[2010]
Five Technology Based companies of Almería have been selected for the second phase of the EOI-APTE EBTs’ Consolidation Action Programme. This programme is being developed by EOI Foundation (Industrial Organization School belonging to the Industry, Tourism and Trade Ministry) in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Scientific and Technology Parks (APTE), that PITA belong to.
The Scientific and Technologic Park of Almería (PITA) Executive Committee has approved the Park Commercialisation Plan. The meeting has been chaired by Francisco Triguero, Secretary General for Universities, Research and Technology; the plan full detail will be known by the coming month of September. Its aim is to recognize the critical variables for the new productive spaces offer that PITA represents and their commercialisation process kick-off in the south east area of Spain.
The ultimate aim is to get an excellent initial design and development of the commercialization process to be in line with the innovation and added value that PITA represents. The Park Commercialisation Plan is a six months teamwork result that has combined TASO Group experience on strategic positioning and any business type interest on infrastructure and equipments’ management, INERZIA experience on business parks’ commercialisation and PITA management team itself.
Another important decision taken by the Executive Committee has been the admission of a new EBT (technology based company), Espacios & Paisajes at PITA Scientific Site. This University of Almeria EBT also belongs to the Regional Minister of Economics, Innovation and Science Campus Programme which main activity is the application of technical solutions to the design and maintenance of live spaces in the urban landscape. The Agronomist Jose Luis Montero and Doctor Agronomist Mari Carmen Salas offer services of vertical gardening, ecologic covers, landscaping integration, vegetable architecture and water save high efficiency.
The most important project done by this EBT is the landscape intervention for PITA Research and Technology Transfer Centre, at El Alquíán, in collaboration with Ferrer Arquitectos.
During the recent IASP World Conference in Korea an IASP European Division meeting was held. An important part of this meeting was holding a Presidential election as Sten Gunnar Johansson had come to the end of his presidential term. The vote was put to the members present and various proxies had also been received. Iztok Lesjak (Ljubljana Technology Park, Slovenia) was unanimously elected as the new President of the division, taking over from Sten Gunnar.
The IASP wants thank Sten Gunnar for his hard work and great contributions over his two year term, and welcome Iztok Lesjak to his new role as President.
Gunnar and Lesjak have sent a short message from each of them to pass on to the IASP European members:
STEN GUNNAR JOHANSSON:
"Dear European Friends,
I would like to thank you all for the immense friendship and support shown to me during my years as European President. I am sure that you will show Iztok the same support in order to make our organization grow even stronger in Europe. I also would like to thank the IASP HQ in Malaga for everything. With them everything is possible, I can tell you!
From a personal (and professional) point of view I do hope that I will be able to stay in touch with many of you, because together we can make the difference.
With Best Wishes,
Sten Gunnar (Mjärdevi Science Park, Linköping, Sweden)"
IZTOK LESJAK:
"Dear Colleagues,
I am honoured to have received your valued support for the presidency of the IASP European Division during the IASP World Conference, Daejeon, Korea.
As an elected president of the European Division I will focus activities on:
• spreading the STP movement
• developing the IASP membership especially in South Eastern Europe
• continuation of European seminars
• further exploiting EU program possibilities
Thank you very much for your trust and confidence
Yours sincerely,
Iztok Lesjak (Ljubljana Technology Park, Slovenia)"
Also during the IASP World Conference in Korea a new IASP International Board has been elected at the General Assembly held, with a new chairman of de organization: Maurizio Guedes (Parque Tecnologico do Rio, Brazil).
The Regional Minister of Economy, Innovation and Science, has celebrated his first Board of Directors as chairman of the Almeria Scientific and Technologic Park. At this board, hold in the afternoon of Monday 14th of June, Ávila got to know the challenges and objectives of the park.
There was PITA shareholders wide representation, Regional Government, the credit entities Unicaja and Cajamar, the University of Almería, Iniciativas Económicas de Almería, Town Hall, and Tecnova Foundation attended to the call made by the new park’s chairman.
When the Board of Directors finished, Ávila’s first public act as PITA’s chairman was the signature collaboration agreement with the Regional Government of Agriculture and Fisheries and the 10 public and private entities in order to boost researching on biologic pest control.
