The Spanish Federation of Technology Centres (Fedit) has published its 2025 Annual Report, confirming the sustained growth and consolidation of the Technology Centre model as a key pillar of Spain's innovation ecosystem.
During 2025, the 56 Technology Centres and 4 regional associations that make up Fedit generated more than €973 million in combined revenue, carried out over 22,000 innovation projects, and provided R&D&I services to nearly 30,000 companies, strengthening their contribution to business competitiveness, technology transfer, and knowledge generation.
The network's research capacity continues to grow. Technology Centres now employ more than 11,100 professionals, including 8,750 researchers and over 1,900 PhD holders, making them one of the country's largest applied research networks.
Áureo Díaz-Carrasco, Executive Director of Fedit, stated:
"Once again, the annual growth of Fedit members has outpaced both Spain's GDP (in economic terms) and the rest of the R&D&I ecosystem (across other performance indicators). In 2025, the average growth of Fedit Technology Centres reached 6.0% in revenue, 2.9% in workforce, 3.8% in research staff, and 2.6% in the number of client companies, which has now reached nearly 30,000."
He added:
"This growth also continues to maintain the balance between knowledge generation and technology transfer to society. Aggregate revenues remain evenly distributed between public funding (46.5% of the total) and private funding (53.5%), which is the foundation of the Technology Centre model we advocate at Fedit. We also want to highlight that 73.5% of total revenue comes from R&D activities, whether internally developed or contract-based."
An Intense Year of Activity
Fedit Technology Centres Approach €1 Billion in Revenue and Collaborate with Nearly 30,000 Companies in 2025
The Annual Report highlights that Technology Centres act as the bridge between scientific knowledge generation and its practical application in the marketplace, transforming research into new products, processes, and services across sectors such as manufacturing, energy, healthcare, mobility, agrifood, construction, advanced materials, the circular economy, and digital technologies.
According to Fedit's economic impact study, the activity of Technology Centres generates more than €7.7 billion in GDP and supports approximately 127,000 jobs in Spain. In addition, programmes such as Cervera demonstrate a significant return on public investment, generating €8.50 for every euro invested.
The 2025 Report also reflects the strong international competitiveness of Spanish Technology Centres, which achieved a 25.1% success rate in Horizon Europe, alongside a balanced funding model in which 53.5% of revenue comes from the private sector, while 73.5% is generated through R&D activities.
Throughout the year, Fedit promoted initiatives including meetechSpain 2025, joint participation at Transfiere, collaboration during the EARTO General Assembly, and the development of proposals aimed at strengthening public policies supporting Technology Centres.
A Model Built on Excellence and Technology Transfer
In its recent report on knowledge transfer and valorisation, the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities recognises the central role of Technology Centres in connecting science, technology, and industry. It also highlights a particularly significant fact: Technology Centres are the organisations that generate the highest volume of income from technology transfer activities and hold the largest number of third-party R&D contracts.
The report notes that the Technology Centres integrated into Fedit represent a unique asset within Spain's innovation ecosystem. Their distinguishing feature lies not only in their scientific and technological capabilities, but also in their ability to transform knowledge into tangible results for companies, productive sectors, and society.
Technology Centres: Bringing Science to the Market
Innovation only creates real impact when knowledge is transformed into solutions that reach businesses and society. That is precisely what innovation is about. In this process, Fedit Technology Centres stand out as the ideal partners for companies seeking to improve their competitiveness through the generation and application of scientific and technological knowledge in products, processes, and services. Technology Centres are therefore uniquely positioned to understand the innovation process in its entirety.
Laura Olcina, President of Fedit, Managing Director of ITI Technology Centre, and President of the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CACTI), emphasises this vision in the 2025 Report:
"We will continue working to ensure that useful, accessible, and transformative innovation remains synonymous with Technology Centres."
She concludes:
"Fedit is a network of highly specialised Technology Centres, deeply rooted in their regions while also capable of joining forces at the national level and extending their impact across Europe."
Access the Annual Report: HERE