CATEC’s CEO Joaquín Rodríguez Grau has intervened on April 8th in the round table dedicated to private proposing entities, within the conference organized by INCOTEC – Efficient Innovation and APD on “Public Procurement of Innovation in Spain: past, present and future”.
Rodriguez Grau explained how CATEC has participated since its inception in the most important initiatives of Public Procurement of Innovation that have been developed in Spain with the aim of boosting the national industry, such as the Civil UAVs Initiative of the Xunta de Galicia, in which CATEC has participated with all the awardees of both Phase I tendered in 2015, and Phase II of 2021, i.e. with INDRA, Babcock (AVINCIS), TELESPAZIO, AIRBUS and the UTE AERTEC – TECNOBIT. Similarly, we participate in the ISSEC Program tendered in Fuerteventura, or will participate in future CPI initiatives linked to earth observation from the ‘near space’.
He also stressed the importance of the administrations “understanding the potential of the IPC, not only to acquire innovative technology, but above all to implement industrial development policies and strengthen Spanish industry with new products, in new sectors and markets, always using technology as a differentiating element of our industry”.
Finally, he stated that, for CATEC, “it is desirable that this instrument of the law of contracts is increasingly used by the various administrations, both within the framework of the FID, and in general for the implementation of European Funds of any line, since it fits perfectly to its lines and objectives and can allow us, as a country, to place our industry in positions of reference and leadership in different products in sectors such as aeronautics, space or defense”.
The challenge, the conference concluded, is to continue promoting this public procurement mechanism which, among other benefits, has an impact on the development of a culture of innovation, fosters business innovation, promotes emerging companies and creates jobs.