Antonio Ávila also signed with his Agriculture and Fisheries counterpart, Clara Aguilera, another collaboration agreement with the Regional Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Research and Training and Almería’s Scientific and Technologic Park, the aim of this agreement is to establish a permanent collaboration framework in the agrifood sector.
Telecommunications, Information Society and Internet Day has also been commemorated at PITA, Almería Scientific and Technologic Park, the need to consolidate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a strategic sector in our productive economy has been highlighted.
The boosting roll that ICTs have in the economy is already evident. ICT is a transversal and horizontal tool that positively affects other business areas. “Business productivity improvement cannot be understood without the inclusion of ICTs in the economy. It has also become determinant for new sectors that are called to be a big part in our newxt future gowth: agribusiness, biotechnology, health, education and energy”, as Martin Soler, PITA chairman said. He also highlighted the importance of ICTs social side at present and in the near future due to habit changes in the web access “ICT access is called to become a universal right to citizens” Soler said that in this sense in Andalucía region the advance achieved is important, our standards are similar to the rest of Spain in terms of home equipment and our businesses are similar to Europe’s”. He remembered that in Andalucia there are almost 1400 companies with ICT Technologies and that we rank the third regional government in Spain, just after Madrid and Barcelona. “This sector is better weathering the storm of this crisis. Despite 2009 difficulties there has been a growth in our region in number of companies and jobs”
PITA chairman spoke to the students of Almería School of Arts who were following the conference via PITA web page, broadcasted by the TBC (Technology Based Company) IPTV Solutions “We say hello and want to remind them all the importance that the ICT will have in their curriculum. They are 2.0 generation, the sooner they incorporate these new technologies knowledge to their education, the better professional development and employability it will be achieved.”
Martín Soler inaugurated this conference day together with Jose Luis Casado, Dean of Eastern Andalucía and Melilla Telecommunications Engineers Official College and Alfredo Sánchez, PITA General Manager. José Luis Casado mentioned the main role that cities have in the politics for sustainable development as it has been drawn up in the EU. “In 10 years time the experimental field for many European projects will be cities. In all of them ICTs will be cutting across and sustaining any human activity development”.
Telecommunication Engineers Gerardo Romero (Linka, S.L.) and Juan de la Torre (Facto Ingeniería, S.L.) have run through the already existing ICTs real applications: personal identity, personal security, energy efficiency management, interpersonal communications, etc. Romero has described aspects such as security, comfort or inter relations between different digital systems. Juan de la Torre spoke about Internet as the development engine.
Rafael Abad, telecommunications engineer and General Manager of HABITEC Technologic Centre has talked about social conscience, renewal energies, energy save efficiency cities and the role play that ICTs will have in it.
At the end, Alfredo Sánchez-Gimeno CADIA Ingenieria Managing Director (PITA TBC) and José Luis Estrella, Hispatec Group General Manager, talked about the most sustainable means of transport in the cities that compatible with the economic growth. Examples of interesting projects such as car park credit on share use basis by RFID card system, or bicycle loan and park services.
PITA “Internet Day” celebration also counted with the presence of Sonia Rodriguez, Economy, Innovation and Science Delegate; Francisco Maldonado, Almería Delegate of Education Regional Government; Juan Ramón Muley, School of Arts of Almería Director; Eulalia Moreno CSIC (Superior Council of Scientific Research); Javier Lozano, Director of the Polytechnics School of the Almería University. Also City planners and architects as Alfonso Rubí, Gonzalo Hernández Guarch and José Ángel Ferrer, among other professionals.
PITA chairman, Martín Soler, officially presented our park 2009 Annual Report. This publication explains last year most relevant activities and events, as well as technical; finance and entrepreneurial information related to the Almería technopolis. “The park has willing of self evaluation to measure our progress”, Soler said.
Martín Soler, PITA chairman presented our park 2009 Annual Report. Ii is a 60 pages publication that explains last year most relevant activities and events, as well as technical, finance and entrepreneurial information related to the Almería technopolis. “The park has willing of self evaluation to measure our progress”, Soler said.
To this presentation act came Almería province social representation; labour unions CCOO and UGT, Asempal, Chamber of Commerce, two vice-rectors of Almería Univeristy, Cajamar, Unicaja, Iniciativas Económicas of Almería and Tecnova Foundation.
