MEMBERS AND ALLIANCES

In 2007 Fedit worked to become an opinion-forming group with influence in its area through activities designed to promote the Technology Centers in the Spanish System for Innovation. This year Fedit has established alliances with the public authorities and private bodies to benefit the Technology Centers. It has also managed to create an excellent framework for growth so that Centers can generate new projects and internationalize their business.

It has signed a number of agreements giving the Centers access to new development opportunities (Innoempresa Plan), increase their presence internationally (Learning to Export Technology Plan organized by the Institute for Foreign Trade ICEX) and project their image abroad (Programme for the International Dissemination of Industrial Innovation, also ICEX).

It has also signed agreements with companies and institutions to reduce the expenses of Technology Centers (agreement with Microsoft for the acquisition of products and licences) and to assess SMEs (alliance with the High Council for Chambers of Commerce). In addition it has consolidated extremely significant relations such as those signed with the National Employment Institute INE and the Carlos III University (study of the impact of the activity of the Centers on companies and society). It has also organized seminars to disseminate knowledge, such as the recent one on Multilateral Bodies and Creativity and Multidisciplinarity in R&D&I.

The quality of the agreements reached in 2007 by Fedit has been positive, and they have benefited many Technology Centers. The Federation is set to continue along this successful path. Forging stronger alliances enhances Fedit’s capacity to influence its environment and offers greater growth possibilities for the Technology Centers.

Fedit, open to internationalization

Spain is undergoing a rapid shift towards technological innovation as a key for competitiveness in a modern country. In this, the Technology Centers have acquired an unprecedented leading position since their creation. They are the main providers of this competitive key for Spanish SMEs, and have accepted the responsibility involved in helping a type of company that is unable to create a R&D&I department of its own for reasons of risk, critical mass and corporate culture. Through the Technology Centers, an enterprise of this kind can transform into a modern company in which innovation is a key strategy. Because of the leading role the Spanish Technology Centers have acquired in the current situation Fedit has completely overhauled its strategy.

The year ending February 2007 has made it clear that an intensive strategy has to be undertaken to internationalize our Technology Centers. Fedit realises the benefits of attracting the knowledge and technological capacity in the global market to Spain, as well as the cultural change and knock-on effect that the chance of winning new markets with Spanish technology would mean for the 67 Technology Centers and their 30,000 companies.

The Federation is opening up new markets, deploying technological alliances and promoting research projects with a cle