Specialisation, technology and talent, Ceit's new roadmap to boosting industry 

●    The centre's new strategic plan, which was approved last January, aims to allocate 40 million euros to developing new technological assets to provide a better service to companies.

●    As well as developing new technological assets, the most important points in the new plan include specialisation in areas where it is already a leader and intensifying its commitment to talent.

Specialising, developing new technological assets and committing to talent are the three fundamental areas that will guide the course of the Ceit technology centre, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), over the next four years. 
After approving its new strategic plan for 2022-2025 last January, the centre is embarking on this new phase with “enthusiasm and multiple objectives on the horizon”, including “maintaining sustained growth, where between 40-50% of income comes from technology transfer to companies, increasing the number of doctoral students by more than 30% and creating three new technology-based companies”, as José María Rodríguez Ibabe, the centre's executive president, explained.

In order to achieve these objectives, the centre will prioritise specialisation in those areas in which it is already a leader, such as advanced manufacturing, sustainable transport, the circular economy and digitalisation, so that it can provide a better service to companies, both locally and in Europe as a whole. 

One of the centre's main ways of moving towards specialisation is through the projects in which it collaborates. In this regard, its participation as a founder member of Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, the new European R&D&I alliance dedicated to the railway sector, may “mark a milestone” in the centre’s history. According to Rodríguez Ibabe, “by taking part in this initiative, we hope to contribute to the transformation of the railway sector by developing different solutions for the main European railway companies”.

R&D&I partner for companies

The centre also plans to allocate 40 million euros over the next four years to developing new technological assets in order to provide a better service to companies. To do so, it will focus on four strategic lines of work: industrial inspection and monitoring systems, cyber-physical actuator systems, digital twins and investment in cutting-edge equipment and unique facilities. 

By promoting these technological assets, Ceit is seeking to provide companies with a new tool with which they can reduce the risk and time involved in investing in R&D&I when launching new products and services.

One of the centre's most important technological assets is the Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) indoor location platform, which has been and is being transferred to various companies in the logistics, oil and gas and steel sectors. In the words of Rodríguez Ibabe, “our customers could not have a new product in two years with a technology that it took us more than seven years to develop. This is an example of how a technological asset reduces lead times and technical risks”.

Lastly, the centre will also maintain and intensify its commitment to talent through a package of measures to make Ceit one of the “most attractive centres for researchers to pursue their professional careers”. These include training to promote professional and personal development, more flexible working conditions including teleworking, and promoting excellence and scientific research to serve society.