Technology Centres in Spain: origins, present situation and keys for their future development Iigo S

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Technology Centres in Spain origins, present
situation and keys for their future
developmentIñigo SeguraGeneral ManagerFEDIT
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Technology Centres and Technology Parks

• A Technology or Science Park is an organisation
  managed by specialized professionals which has
  the fundamental goal of increasing the wealth of
  its community promoting the innovation culture
  and the competitiveness of the enterprises and
  knowledge generation institutions located in the
  Park or associated to it.
• A Technology Centre is a private non-for-profit
  institution with the necessary human and material
  resources for the completion of RDI activities,
  Technology Services, Training,... with the goal
  of transferring to the enterprises the
  technological knowledge generated in the
  institution in order to increasing their
  competitiveness

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The OriginKey Factors

• In Spain end of 60s and explosion in the 80s
• They are generated from the private sector
  (demand) as a response to specific industrial
  needs formulated in a collective way in specific
  environments not satisfied with the existent
  resources
• They found institutional support
• Based in an innovation concept, mainly
  technological, that goes beyond the classic
  limitation of RD Centres demand driven or
  bottom-up approach

Collective industrial need
Changes in the competitive environment
Lack in the RD system
Institutional support
Technology Centres
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The OriginExamples

• Experiences with no academic participation
• INESCOP Shoe Industry (Valencia, 1971)
• INASMET Technical Association of Foundries (P.
  Vasco, 1975)
• AIDIMA Wood Industry (Valencia, 1984)
• Experiences with academic participation
• LABEIN Engineering School of Bilbao (L.
  Torrontegui, 1955)
• ITC Chemistry Technical Institute (U. Valencia,
  1969)
• TEKNIKER Arms School of Eibar (P. Vasco, 1981)
• CEIT Engineering School of San Sebastián (U.
  Navarra, 1982)

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The DevelopmentIndustrial Factors

• Existence of sectorial industrial specializations
  and concentrations in regional environments (in
  the form of clusters or industrial districts more
  or less explicit and of variable size)
• The capacity of the different industrial groups
  to anticipate the evolution of productivity
  factors and to formulate their needs in the
  technological area in an explicit and collective
  way

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The DevelopmentPolitical Factors

• Proximity and dependence of the
  regional/autonomic administrations to the
  problems of its close productive network that
  provides an explicit knowledge of their immediate
  needs
• The assumption of different regional/autonomic
  administrations of the need to set up new
  structures (failure of existent systems) to solve
  the research, technology development and
  innovation needs of the industry
• The competences received by the
  regional/autonomic administrations from the State
  administration in the last decades
• The lack of an active role from the State
  Administration in the model promotion and in the
  coordination of the different regional initiatives

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The DevelopmentScientific and Technology System
Factors

• The lack, at a regional/autonomic level, of a
  consolidated and solid University structure or
  the absence of public research organisations
• The understanding by research groups or
  departments in the University structure of their
  difficulties to solve in an efficient way (due to
  the University structure) the problems associated
  to the technology development challenges of a
  wide group of industries relevant for the
  economical development of its environment
• University strategic decision to separate (to a
  given extent) its educational and training
  mission from the technology transfer activity
  (exploitation of their research activity)

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The DevelopmentInternal Factors

• Focus on general interest non for profit
  organisations, foundations, public interest
  associations
• Independence
• Private entities
• Ownership of required assets
• Limited basic funding (non competitive)
• Focus on Industrial needs
• Profit and Loss account strongly dependant on
  industrial income
• Majority of votes in their Executive Committe in
  hands of industry
• Wide number of industrial customers
• Activity focused in applied research
• Minimum size
• Excellent management (EFQM, ISO, ...)

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The DevelopmentInternal Factors The RDI
balance

• Long and medium term Technological Research and
  Development
• Cooperation with scientific research groups
• New RD infrastructures and equipment
• Training

• Industrial Research
• Advanced Technology Services
• Training
• Technological Consultancy (management, planning,
  )
• Certification, Quality,

Strategic RD
Contract RDI
Separation from industrial needs
Loss of technology capacity (knowledge base)
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PresentActivities, Technologies and Sectors
Sectors

• Applied research and technology development
• Technology Assistance and Innovation Services
• Technology Services
• Technology dissemination and training
• Start-Ups

Activities
Aeronautics and space Agro food Automotive Pharma
ceuticals Shoes and Leather Ceramics Building Nava
l Electrical Appliances Energy Railway Toys
Machine Tool Mining Optical Fishery Chemistry Stee
l and foundry Telecommunications
Electronics Software Textile Packaging and
logistics Wood and Furniture .

