Transfiere 2022, a meeting point for the Innovation
The European Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation, which was held once again this year at the Trade Fairs and Congress Centre of Malaga, closed its 11th edition with the participation of more than 3,000 professionals and 130 parallel activities and thematic panels.
Transfiere has positioned itself as the unmissable event for the innovation system, and we could not miss it.
Transfiere, the European Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation, has closed its eleventh edition with a participation of more than 3,000 professionals and 5,000 business meetings held, which have allowed an exchange of expertise and scientific-technological knowledge.
The inauguration of the Forum was presided over by Juanma Moreno, President of the Andalusian Regional Government, who pointed out that the meeting has become “the epicentre of innovative talent” and stressed that Transfiere “recovers its full dimension in this post-pandemic time, bringing together more than 600 companies, entities and public administrations and professionals from 45 countries“. Malaga’s candidacy to host the 2027 International Exposition has also been presented under the slogan ‘The Urban Era: towards the sustainable city’.
The Trade Fair and Congress Centre of Malaga (FYCMA) has witnessed, once again, this unmissable event for the innovation ecosystem, which we could not miss, and which, as Teresa Riesgo, Secretary General for Innovation, pointed out, has an “important transforming role in creating the initial seed for a multitude of technology-based projects that will be developed in the medium term“.
Two days of intense work
During the two days of Transfiere 2022, the event hosted more than 130 parallel activities and thematic panels in which more than 370 scientific and technological experts and professionals took part. It is a top-level programme, with a special focus on the opportunities offered by European funds through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
Specifically, thanks to our presence in Transfiere 2022 we had the opportunity to attend the round table “The role of science and technology in contributing to the development and growth of the Spanish innovation ecosystem” moderated by Pablo Martín, deputy director general of Science and Innovation-MICINN, and made up of the director general of the CDTI, Javier Ponce, the director of the CSIC, Rosa Menéndez, the director of the OEPM, José Antonio Gil, and the director of the Spanish Research Agency, Domenec Espriu.
During the debate, the members of the round table agreed on the need to promote interest in the business world at the university level. Furthermore, emphasis was placed on the importance of promoting the strategy of intellectual and industrial protection of project results, as Spain continues to have very low patentability ratios, especially in the private sector. In this sense, the concept of “industrial sovereignty” is fundamental to position Spain as a strong country in the transfer and application of the results of R&D&I, both public and private. The idea of promoting a new figure under the provisional patent formula to facilitate procedures and incentivise applicants was underlined. In addition, the CDTI announced that they are working on a line of aid that will be launched soon and will be aimed at supporting female entrepreneurship.
We also attended the round table “Public Procurement of Innovation: new opportunities, challenges and preliminary market consultations” moderated by Daniel Escacena, project manager of the Andalusian Knowledge Agency, and integrated by Javier Etxabe (CSIC), Anabel Rodríguez (CDTI), Amanda Gil (MICINN), David Páez (CTA) and the consultancies Ayming and Knowsulting. During the exchange of views of the speakers, it became clear that Public Procurement of Innovation is an essential tool to boost the Spanish innovation system, with a clear trend towards growth since 2018, both in demand and supply. Regarding the new developments for 2021-2027, it is expected that by the fourth quarter of 2022 the new ERDF co-financing rate map can be approved with the following distribution: up to 40% in developing geographical areas, 60% in transition areas (except the Canary Islands, which will have 85%) and 85% in less developed areas.
Important role of CDTI
The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) has played a very important role in this edition of Transfiere, not only for its presence in the Forum and leadership of many working tables, but also for the promotion and coordination of the Boosting Innovation Zone.
This new space has been a meeting point for professionals interested in obtaining information about the tools and grants offered by the Ministry of Science and Innovation to support innovation and the development of Spanish companies.
Specifically, the experts of the Boosting Zone have answered queries about the instruments and public aid for business innovation which, in the case of the CDTI, will reach a total volume of approximately 2,000 million euros of public contribution in 2022, including European funds from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.
Success stories of innovative companies were also presented and round tables were organised, such as “INNVIERTE transfer funds: public-private collaboration and investment in science and knowledge” led by Pilar Cerrato (CDTI), which highlighted the fundamental role of these funds, which aim to promote business innovation by supporting venture capital investment in technology-based or innovative companies.
More than 120 start-ups and spinoffs
In its commitment to the promotion of emerging companies and projects, this year Transfiere 2022 has welcomed more than 120 technology-based companies and start-ups that have had the opportunity to find new ways of financing at an international level. Moreover, after the good reception of the previous edition, Transfiere 2022 has launched a second call for its Call for Startups.
It is worth remembering that this call allows ten finalist startups with deep tech projects to increase their visibility with national and international investors, facilitating access to funding for innovative projects that are at an early stage of development. This is an initiative coordinated by the Enterprise Europe Network (ENN) and the European Business Angels Network (EBAN), which this year has added disruptive proposals around propulsion systems for satellites, sustainability in the chemical industry, microchips implantable in humans, artificial vision, energy optimisation of buildings or intellectual property management.
