TECNALIA has increased collaborations with companies by 12%

We are committed to technological excellence in the fields of Digital Transformation, Advanced Manufacturing, Energy Transition, Mobility, Urban Ecosystem and Health

12 June 2019. For the research and technological development centre TECNALIA, 2018 has been characterised by the collaborations it has held with companies, which have increased by around 12%. This responds to its mission to maximise the impact of the centre’s R&D and innovation activities, transforming technology into GDP through technological excellence and by focussing on the companies’ needs and problems. This collaboration has allowed the centre to obtain a turnover of 110.3 million euros, an increase of 6% compared to 2017 and the highest income level in the past 7 years, consolidating its positive evolution.  

As noted by the chairman Emiliano Lopéz Atxurra, “we have consolidated TECNALIA's positive evolution, which implies the recognition of our technologists’ efforts who have made it possible. The strength required for the organisation’s evolution would not have been possible if it were not for these efforts, which have strengthened TECNALIA’s technological capabilities and market approach, making it a more efficient and competitive organisation within the European industrial-technology system”. For the centre, the two fundamental pillars that make this possible are its staff and its companies.

TECNALIA currently has a team of over 1,400 experts representing 30 different nationalities, 43% of which are women. They are responsible for conceptualising, identifying and developing comprehensive technological solutions in order to offer tailored attention and improve the competitiveness of each of the more than 7,000 companies with which it has collaborated since its inception eight years ago. 75% of these businesses are SMEs.

Of the 110.3 million euros invoiced, half corresponds to income from projects with companies. The other half comes from strategic research projects supported by public administrations, the Basque Government and the European Commission, primarily oriented to achieving results with future implementation in the companies. TECNALIA has also invested over 8 million euros in increasing its technological capacity in order to deliver more added-value to its customers.

The Sale of Industrial Property Rights section recorded 1.8 million euros in income, with a portfolio of 658 patents. It took part in 12 New Technology-Based Companies (NTBC) in addition to 20 active NTBCs also sponsored by the centre, generating a total of 261 jobs and a turnover of 33.5 million euros.

In Europe, TECNALIA has consolidated its position as the first private state organisation to contract, participate in, and lead projects under the European Commission's HORIZON 2020 programme, collaborating with 89 Basque companies and 145 others from the rest of Spain.

The target for 2019 is to maintain this trend and grow by 8%, as well as to continue to enhance collaboration with companies thanks to benchmark projects in the fields of Digital Transformation, Advanced Manufacturing, Energy Transition, Mobility, Urban Ecosystem and Health.

Highlights of 2018

Among the numerous initiatives with companies that are already having an impact on the market, the highlights from 2018 include the start-up of the first floating laboratory in Europe for tests in a real offshore environment; the development of a new kind of robot to handle radioactive materials; the first 4.0 laboratory in the Basque Country for the pharmaceutical industry; and the participation in four Basque Digital Innovation Hub branches and in EIT Manufacturing.

The first floating laboratory in Europe for tests in a real offshore environment, called HarshLab, is a facility that provides accurate information to predict the behaviour of materials, components and equipment in this hostile environment, in order to develop offshore energy systems with high survival rates.

In 2018, the technological and innovative capacity of the TECNALIA research and technological development centre reached the United States Government, specifically the Energy Department’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), for whom a new kind of robot has been developed to handle radioactive parts remotely. With the new system, remotely controlled robots faithfully repeat the movements of the operator’s hands, so that handling is more accurate, safer and intuitive, thus increasing the performance of the system.

Collaborations have been another key to the success of 2018. The joint work with the University of the Basque Country made it possible to start-up the first 4.0 laboratory in the Basque Country for the pharmaceutical industry, located in the Araba Technology Park. The new facilities are equipped with cutting-edge technology to develop new drugs. The aim of this project is to introduce the Industry 4.0 philosophy into the fields of pharmaceutical development, which will allow for more personalised therapies and control the quality and safety of the drugs throughout their value chain.

TECNALIA is a member of four of the Basque Digital Innovation Hub branches: Flexible and Collaborative Robotics, for which it is the coordinator; Additive Manufacturing; Cybersecurity; and New Materials. These collaborative branches aim to provide industrial companies, particularly SMEs, with the necessary technological capabilities to face the challenges of Industry 4.0.

TECNALIA will also coordinate the EIT Manufacturing headquarters in the Basque Country. It is an initiative for innovation, training and entrepreneurship promoted by 50 partners from 17 European countries, including Aernnova, Corporación Mondragón, IK4 Research Alliance and ITP Aero. EIT Manufacturing has 5 headquarters distributed throughout the continent and the one located in the Basque Country will be responsible for promoting innovation in Advanced Manufacturing throughout Western Europe.

One of the keys to TECNALIA's success in collaborating with companies has been its commitment to maintaining a business relationship model which is increasingly strategic and based on trust, collaboration, and a shared technological strategy to achieve the highest value-adding proposal to boost competitiveness. A model that is allowing the centre to set up collaboration plans with companies which will be developed together over the coming years.

About TECNALIA

TECNALIA is a leading Research and Technological Development Centre in Europe, with 1,400 experts representing 30 different nationalities, focusing on transforming technology into GDP to improve people's quality of life, by creating business opportunities for companies. www.tecnalia.com