A national Deep Tech strategy for Spain

In a report for the Royal Institute Elcano, our CEO Faÿçal HAFIED displays a "National Deep Tech Strategy for Spain" in 24 measures, to be promoted both at the domestic level and the EU one, anticipating Spain's presidency of the EU Council in H2 2023.

The report seeks to serve as a support for reflection in the framework of the current Spanish ley start-up and ley de ciencias, as well as to enrich the current "Estrategia de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (ECIT)" for the period 2021-2027.

24 measures for the "National Deep Tech Strategy for Spain"

1. Create a National Deep Tech Strategic Council
2. Select 10 priority technologies for a specific government investment plan and develop separate strategies
3. Define the Deep Tech company based on organic criteria
4. Organize a network of prescribers in charge of granting the label
5. Extend the exemption from patent registration fees to all public research organizations
6. Review the rules of incompatibility of intellectual property rights derived from R&D for the benefit of researchers
7. Extend the limit of five years of authorization to participate in the activity of private investigation
8. Create mentoring programs for researchers
9. Significantly increase the budget allocation for industrial doctorates and Torres Quevedo scholarships
10. Rationalize the number of Research Results Transfer Offices and professionalize their operation
11. Create technology transfer companies with management autonomy
12. Improve the supply of innovations that can be subject to pre-commercial contracting
13. Simplify pre-commercial contracting rules
14. Make the industries identified by the National Deep Tech Strategic Council a priority for the pre-commercial procurement regime
15. Specify the investment thesis of the Next Tech fund
16. Create a Spanish ARPA associated with a strategic sector
17. Establish a specific tax regime for companies that meet the criteria of the Deep Tech label
18. Clarify the role and appointment procedure of the University's Social Council
19. Clarify the part of the financing linked to performance in the budget allocation to universities and systematize the indicators to be mobilized to allocate funds conditional on performance
20. Introduce a minimum contracting floor for tenured professors from universities other than the contracting one
21. Give the EIC a role in coordinating national Deep Tech plans
22. Create a European postgraduate program for basic research
23. Harmonize the rules of technology transfer between public laboratories and the civil sector
24. Establish a “European Small Business Act” to reserve preference in public procurement for European start-ups with a high technological content

You can find the full report here and a detailed explaination from our CEO below

A warm welcome for this report

The report has been welcomed by key players in the local deep tech industry, including venture capital funds (GoHub, BeAble), technology parks, start-up associations (Adigital, Endeavour Spain), technology centers (Eurecat, Tecnalia), innovation agencies of Spanish regions (Andalusia), founders from major Spanish deep tech start-ups.