Betting on an effective and efficient Science, Technology and Innovation System

1. Promotion of business R+D.All indicators diagnose the situation in Spain with a low presence of business R+D. This is because in its science and innovation system, the technological development of products and processes has less than optimal weight, while research, both applied and basic, shows clearly greater relevance. The correction of the model is critical for the competitiveness of the economy and to improve the final efficiency of public spending allocated to R+D activities.

2. Promotion of public-private collaboration in R+D. We must encourage business R+D to carry out a modernisation process similar to that experienced by university research. To achieve this, it is essential to promote public-private collaboration, promoting a stable link between the field of innovation and industry, a task in which intermediate knowledge-generating organisations that have proven to have the highest impacts on the results of the companies with which they collaborate: the Technology Centres.

3. More facilities for private funding. Many business innovations are supported by scientific research and precise technological development, but face the barrier of access to private funding. Spain needs more investment initiatives in R+D+I, either through seed capital, venture and equity or through other bank financing vehicles, and the revitalisation of this market should be considered a matter of State. Various studies show that our country is losing opportunities in emerging technologies considered key by the European Commission's Industrial Strategy, from green energy to new materials, integrated photonics, artificial intelligence or nanomedicine, due to the lack of private investment platforms that support SMEs.

4. Betting on the Technology Centre model is betting on the country's competitiveness. Greater cooperation from the public sphere so that Technology Centres can carry out strategic research in the medium and long term, will enable their investment in infrastructure and equipment that will be available to the entire society, which will be promoted from the proximity they have with the private sector, business investment in R+D+I. To achieve this, it is essential to commit to the financing model for thirds of the Technology Centres also in Spain, designing public programs that achieve a reinforcement of the structural financing of the Technology Centres, an infrastructure financing plan associated with FEDER funds in which can convert private funds, and a true national applied research program, financing 3-5 year projects with the participation of consortia formed by companies, Technology Centres and public research organisations and where there is a commitment to business investment if the results are achieved committed to the project.

5. Imitate successful European models. The successful models in the collaboration of Technology Centres with the Administration and the productive fabric in force today in Europe, from those that have accumulated decades of activity, such as Fraunhofer in Germany, to those recently created, such as the Catapult Network in the United Kingdom, they offer solutions to some of the problems in our system. Their implementation does not present risks from the point of view of political management, since they have proven their effectiveness in highly competitive economies that show the same territorial sensitivity. It is necessary to channel the network of Technology Centres that Fedit has been organising for 25 years so that its full potential is used to contribute to creating a science and innovation system comparable to that of the most advanced countries.

6. Recognise and value the public interest of Technology Centres. Given that the ultimate goal of applied research, regardless of its origin, is the transfer of knowledge and technology for the benefit of an advanced and economically competitive society as a whole, regulation should progressively approximate the treatment received by public research organisations. and private. The Technology Centres, despite being governed by representatives of the business world and society, are non-profit organizations, have emerged with the support of the Administration and provide services of public interest, especially by bringing R+D+I closer to the SMEs. Furthermore, the Technology Centres offer efficiency metrics in the use of public resources that justify the treatment being indistinct.

7. Equal conditions for all research organisations. There are still calls that establish different participation and financing conditions depending on the legal nature (public or private) of the research organisations. This adds an entry barrier that benefits public organisations and it goes against the definition of a research organizsation agreed in the community framework for R+D+I aid. It is not enough that all calls are open to all research organisations, but that in practice they can compete on equal terms. For example, financing only the marginal costs of all beneficiary entities seems to be a mechanism to equalise participation when the opposite is true, since it prevents the direct costs of personnel hired before the start of the project from being allocated and, while public organisations already have assured financing for these costs, the Technology Centres, without external financing, have to assume that these costs will be financed with the Centre's own funds (or go to the loss account). This case is an example of how the participation of Technology Centres in certain public calls is de facto discouraged. It must be ensured that the legal nature does not become a barrier that benefits some research organisations to the detriment of others.

8. Improve governance and network coordination. Initiatives are required to help improve the current governance model, promoting interregional coordination and cooperation between different agents of the R+D+I system. We must deepen the strategic coordination between public administrations, financing agencies, and technology transfer centres (public and private). Taking advantage of the existence of Fedit as the backbone entity of the group of Technology Centres, a network governance system must be articulated around it, giving real utility to the Registry of Technology Centres and moving towards a more cooperative, sustainable model that resolves the growing distance between the regional innovation policies that are happening in these years.

This improvement in governance must also translate into a greater effort to coordinate regional policies to promote technology transfer. The current map of aid and regulatory frameworks causes, in many cases, comparative grievances between companies from different regions that distort competition, increasingly linked to innovation, and contribute to generating a system of different speeds in Spain, to the detriment of the interest general. This interregional coordination must also facilitate the development of cooperation projects with the participation of entities from different Autonomous Communities.

9. Stability and predictability in the allocation and execution of public funds in R+D+I. Multi-annual spending programs are needed that establish, similar to the European Framework Program for R+D+I, the allocation of funds that will be allocated each year to public programs to support R+D+I included in the Spanish Research Strategy. Science, Technology and Innovation. And with a commitment in the Spanish Parliament to compulsorily respect this multi-year investment forecast. It is the only way to achieve predictability of public investment in the future that allows agents who want to participate, especially companies, to plan their investment strategies and forecasts with sufficient guarantees.

10. Implement accountability models in technology transfer. It is very convenient for Spain to implement an accountability model in technology transfer for all research organisations, public and private. The Administration must design programs for allocating extra funds linked to compliance with indicators in this area. In this way, it will emphasise the distinction between basic and applied research, which will benefit the productive sector in two senses: it will help to increase the part of the scientific activity carried out in our country with a view to promoting technological transfer; and on the other hand, it will encourage the positioning of Technology Centres as providers of R+D services for SMEs and large companies, and not only as providers of certification, quality and product testing activities.