Title: The Spanish Federation of Technology Centers FEDIT
1The Spanish Federation of Technology Centers
FEDIT
April 2008
2Technology 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.
3Organizational 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
4The 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
5Development (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
6Keys 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 ...
7Keys 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
8The 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
9Broad Figures Dimension and Activity
Datos 2006
10Sector 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
11Programme Results
7th European RD Framework Programme (2007)
CENIT programme National Industrial Strategic
Research Consortiums (2nd 2007)
12Technology Transfer Results (scope)
13Technology Transfer Results (internationalization)
6th European RD Framework Program results
(2003-2006)
14International Comparative Assessment
2006 Figures
Funding from the Research Council of Norway is
accounted as Basic Funding for SINTEF
15Technology 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
16Challenges
- 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
17Independent 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
18Networks 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 34 670 848 361
- www.fedit.com
- info_at_fedit.com