• Materials
• Metal-mechanics
• Micro and Nano Technologies
• Industrial Processes
• Biotechnology
• Information Society and Software
• Aeronautics and Space

Technologies
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PresentKey Figures
Data 2004
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PresentFinancing
Data 2004
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PresentHuman Resources

• Data 2004
• 4.582 employees
• 784 subcontracted
• 1.394 scholarships
• Annual increase of 7 in number of employees
• Annual Increase of 12 in number of PhDs

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PresentTechnological Resources
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PresentGeographical Differences (I)
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PresentGeographical Differences (II)
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PresentInternational Comparison
FhG obtains the same amount of public financing
through European Programs than FEDIT
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ResultsTechnology Transfer (I)

• 25.000 annual customers from multiple industrial
  sectors benefit annually from the activity
  performed by the Technology Centres

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ResultsTechnology Transfer (II)

• Spin-offs

Total Annual Spin-offs
Annual spin-offs per Centre

• A spin-off per 57 researchers (PhD and University
  degree)
• A spin-off per 74 employees
• Average investment of 300.000 Euros per year and
  per active Centre
• Saturation?

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ResultsIndustrial Sectors
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ResultsInternational Technology Valorisation

• Son los agentes españoles más eficientes en la
  captura de fondos comunitarios para el apoyo a la
  ID a través de los diferentes Programas Marco
  (PM) Europeos

FEDIT (1º en V PM, 2º VI PM)
Retornos V PM
Retornos VI PM
Data from CDTI
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ResultsCooperation for Technology Development (I)

• TYPE OF INITITIVES
• Audits, viability and diagnosis studies
• Training
• Testing and certification
• Characterization, modelling and study of new
  materials, chemical compounds,...
• Development of New Technologies and Processes of
  interest for local industrial sectors
• Thematic Networks of Technology Centres
• Thematic Networks with Universities and
  Enterprises
• Start-up of new Technology Centres

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Results Cooperation for Technology Development
(II)

• COUNTRIES
• Brazil Argentina Mexico
• Ecuador Bolivia Cuba
• Peru Venezuela Chile
• Costa Rica Paraguay Panama
• Colombia Dominican Republic Uruguay
• Tunisia Morocco Egypt

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Future DevelopmentActivity and Resources

• Key aspects
• Increase added value of industrial contracts
• Increase cooperation with PROs and University
• Long term strategic financing based on result
  indicators

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MeasuresPolitical and Administrative

• New legal and administrative framework
• State recognition of their relevance in the
  sapnish innovation system
• Improvement of the evaluation criteria with
  technological criteria and technology experts
• New support instruments
• Strategic financing of Centres (indicators)
• Financing of consortia and alliances
• Coordinated and efficient creation of new Centres
• Simplification of procedures for public financing
• Increase of State financing of Technology Centres
• Coordinated policies between regional and State
  administrations

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MeasuresInternal

• Increase of cooperation between Technology
  Centres
• Increase cooperation with PROs and Universities
• Economic impact measurement in customers for
  definition of efficiency indicators
• Increase added value of Contract RD (size, risk
  and duration)
• Increase size of European projects (leadership)
• Keep flexibility to adapt to market evolution
  promoting externalisation of services and mature
  technologies

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FEDIT Vision and Mission

• FEDIT Vision
• To become the organisation that gathers all
  private Technology Centres of Spain and
  represents them in the Spanish Innovation System.
• To become qualified and recognised counterpart to
  the other agents of the Spanish Innovation System
  and specially the Public Administrations and
  International Organisms
• To become a reference of excellence in innovation
  and technology development ensuring the
  competitive advantage of the industry and social
  welfare.
• FEDIT Mission
• Consolidate and promote the Spanish Technology
  Centres model of their members ensuring its
  participation and efficient articulation in the
  overall Spanish Innovation System.
• Promote the Innovation Culture in the industry
  and foster the cooperation among its members.

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Federación Española de Entidades de Innovación y
Tecnología

• Juan Ramón Jiménez 43, 1º Izq
• 28036 MADRID
• Tlf. 34 91 350 28 75
• Fax [phone]
• www.fedit.es
• informacion_at_fedit.es