The technological institutes of REDIT they have become the reference for more than 15,500 companies, when it comes to addressing their R+D+i challenges; increasing its collaboration with the business fabric by 21%in the last five years.
This evolution has been accompanied by other important impact indicators that, without a doubt, contribute to its competitiveness. In this sense, both the more than 5,500 companies associated with these centers and the increase in the number of R+D+i projects developed in the last year stand out, reaching 2,621, which represents 228% more than the previous year. of 2018.
The consolidation of technological institutes as a national and international reference contributes to positioning the Valencian Community as one of the European regions that have improved the most in terms of innovation, as reflected in the latest study of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard. In this sense, and as stated by the president of REDIT, Fernando Saludes“The support of the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) has been key since, since 2015, it has increased the budget allocated to technological institutes by 150%, reaching 60 million euros, in 2023”.
In addition, Saludes has highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration «to consolidate the Network of Technological Institutes as an international reference and has stressed that ‘it is essential to promote systemic and strategic stability for this Network since it has been shown that investing in it has a positive impact on our companies and contributes to the consolidation of a prosperous region and opportunities.
institutional support
For her part, the general director of IVACE, Julia Company, «The commitment of the Consell has been and is very clear. The IVACE budget destined to support the activity of the Technological Institutes has grown significantly, in these last two legislatures, because the Consell is aware of the need to promote and facilitate private investment in R&D and innovation as an instrument key to the transformation of the production model; key, in turn, if we want to promote and consolidate business growth and, ultimately, the well-being of Valencian society. And in this scenario, the Institutes, due to their raison d’être, experience and track record, have a differential value in their relationship with Valencian companies and productive sectors that is essential to guarantee that IVACE aid: responds to the needs of different sectors, thus increasing the possibilities of applying the results in the companies of the Community. In this way, we help to transform the productive model of the Region through an innovation system aimed at achieving maximum results in the field of productive economy”.
In addition, he has commented that “IVACE’s commitment is much more than a matter of budget increases, year after year. It is fundamentally a long-term commitment to guarantee and facilitate the viability of the Institutes and, consequently, the permanent support they provide to Valencian companies to improve their competitiveness. As an example of this, two measures that I would like to highlight: The first is the creation, in 2017, of a line of aid financed 100% with the Generalitat’s own funds. A line that supports research in the medium and long term; that today it still does not have results that can be transferred to companies but, without which, it would not be possible to advance in new technologies, new materials, new products or services that will become a reality in the near future. The second, a measure on which we are working now and which seeks to enable the Institutes to work with guaranteed multi-year scenarios, because R&D is not governed by budgetary annual payments. A measure that we already started working on last year 2022 and that we want to finish defining this year 2023 so that it can be operational as soon as possible.
Another aspect that highlights the growth and operational relevance of the Network of Technological Institutes is the number of professionals who have joined, in recent years, to meet the challenges and projects promoted by them, reaching more than 2,000 professionals -52% women-, the vast majority of them from the scientific-technological field, 29% more in the period analysed.
Contributions to regional prosperity
In addition to the work that the institutes carry out to contribute to the competitiveness of companies, they play an important role in the socio-economic development of the Community. A clear example of this is the capture of more than 129 million euros from national and European funds “that have served to develop R&D initiatives in our region”, explained the president of REDIT. “Of these funds – he concluded -, 83% has gone directly to companies. In other words, if it were not for the action of the REDIT technological institutes, this notable fundraising, aimed at promoting regional R&D, would have another destination beyond Valencian lands”.
Another important positive effect of this strategic asset of the Community, is the social and environmental impact generated by the network of technological institutes. In this sense, after promoting a pioneering study in Europe, together with the General Directorate of Innovation, it has been confirmed that its impact in these areas exceeds 1,505 million euros, 351 of which are directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ).
