Horizon 2020

LEITAT accepted as a KETs Technology Centre: SMEs access Key Enabling Technologies

Carles Gimeno

LEITAT has recently been accepted by the Europen Commission as a KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) Technology Centre. It is now mapped in the KET Tools for SMEs to access key enabling technologies. Click here to see the mapping.

 

What are KETs Technology Centres? A KETs Technology Centre helps companies cross the ‘Valley of Death’, that is to say to go from lab to market, for new KETs-based products. They help companies reduce the time-to-market for new innovation ideas.

 

KETs Technology Centres are public or private organisations carrying out applied research and close-to-market innovation (Technology Readiness Levels TRL 3 to 8, not necessarily the whole range) in KETs.

 

Technology Centres typically provide the following services:

  • Access to technology expertise and facilities for validation;
  • Demonstration;
  • Proof of concept / lab testing
  • Prototype development and testing;
  • Pilot production and demonstration/ pilot lines / pre-series
  • Product validation / certification

 

What are the criteria for inclusion in the mapping?

  1. Technology centres have to comply with 3 qualitative criteria
    • They should provide services to industry and SMEs
    • They must be active in at least one Key Enabling Technology
    • They should be active in the higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), namely have activities in TRL5, TRL6, TRL 7 or TRL 8
  2. Technology Centres have to pass the thresholds for at least 2 additional quantitative criteria among the following
    1. The Technology Centre should have had more than 10 projects with SMEs over the last two years. These projects do not have to be financed by the SME itself, they can also be funded by public support e.g. through innovation vouchers or applied research programs.
    2. The Technology Centre should have made more than 2 major investments to create or upgrade equipment for close-to-market activities with industry since 2013. If yes, the Technology Centre also should provide a short description of these investments (type, functionality and investment amount)
    3. The share of industrial funding of the technology centre should be at least 15% of the total annual funding over the last 2 years. This demonstrates industry orientation and experience with technology deployment projects.
    4. At least 7% of the technology centre’s turnover over the last 2 years should come from projects with SMEs

 

What is the objective of this mapping?

  • To allow SMEs, wherever located in Europe, to find Technology Centres which can help to innovate through Key Enabling Technologies (KETs).
  • The Technology centres are selected according to criteria demonstrating their capacity to collaborate with SMEs on close-to-market research and innovation (Technology Readiness Levels 3 to 8, not necessarily the whole range).