“All that is not measured do not progress” Soler said when justifying this Annual Report Edition. Soler reminded that PITA is a private company, a public limited company (Plc) and broke down it shareholders capital: Regional Government (Junta de Andalucía) (37%), Unicaja (30%), Cajamar (30%), Iniciativas Económicas de Almería (2,02%), Almería University (0,3%), Almería Town Council (0,3%) and Tecnova (0.3%). “This share shows the importance that, for the economic and social agents, for finance entities and the Regional Government has the development of the Scientific and Technologic Park. Thanks to our shareholders the project is now consolidated. 2009 has been the definitive impulse year to our park”.
Martín Soler reviewed the most relevant events of the Annual Report; such as the opening of the Scientific Site in September, the amount on subsidies received (summing up 17 mio euros) or the kick off for El Alquían technopolis plots trading. The total investment executed out so far in the technopolis urbanisation reaches 18,5 mio euros and has generated 300 jobs during the building process.
The company LAB has already started with their building project; also the technical project for the Biological Control International Centre building is being drafted. Another plot will be for the Entrepreneurial Development Support Centre built by the Foundation Andalucia Emprende. To these three plots, Tecnova and PITA buildings are to be added. Martín Soler also reminded the intention of the multinational company Telefónica to move to the technopolis their Personalized Management Centre for Small Companies, and the Information and Communication Technology sector company Avánzit showed their commitment to create at the Almería Park a support centre for companies. PITA chairman informed that the Park is working at present to capture companies from Almería province that are showing “big interest”.
2009 Annual Report highlights:
* It has been made with recycled and ecologic paper. 2009 was declared by the United Nations the International Astronomy Year, and our publication is dedicated to this subject.
* 635 units have been edited.
*For the first time includes a directory of the companies and entities installed at the Scientific Site: Aunergy Thermosolar, Biobayex (Soluciones de Biología Computacional), Biogolden Solutions, Cadia Ingeniería, Chamber of Commerce, Renewal Energies Advanced Technology Centre, Natural Stone Technology Centre, DATE (Desarrollo de Aplicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías Energéticas), Decisiones Geoconstructivas, Geresur (Gestora de Residuos del Sur), Ingeniatec ingeniería del Software, Humania Proyectos Empresariales, Iniciativas Económicas de Almería (Venture Capital company), IPTV Solutions, Iberocons (Consultoría, Investigación y Tecnología para Iberoamérica), LAB (Laboratorio Analítico Bioclínico), Microgenambiental, Oleospá (Investigación y Desarrollo de Productos para la Salud), RETA (Red de Espacios Tecnológicos de Andalucía), Solmeraya (Energía limpia y flexible), Specon (Ingeniería y Monitorización) and Tecnova Foundation.
* Includes a plot foldout map of the technopolis at El Alquián.
In the coming days it will be published Science and Innovation Ministry official call for this year finance grants under INNPLANTA name (former Acteparq) for Scientific and Technologic Parks’ entities already installed or in the process to be installed in them. A total of 600 mio Euros for projects without any subsidy request economic limitation Aids can reach 100% of the budget.
During the working day hold at PITA last march the 26th, Rafael Rivas from the Consultancy Ideas and Technology Solutions, explained this year novelties, highlighting that every entity or company must be registered in the Ministry Solicitors Unified Registry Office (RUS). This registration process can only be done by the company or entity with the advanced Electronic signature. This year all the documentation to be submitted for the requests will have to be sent on-line. As in previous editions the park managing entity will be in charged to request the aids. In this sense PITA will be channelling all the information and proceedings.
Companies and/or entities that are in the process to be installed at PITA are also likely to obtain these financial grants aimed for scientific and technology infrastructures. Another new issue for 2010 is that two different calls will be in place: one for public entities and another for private ones.
Projects that can apply:
- Viability studies
- Implementation projects or infrastructures’ improvement.
- Equipment acquisition projects.
Out of the 621,5 mio Euros available, a 40% will be assigned to private entities (call target date is around 15th of April) and a 60% for public entities (call target date is foreseen for next May/June).
Fundable expenditures are: payroll, equipment, R&D buildings and infrastructures, outsourcing and auditing expenses. Land and urbanization cost, or any other additional expenses ARE NOT FINANCED.
INNPLANTA 2010 call also establishes that no more than the 50% of the project to be lodged can be outsourced, with exception of viability studies or construction works themselves that can be totally developed by third parties.
