ACTIVITY
Objective
To be a reference for excellence in Innovation and Technology, seeking the competitive advantage of companies and the benefit of society.
Córdoba
The Technology Centre, as the driving force of R&D&I in companies that leads to favorable results in terms of economic impact, competitiveness and productivity.
Interest
Ensure the full participation and effective articulation of the Technology Centres in the Science, Technology, Innovation and Business System.
The Interlocutor of the
Spanish Technology Centres
Fedit acts as an interlocutor for the Technology Centres, qualified and recognised by the rest of the agents in the sector, in particular by public administrations, international organisations, and other relevant entities and institutions of the Spanish Science and Technology System. Fedit collaborates closely with the different Ministries responsible for the management of innovation, science, technology, industry, economy, education as well as with the main political parties of the Spanish parliamentary arch.
Its mission is to consolidate and enhance the model of Technology Centres that comprise it, as well as to achieve and ensure their full participation and effective articulation in the Spanish Science and Technology System, promote the culture of innovation in the company and promote cooperation between its members.
milestones of Fedit
Definition of policies
public R&D&I
We carry out intense work in defining public R+D+I policies, working on their basic regulation, definition of instruments and programs, or provision of annual calls. Some of our achievements:
Community framework for state aid for R+D+I
Royal Decree Update that regulates the Registry of Technology Centres
Leadership in the European Association of Technology Centres EARTO
Defense of the interests of Technology Centres at national and international level
Measures to promote Technology Centres in state and European policies
Review and negotiation with political parties in the proposal of laws
Initiatives to improve the conditions of participation of Technology Centres in public calls
Services aimed at cooperation and integration
Achievements have also been made in the definition of services aimed at cooperation and integration of the network of Technology Centres:
Impact studies of the activity of Technology Centres
Fedit undertakes studies to explain the impact of the activity of the Technology Centres. In addition, we work in cooperation with other entities:
Networking and institutional relations to generate alliances in favour of the interests of the Technology Centres.
Nine ICEX-FEDIT Sector Plans to internationalise the activity of the Technology Centres.
Institutional representation of the group
Milestones of institutional representativeness of the group of Technology Centres have also been achieved thanks to the work carried out by Fedit:
Presidency and inauguration of SS.AA.RR. – The Prince and Princess of Asturias at the IV National Meeting of Technology Centres in Bilbao.
Reception of representatives of the Fedit Governing Council by the Prince of Asturias.
High-level meetings and relations with key government representatives.
Defense of economic interests
During 2012 and 2013, Fedit had an intense dialogue activity with the Ministry of Finance to analyse the debt of the Autonomous Communities with the Technology Centres. As a consequence, the inclusion of Technology Centres in the Public Administration Supplier Payment Plan was achieved and this serious problem was partially alleviated.
In 2020, at the request of Fedit, the Subsidies Law was changed to eliminate barriers in the transfer of knowledge from the Technology Centres to the companies that were involved by participating in their Boards of Trustees or Boards of Directors, which until then were considered entities linked to them in that Law.
That same year, the Centres began to be counted (with data from 2017) as a specific category in the SICTI survey.
In 2023, the General Subsidies Law was modified again to exclude Technology Centres from the penalty regulations on participation in public calls for those entities that do not comply with the invoice payment deadlines established in the fight against late payment.
This year and for the first time in history, Fedit is represented at the CACTI (Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council) of the Ministry of Science, through Laura Olcina, president of the Federation and director of ITI.
Social and media visibility
Fedit works proactively with the media to make its members' activities visible through reports, interviews, specials, forums, opinion articles, etc. in national and specialised media. This has a favorable impact on the reputation of the Technology Centres.
New community framing for State aid to R&D&I that updates the definition of a research organisation based on the activities it carries out, not based on its public or private nature.
In this way, the Technology Centres were able to access the financing conditions that until then were reserved exclusively for public research organisations (among other advantages, the possibility of receiving financing of up to 100% of the eligible cost of the funded R&D project).
Collaboration with the different Ministries of Science and Innovation to update the Royal Decree that regulates the Registry of Technology Centres and Innovation Support Centres. Quality compliance indicators were defined to revalue the Technology Centre seal and obtain specific calls for them.
Founders of the European network of Technology Centres and members of the Management Board since its constitution. We cooperate with EARTO to achieve recognition of Technology Centres within the IX Framework Programme and to allow for higher levels of funding than they have had up to now. This recognition has been maintained in the new Horizon Europe programme and work is being done as a representative of the Spanish Technology Centres for the following programmes.
- Defense of the interests of the Technology Centres in the preparation of successive National R&D&I Plans and National R&D&I Strategies. The participation of Technology Centres has improved substantially with each new National Plan published.
- Fedit is the main interlocutor for the needs and complaints of the Spanish Technology Centres before the decision-making bodies of the European Union.
Approval of the Senate motion urging the Government to adopt certain measures to promote Technology Centres in state policies on Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation (R&D&I), 2007.
- Approval of the Proposition Law on measures to improve support for Technology Centres within the framework of state R&D&I policies, 2008.
- Proposition not of Law to improve state R&D&I policies regarding Technology Centres, 2008.
- Specific recognition of Technology Centres in the new Science Law prepared by the Government in 2008.
- Modification of the Subsidies Law to eliminate barriers in the transfer of knowledge from Technology Centres to companies in 2020 and 2023.
Analysis of the General State Budgets regarding R&D&I, and proposal of amendments to improve the policies relating to Technology Centres.
Participation in the Industrial Observatories of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, as representatives of Innovation.
It has allowed not only to influence with our reports the development of R&D&I strategic lines of companies, but get to know better the other Technology Centres participating in the Observatories, creating common work synergies.
As a result of Fedit's intense work, approval has been achieved with CDTI for the creation and funding of the Cervera instrument for Technology Centres.
It is a very important milestone since achieves the recovery of national cooperation plans between Centresthat had been lost.