The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities highlights, in a report, the fundamental role of Technology Centres and their industrial and business impact

6 February 2026.

There is growing evidence, in the form of reports and studies from external sources, confirming the strategic role of Technology Centres as a key instrument for improving R&D&I performance indicators and business competitiveness in Spain. The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has published a report—based on data from the Science, Technology and Innovation Information System (SICTI) and the National Statistics Institute (INE)—which analyses the impact of public funding on the development of capabilities within Technology Centres. It can be accessed here.

The analysis, included within the Ministry’s Evaluation Plan for 2021–2027, reinforces Fedit’s arguments by demonstrating the increasing strength of the Technology Centre model and its vital contribution to the Spanish System of Science, Technology and Innovation (SECTI).

Significant increase in the attraction of European and national funding

The report shows a notable increase in the ability to attract European funds, particularly through the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. In fact, one in every eight euros of Spain’s Horizon Europe return comes from Technology Centres. In just three years (2021–2023), Spain’s Technology Centres have doubled the return achieved in the first three years of Horizon 2020, consolidating the Framework Programme as one of the main channels of competitive funding.

Technology Centres: drivers of collaboration and the creation of innovative ecosystems

Technology Centres show strong participation in calls aimed at collaborative projects, both national and European, confirming their role as natural connectors between companies and public bodies.

The report also notes that programmes such as CERVERA—run by CDTI Innovación—have encouraged increased interregional collaboration and networking among the participating Technology Centres.

Moreover, the Ministry led by Diana Morant highlights the capacity of Technology Centres to leverage private R&D&I funding on the basis of the public funds they have secured, emphasising that:

In 2023, contracts for R&D&I projects and services signed by Technology Centres with companies reached €457.8 million, almost double the figure recorded in 2019.
R&D&I expenditure in Technology Centres has grown by 65.3% since 2017, exceeding the growth recorded by Public Research Organisations.
The increase in research staff (38.3% between 2017 and 2023) also surpasses that of public universities and Public Research Organisations (PROs).

The data and conclusions published by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities corroborate, underscore and support the messages that the Federation has been advocating for years, including: the importance of structural funding that enables strategic investment in innovation; the multiplier effect of Technology Centres on public investment in R&D&I; and their role as a driving force for private investment, among others.

Contribution to knowledge and the creation of innovative companies

According to the study, Spain’s Technology Centres continue to position themselves as generators of knowledge with industrial and business impact. They primarily protect their results through registered software and trade secrets, as well as patents and utility models; they achieve higher returns from exploitation agreements than other actors in the system; and between 2014 and 2023, 95 spin-offs were created—more than half in the Basque Country—with a growing trend in recent years.

“Spain needs to continue strengthening an effective model for technology transfer and knowledge generation. This report confirms that Technology Centres are ready to assume an even greater role in the industrial and technological transformation of our country,” concludes Áureo Díaz-Carrasco, Executive Director of the Spanish Federation of Technology Centres (Fedit).

It is also worth noting that, internally, Fedit is also preparing—together with the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (IVIE)—an assessment of the impact of Technology Centres’ activities on the companies with which they work. This project will become a benchmark for the next evolution of the excellence indicators that will measure the activity of Fedit Technology Centres.