Experiment and Trial Centres can also apply for the subsidy always that they depend on a company installed in the park, and also due to their specific requirements that will not allow them to be directly placed at the park.
In 2009 edition the companies with technology base (EBT) placed in our PITA Scientific Site achieved more than 850.000 Euros out of these finance grants. The Renewal Energies Advance Technology Centre (CTAER Foundation) got 800.000 Euros for their solar concentration receiver Test Platform.
Andalucía Emprende, Regional Public Foundation has booked one plot of 1343 square metres at the technopolis. They will build an Entrepreneur Development Support Centre (CADE) as a business’ incubator that will be belonging to an excellence entrepreneur schools’ network.
In the other hand, the EBT (technology based company), LAB, which is already installed at PITA Scientific Site has also showed their willing to get a plot. LAB is the first Andalucía EBT that has been profited with the Campus programme, is a company already consolidated and with a high scientific and innovative component. It is close to the university since its creation and along development. It will be the first private company having allocated a plot at PITA technology site.
LAB offers services for studies and R+D+i projects analysis in relation with food safety, products labelling, agronomic analysis, water integrated quality, air quality and bio safety and industrial health, among others.
MAIN BUILDING
Another important decision taken by the Executive Committee has been the approval of the statutes for the Urban Area to Protect that will be set up in short. The drafting of these statutes has been carefully carried out by the technical and legal PITA services, following the specifications demanded by Almería Town Council detailled in the urban planning documents and as per the experience in good practice carried out in some other similar places.
PITA chairman, Martín Soler, highlighted the technopolis urbanization works good speed and the start of the park main infrastructure building works allocated during this same meeting to UTE Jarquil-Tejera-Grucal. The whole PITA Research and Technology Transfer Centre building project work is foreseen to last 18 months, so by the end of 2011 is expected to be running.
The Project first phase, with a budget of 1,8 mio Euros, will be developed by the UTE Jarquil-Tejera-Grucal and an execution plan of 6 moths. It is foreseen that to complete the building construction will take 18 months, so that by the end of 2011 will be fully operative.
The design of the PITA building together with the one for Auxiliary Technologies for Agriculture (TECNOVA Foundation) has been done by Ferrer Arquitectos. Their main attractive and innovative feature is the use of white Macael marble slats for solar protection in the front of the building. The Andalucian Natural Stone Technology Centre (CTAP) has researched and obtained this application.
At the Executive Committee meeting it was also approved two new entities coming to join our Scientific Site, Andalucía Emprende Foundation and the technology based company Biointegra Ambiental, which is specialised in ecology restoring and landscaping integration. Our site is now completely occupied, with a total of 25 entities, most of the being technology based companies.
The Tecnova building, with a budget of almost 1,5 mio euros, will belong to the same architectural complex, although they will be two independent buildings at the technopolis of the Scientific and Technologic Park of Almería. Administrative terms and conditions can be downloaded at PITA web page www.pitalmeria.es and Tecnova Foundation web page, www.fundaciontecnova.es. Projects reception will be at Pita Scientific Site in the Almería University Campus (UAL).
Virtual image of the Center for Research and Technology Transfer
Modern and bioclimatic building.
Project features in terms of surface is 10.600 square metres for PITA and 3.500 square metres for Tecnova Foundation. In total, 14.000 metros above ground level, 209 parking place, and preliminary design carried out by Ferrer Arquitectos with an attractive and innovative clear component introducing, as main novelty, the use in the front of white Macael marble slats for sun protection. This application is a research work result developed in the Andalucia Stone Technologic Centre (CTAP).
The complex with the two buildings for PITA and Tecnova is financed by Science and Innovation Ministry, Regional Innovation, Science and Entrepreneur Ministry and co-financed with FEDER funds.
PITA Technology Research and Transfer Centre setting will suppose to achieve seldom specific objectives: to place at the Park innovative and technology based companies’ projects; to establish collaboration contracts between researchers and Park companies to develop R&D+i projects. Researching groups search, advice on technology transfer contracts, encourage university-company collaboration, etc. Support services to research and participation on technology platforms. Managing technology transfer offer and demand with other Parks similar features, region, nation or European wide. And empowering/promoting company participation, researching Park groups and centres into the VII framework Programme and similar European programmes.
