Progenika Biopharma, in the Business sector, and the Centre for Technical Research and Study of Guipuzkoa (CEIT) and BTI Mas D, in the Infrastructures category, are runner-ups in the Premio Sello Innovación 2010

• The prizes awarded by the APTE (Association of Technology Parks in Spain) have gone to the Cidaut Foundation and the company, Das Photonics.
• The Secretary General for Innovation of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Juan Tomás Hernani, awarded the prizes to the winners.
• The prizes were awarded at the start of the CONITEC Forum, which aims to provide a connection point among all the agents involved in the transfer of technology and knowledge.

Progenika Biopharma, located at the Bizkaia Technology Park, BTI I Mas D, located at the Alava Technology Park, and the Centre of Technical Research and Study of Guipuzkoa (CEIT) from the San Sebastian Technology Park were runners-up at the Premio Sello Innovación 2010. The first received the award in the Business category while the other two were in the Infrastructures category.

There were two first-prize winners, awarded by the association, APTE with the backing of the Ministry of Science and Innovation: The CIDAUT Foundation, in the Infrastructures R&D category and the spin-off DAS Photonics, in the Business category. 33 entities, located in science and technology parks around Spain presented their candidacy at the second edition of the Premio Sello Innovación, held on 30 November. 15 were in the Infrastructures category and 18 in the Best Business category.

The Foundation for Transport and Energy Research and Development (the CIDAUT Foundation) is a technology centre installed in the Boecillo (Valladolid) Technology Park, belonging to ADE Technology Parks of Castilla y León. This foundation was created in 1993 in order to bring together and channel the research potential of the University of Valladolid, in addition to contributing to and promoting the industrial development of businesses from the automotive sector. It has been a private foundation since 2000.

Its strategy of action revolves around three basic activities: Research and development work; technological services and diffusion; and specific training. It focuses on the following main areas of research: Transport safety, materials-product-process, and energy and the environment. The technology centre received the Premio Sello Innovación 2010 in recognition for the R&D work carried out by the Foundation, noted for the number of licensed patents and the number of developments carried out by other entities, mainly in the automotive and railway sectors.

In the business category, DAS Photonics SL is a spin-off company of the Nanophotonics Technology Centre at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, located in the Polytechnic City of Innovation and a member of APTE. Its main business is the development of innovative products based on proprietary photonics technology, for high performance sectors such as defence and security, avionics and satellites. The business develops specialised ICT products mainly for the defence, security and Space sectors. These are characterised as proprietary photonics technology products directed at highly specialised applications with requirements far beyond the technological limits of conventional electronics.

DAS Photonics was awarded the Premio Sello Innovación 2010, following the jury’s decision, who highlighted the company’s investment in R&D, the percentage of personnel qualified for R&D activities and the economic impact of the innovations presented by the company.

The prize for the winners in each category amounts to 1,000 Euros.
In addition to the first-prize winners, there are 4 runner-up awards, two in each category for the second and third places. Three of these awards went to the Basque companies mentioned above and the fourth went to Integromics, a company located in the Granada Health Sciences and Technology Park, in the Business category.

The Premio Sello Innovación 2010 is an initiative forming part of the Network Project for R&D&I management, run by the Association of Science and Technology Parks in Spain (APTE) with the support of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and directed at promoting the transfer of knowledge among agents from the science, technology and business system.

CONITEC Forum

This meeting, a place of Connection for Innovation and Technology Transfer took place between 30 November and 1 December at the Autonomous University of Madrid, and establishes itself as a place where speakers from the new Spanish production model and the knowledge economy can meet to discuss subjects such as the national Innovation Strategy, the international campus of excellence, or the promotion of entrepreneurs.

The Secretary General for Innovation, Juan Tomás Hernani, the Chancellor of the Autonomous University of Madrid, José María Sanz, the Deputy Councillor of Economy, Trade and Consumer Affairs for the Community of Madrid, Eva Piera, the Chairman of APTE, Felipe Romera, and the director of CONITEC, Fernando González were present at the opening ceremony of the forum.

One of the highlights of the activities programmed for the forum, in addition to the talks and discussions, was the Investment Forum organised by INBERSO, the Madrid Science Park and the Genoma Foundation, together with the Technology Transfer meeting, co-ordinated by the APTE.

73 people from 47 entities, of which 30 are located in science and technology parks belonging to APTE took part in the technology transfer meeting, and there were 69 bilateral meetings between the participants. The entities were varied: foundations, public entities, science and technology parks, universities, businesses and spin-off.