources in
order to undertake activities aimed at the
generation of technological know-how as well as
its implementation by surrounding companies or
through new entrepreneurial initiatives. Its
success is measured by the competitive
improvement of its client companies and its
overall contribution to the economic development
of its region

• Commitment to public interest non-profit bodies
  (foundations and associations)
• Independence
• Commitment to corporate needs
• RDI activity
• Size
• Excellent management model

Models are but an acknowledgement of common
factors considered to be relevant to carry out a
certain mission. As they are closely related to
the environment, in perpetual change, the model
is subjected to an evolution that entails a
continuous revision of the aforementioned factors
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Broad Figures Dimension and Activity
Datos 2006
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Sector and Technology Distribution
Sectors

• Applied Research and Technological Development
• Innovation and Technology consulting
• Technology Services
• Propagation and Training
• Creation of BT companies

Activities
Aeronautics and Space Agrofood Automotive Pharmac
y Shoes and Leather Ceramics Construction Shippin
g Household appliances Power Railways Toys
Machine Tool Mining Optics Fisheries Chemistry Iro
n, Steel and Smelting Telecoms Electronics Computi
ng Textile Packaging Wood and Furniture .

• Materials
• Metalmechanics
• Micro and Nanotechnologies
• Production Technologies
• Biotechnology
• ICT
• Aeronautics and Space

Technologies
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Programme Results


7th European RD Framework Programme (2007)
CENIT programme National Industrial Strategic
Research Consortiums (2nd 2007)
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Technology Transfer Results (scope)
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Technology Transfer Results (internationalization)


6th European RD Framework Program results
(2003-2006)
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International Comparative Assessment
2006 Figures
Funding from the Research Council of Norway is
accounted as Basic Funding for SINTEF
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Technology Centers Impact

• Attribution in percentage growth of the following
  indicators of companies concerning their
  relationship with a Technology Center
• - Turnover 31.4 - Profit 31.1
• - Exports 31.1 - Staff 30.6
• - Productivity 28.95
• Attribution in percentage growth of the following
  investment areas of companies concerning their
  relationship with a Technology Center
• - External RD 62.6 - In-house ID 43.9
• - Information and software systems 25.8 -
  Facilities and equipment 22.3
• In-house RD expenditure of companies working
  with Technology Centers is 4 times larger than
  the national mean (19 against 4.1 between 2005
  and 2006)
• External RD expenditure of companies working
  with Technology Centers is 3.7 times larger than
  the national mean (15 against 4 between 2005
  and 2006)
• 92 of TC users declare to be satisfied or very
  satisfied with the relationship they keep with
  their Technology Center

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Challenges

• Open Innovation
• To improve cooperation among Technology Centers
  (strategic alliances that overcome regional
  boundaries)
• To improve the cooperation of Technology Centers,
  PRBs and Universities
• To establish economic impact assessment
  mechanisms of Technology Centers that allow to
  define efficiency indicators
• To increase the added value of RD contracted
  projects (size, risk and time span)
• To improve the quality of participation in
  European projects (leadership)
• To increase the number of Centers participating
  in International Programs
• To maintain the flexibility in order to evolve
  jointly with the market, encouraging the
  externalization of mature services and
  technologies

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Independent opinions
... one of the most interesting institutions of
Spanish innovation system, the Technological
Centres OCDE 2005 Public-Private Partnerships
for Research and Innovation in Spain Background
and Issues for Discussion
More globalization, less industry, less
research a negative cycle we must break up The
Lisbon strategy and its aim to make Europe a
technological beacon based on a knowledge
economy will clearly reinforce the role of CTI
centers CTI (French Technology Centers) It will
doubtlessly be necessary to support them in their
mission in order to maximize their
efficiency Henri REVOL, Senador por Côte dOr y
Presidente de la OPECST Oficina Parlamentaria de
Evaluación de las Prioridades Científicas y
Técnicas
... Promoting Technology Centers, which rely on
demand by end users, is a useful way of
encouraging a culture of innovation while
simultaneously limiting the risks of
wastage OECD 2007 Economic Surveys Spain -
Assessment and Recommendations
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Networks and Forums
Founding member and member of the Executive
Council of the European Association of Research
and Technology Organizations (EARTO) Founding
member and member of the Executive Council of the
International Network for Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises (INSME) Member of the Science and
Technology Consulting Council (CAICIT) Member of
the Innovation Commission of the Spanish
employers organization (CEOE)

• Francisco Gervás 14, 1 Izq.
• 28020 MADRID
• Tlf. 34 915 795 262
• Fax [phone]
• www.fedit.com
• info_at_fedit.com