Virtual image indoor the PITA and TECNOVA
Almería Business Development Support Centre (CADE), entity belonging to the Entrepreneurial Support of Territory Network of Andalucia Emprende Foundation, will open one office at PITA Scientific Site. During the next PITA executive commission will approved the inclusion of this entity in the scientific site. José Luis Sánchez Teruel, CADE managing director has visited the Park building facilities where they will carry out part of their administration work.
PITA general manager, Alfredo Sánchez, showed the bran new site to Sánchez Teruel and to the foundation managing coordinator Juan José Alcaina. In this way Andalucía Emprende and PITA revived their firm collaboration commitment to promote the entrepreneur culture development and Andalucia economic activity.
In the other side, Almería Entrepreneurial Network Director, Juan Uribe, showed his satisfaction when visiting the 36 square metres office at the basement floor of PITA building. From this location the entity will carry out supportive actions to company creation, companies’ consolidation, entrepreneurial culture promotion, entrepreneurial network boosting and innovation encouraging, among others.
The Junta de Andalucia Regional Minister for Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurial, Martín Soler, has announced that the telecommunications company Telefónica will settle at the coming Research Centre and Technology Transfer, main building at the Scientific and Technologic Park of Almería (PITA), that will be operative by the end of 2010 at El Alquián techno polis. The Regional Minister and PITA Chairman made this announcement during the opening at Almería city of this first centre for personalized management to small and medium size companies (PYMES), provisional location until their definitive move to PITA.
Telefonica decision to settle at PITA turns it into the first one, together with Avanzit, to show interest towards Almería Park. “The Junta de Andalucía commitment is to ease a territory of products and services at the technologic park, where quality and competitive plots is offered”, as expressed by Martín Soler
In relation to the just inaugurated centre, Telefonica chairman, Guillermo Ansaldo, said that it will cost 10 mio euros in the coming 4 years and that will be developed in collaboration with the company Inelcom, so that the service to Telefonica small and medium size companies will be granted in terms of issues solving and new facilities service. Its action scope is nationwide and to all services, fixed or mobile telephony. 55 jobs have been created, this staff is specialised in information systems and the average of age is 25. “Telefónica has strategically chosen Almería and Zaragoza to establish their two centres for managing small and medium size companies, that will provide service to 200.000 companies”.
Almería Scientific and Technologic Park (PITA) has evaluated the second year experience of the Innovation Area organised at the Almería Expo Agro hold last November that counted on with the presence of the Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurial Regional Ministry, Almería University, Tecnova Foundation and a few Companies Technology Based (EBT). During a recent meeting hold with members of these entities and companies they have agreed to renew for one more year their presence at the Expo Agro under one unique area that will be designed, organised and defrayed by PITA, as in the previous two editions. In 2009 the budget was above 150.000 euros defrayed by Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurial Regional Ministry after PITA having joined the Andalusia system of knowledge agents. In this line PITA will soon apply for 2010 aids. Alfredo Sánchez, PITA General Manager wanted to know the opinions and evaluations of participants to the Innovation Area as next Monday, the 25th, he will meet the Expo Agro Organizing Committee. “I want to bring with me as many opinions as I can. This is a project coordinated and worked out by the park. It is a big coordination effort but we think is worth it. PITA belongs to everybody and we want the Innovation Area to show, for the 2010 Expo Agro Edition, the real working activity of the park that brings together all entities and companies”
At the Almería Expo-Agro 25th Edition entities and companies based on technology were again present under the designed created by PITA. The Innovation Area had personalized attention common areas, meeting rooms, a 56 square metres conference room as well as a general information meeting point and cafeteria.
Science and Entrepreneurial Regional Ministry, Andalucia Technology Space Network (RETA) and the Andalucía public Foundation Andalucia Emprende together with University entities such as OTRI or Mediterranea Foundation Entreprenurial-University or the Foundation Anecoop-Almería Univeristy. Also Technology Centre for Agriculture Auxiliary Industry (Fundación Tecnova) or entities like Iniciativas Económicas de Almería. The EBTs participating were án Laboratorio Analítico Bioclínico (LAB), Cadia Ingeniería, Savia Biotech, Biogolden, Geresur, Solmeraya, Albedo Solar, Intrasa, Almería Seeds R&D and MIP System Agro.
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