Centr@tec programme: support and training for SMEs and entrepreneurs in Castilla y León

By The AIR Institute

The Centr@tec programme is a training and support initiative for business R&D&I organized by the Institute for Business Competitiveness (ICE), which is part of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network of Castilla y León (redei). In addition to strengthening the centres' structures, the Centr@Tec programme includes training activities and the development of personalised, high added-value services for companies in the region.

This programme is aimed at technology-based companies and entrepreneurs. It aims to promote innovation in the processes and products of regional companies, and their dynamisation, training and technology transfer, on both national and international levels.

This is the third time this programme is being held and is therefore called Centr@tec3. This time, 9 technology centres of Castilla y León are participating. These centres, including Air Institute, will provide the different services that are offered by the programme.

In this year’s programme, actions will be carried out in the following areas:

  • Internationalisation of R&D&I.
  • Innovation in Processes and Product/Service Design.
  • Industrial Digitalisation (Industry 4.0).
  • Commercialisation.
  • Technology-based entrepreneurs and intra-entrepreneurship.
  • Bank of Innovative Projects.
  • Support for digital transformation for the application of ICT technologies in companies in Castilla y León.

What services does the Centr@tec programme offer?

The services offered through the Centr@tec Programme for companies consist of:

  • The carrying out of diagnoses and the subsequent preparation of a personalised innovation plan in the fields of Industry 4.0, incorporation of ICTs and innovation in processes and product/service design.
  • The preparation of technical feasibility and prototype construction reports for technology-based entrepreneurs.
  • The promotion of the internationalisation of regional companies, through advice for participation in European projects.

These services will be provided by technology centres, including Air Institute, and will not entail any cost for the companies.

 

Training activities

Similarly, the programme has a line of training activities in different areas, including digitisation and digital technologies, innovation, product and service production processes, training for start-ups, and international R&D programmes, such as awareness-raising sessions on processes and product/service desig, as well as training workshops on digitisation and digital training. It also offers technological training for start-ups and technology-based SMEs, with the aim of covering the training needs of small companies in relation to the latest technologies. To this end, awareness-raising conferences and workshops will be held as part of European R&D&I Programmes, as well as thematic forums to provide knowledge to these entities.

Personalised services

Another line of action is related to personalised services. This programme includes training activities and the development of personalised services with high added value for companies in Castilla y León. The services to be provided consist of carrying out diagnoses and implementations and the subsequent development of a personalised innovation plan, for both companies and for Industry 4.0, the development of marketing plans and technical feasibility reports and the construction of prototypes and the development of technological plans for intra-entrepreneurship.

Similarly, personalised service actions seek to promote the internationalisation of the R&D&I of regional companies and to channel the initiatives that arise in Castilla y León, through the Bank of innovative projects, capable of creating activity and wealth in rural areas, taking advantage of and adding value to their own endogenous resources.

Who is it aimed at?

This programme is aimed at technology-based companies and entrepreneurs who wish to promote or encourage innovation in processes and products, as well as dynamisation, training and technology transfer in their businesses.

In order to access this programme, the company must meet the following requirements set out in the following link.

Similarly, the company must follow the following procedure and processing steps:

  • The procedure to enable access to these personalised advanced services within the Centr@Tec Programme will respect the principles of publicity, transparency, free competition, equality and non-discrimination, with the information being accessible, at least, on all the websites of the Technology Centres participating in the Programme and on the websites of the ICE (http://www.empresas.jcyl.es/) and that of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network of Castilla y León (http://www.redei.es/).
  • Those interested in receiving these services should complete the application form and send it to any of the technology centres participating in the programme, or send it directly to the ICE (centratec@jcyl.es).
  • Applications for participation and admission of companies to the Centr@Tec Programme will be selected in strict order of entry.
  • If the entity meets the aforementioned requirements, a committee (ICE and Technology Centres) will assign the requested service to a specific technology centre (Assignment Committee) according to the area of sectorial and technological specialisation, geographical criteria and the resources available at the technology centre.
  • If the application is approved, this will be communicated by the aforementioned committee to the entity requesting the service, indicating the technology centre assigned in each case.
  • The beneficiaries must expressly accept the granting of the Diagnosis application, as well as its conditions, within fifteen working days, calculated from the day following notification, by sending a specific model (Annex II) to centratec@jcyl.es.
  • In the event of non-acceptance, or if the aforementioned period elapses without acceptance of the concession, it will be understood that the beneficiary renounces the aforementioned application, and the application will be filed without further processing.
  • The technology centre will provide the service within a maximum period of two months, except for justified reasons (with the exception of actions linked to the Internationalisation of R&D).