Innovative technology solutions for sustainability

Technology transfer. A must for companies and research centers

The power of technology

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Creation rate of new technological products is becoming exponential

Science advances accelerate all technologies (IT, materials and Biology revolutions)

Ubiquitous communication makes massive amounts of Information instantaneously available (3,5x10 bytes (zetabytes) of new information created world-wide this year, more than in the previous 5000 years)

New materials (cheaper, stronger, lighter, multifunctional and with tailored properties)

-Omes technologies allow an unprecedented control of Life (synthetic Biology, biosynthesis of compounds, enhancement and depletion of organic functions, …)

All this and new technological trends (IOT, 3D printing, advanced robotics, energy storage) stress innovation every field

There has never been a bigger force for change than technology

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Innovation: the engine of sustainable growth

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Intensity in innovation directly correlates with differences in growth of companies, regions and countries

Innovation, a strong IP strategy and sufficient investment in R&D are fundamental requirements for future competitiveness

A good education and continuous and adapted training permits advancing in innovation

Abrupt changes in technology and social habits are strongly modifying the relative importance of the different economic sectors (economic crisis)

New production techniques are progressively changing the paradigm of massive production to a more differentiated and personalized one (from scale to scope)

And Spain?

Only permanent Innovation allows maintaining long-term growth with limited resources

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Although we have advanced much in the last 40 years, we are still, in average, in the second division of developed economies

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R&D investment

Source: Cotec report, 2014

Effort in R&D

R&D investment/people

Scientific production

Source: Cotec report, 2014

World percentage of scientific papers

Scientific papers/people

Mean of citations/paper

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Companies´ state

R&D investment per sector

Source: Cotec report, 2014

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Global compe-titivity index

Productivity index

Unemployment evolution

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Poor economic output

Innovation index

The conclusion is clear: The Spanish technology transfer system does not work, except for a few particular cases

Talent production, attraction and management are not incentivized in companies and universities

Almost everything has been tried (transfer offices, technological centers, different IP policies, public support of companies and/or OPIs), but with a lack of stability and sometimes professionalism

Diagnosis. Problems found

A good knowledge generation and transfer system is key for economic success and to provide valuable products and services

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Universities and research centers are not much incentivized to get value from their teaching and research capacities

Companies, in general, are not able to generate and assimilate new basic knowledge and get value out of it

Companies and universities cultures make difficult the establishment of fluent and stable channels of information sharing and mutual benefit

Diagnosis. Existing models that work

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Continuous creation and destruction of new companies (many spin offs from innovative universities) with the highest rate of fails and new initiatives (risk and individual value culture)

Complete commitment of centers generating knowledge and technology with the productive environment

Most knowledge created in companies

Research centers support basic and industrial research with companies and train well-formed people

Companies look for support in recognized research conglomerates with a clear role and expertise in each of them (i.e. Max Planck, Helmholtz, Fraunhoffer, VTT)

Differentiation and industrial commitment of best centers

Other transfer models that do work!

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A profound change in the organization and mission of Universities and OPIs is required.

(Keywords: social compromise, well defined objectives at all levels, external evaluation, transparency, autonomy, collaboration and self-exigency)

The current Spanish system of recognition based only in quantitative research output should be complemented with other measures referred to the potential to understand and solve fundamental Human kind problems (quality basic research) and direct socio-economic output (applied research and TT)

Evaluation based on predefined objectives and the corresponding incentives should be the standard

Talent attraction and continuous internal innovation are a must

In teaching, adaptation, a good basic education and training in capacities are key

(“we are preparing students for jobs that don´t yet exist. They will use technologies that haven´t been invented in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet”)

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What to do? Changes in R&D public centers

We need a change of paradigm in Universities and rest of OPIs

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What to do? Changes in R&D public centers

We need a change of paradigm in University and rest of OPIs

We have new strong centers that are changing Spanish Science and long-term perspective following the above lines but, still, University has to get out from offices and actively promote new companies, social debates, technology production and dissemination and fundamental knowledge generation

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Promoting bigger companies (real SMEs and not micro-companies) is essential.

Companies should promote (in their corresponding size) dynamic and state of the art R&D departments, able to identify and understand the fundamentals of new technologies and with an adequate technological surveillance

Incremental and disruptive innovation should be balanced.

Besides technology and organization, companies have to invest in “brains”. Only well trained people is able to take benefit from interactions with high level research groups acquiring know–how and not only results with difficult validation and valorization.

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What to do? Changes in companies

Companies should interiorize that their future depends on innovation, technology creation and assimilation and long-term research

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New paradigm for knowledge generation (M2 model). Diverse and dispersed players working collaboratively in industrially driven problems

Define larger areas of collaboration between companies and OPIs and not only individual tasks of specific projects

Groups and consortia should be stable and multidisciplinary, with long-term perspective and shared objectives. Align long-term interests

Share know-how and methodologies, not only results

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What to do? Changes in the TT model

Common good practices. The M2 model

Universities should take more care of procedures and deadlines while companies should recognize the value of knowledge by itself

Realistic IP policy in OPIs and fair benefit share from companies

Specific places for joint collaboration even temporary do help

Take profit from open innovation and wiki research. World as a lab!

Individual responsibility and commitment with social benefit are essential outputs from any educational system.

Good basic education and continuous training are required in the new economy (the top 10 in demanded jobs in US in 2013 did not exist in 2004).

Talent production, attraction and maintenance is a difficult must for everybody. Today’s learner will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38

Stable public support to long-term initiatives within a clear strategic agenda.

More aggressive risk investment policies (joint ventures, business angels, non-participative loans, ..)

Public policies should catalyze and support M2 initiatives with a rigorous evaluation and a fair share of benefits between all players involved.

What to do? Changes in the Society

Public support and society interiorization of the value of education and knowledge production and valorization are necessary conditions

App Developer

Market Resear Data Miner

Social Media Manager

Chief Listening Officer

Cloud Computing Services

Sustainability Expert

User Experience Design

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LAR

AR vision and tasks

Vision: To be the technological engine that positions Abengoa as international reference in the energy and enviromental markets.

R&D for advanced products/processes/methodologies

R&D for breakthrough products and processes

R&D to generate new technological businesses for Abengoa

Support technology industrialization, advanced consulting and innovative engineering (AR-I&C)

Attract talent and support to get public funding

IP management and Technology Surveillance

Promote Abengoa as scientific hub

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Enhancement of optoelectronic properties through of nanostructuration

Crystalline silicon nanostructures embedded in a silica matrix (col. HZDR)

Perovskite Solar Cells (col. EPFL)

phase separated

Si (white)

+ SiO2 (black)

a) of the TiO2 tilted nanocolumnar TiO2 photoanode deposited by PVD-OAD b) cross section of the NC-TiO2, c) top view image of the NC-TiO2 film. d) top view of the perovskite formed over the NC-TiO2 film, e) cross sectional SEM image of NC-TiO2 film with perovskite infiltrated. f) cross sectional SEM image of full device.

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Some examples

Nanotechnology in Thermosolar and Thermionic applications

Nano_Coating: nano-composites for solar selective coatings (col. ICMSE)

Photon-Enhance Thermionic Emission (PETE) (col. ISOM)

ML_Reflective: Multilayer nano-coatings for improved mirror reflectance

HRTEM images reveal an epitaxial growth of the InGaN layer

InGaN:Mg layer

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Some examples

The exponential growth of technology is changing our way of work, living and interacting, that are the whole pillars of our life

Abengoa is committed to become a world-wide technology-based company while maintaining its compromise with sustainability. And this with the help of our network of collaborators

Key takeaways

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In this new world, education and innovation are the foundations of growth and consequent well-fare and social distribution

Companies, OPIs and the whole society have their corresponding role and responsibility in promoting and ensuring this virtuous circle of education, innovation and social benefit

Education and research are a safe and cheap bet for this near future. But it also requires abandoning old ways of doing and thinking and get out from our space comfort

ABENGOA

ABENGOA

Technology transfer. A must for companies and research centers Manuel Doblaré Abengoa Research Director

Thanks!