You are at Home >> News >> Ascamm Technology Centre...

News

• It has consolidated its leadership as the most important Technology Centre in Catalonia and one of the top Spanish technological centres
• It is currently participating in 14 European projects

As shown in the 2008 Activities Report that was recently presented by the Ascamm Foundation, during the course of last year, there was spectacular growth in research projects carried out for the business sector, together with considerable diversification in terms of scopes of application.

Along with this increase in research activities carried out at the request of business concerns, the R+D+i volume generated in the centre itself also showed considerably growth (+36.47%).
In 2008 the Ascamm Foundation achieved an income of €8.2 M, related for the most part to R+D activities and projects and to technological transfer. This figure represents an increase of 11% with respect to 2007 and responds to the forecasts made in its strategic plan.
The Centre's staff also increased by 12.7%, with total staff numbering 115 people at the end of 2008.

Approximately sixty R+D+I projects
In 2008, the Ascamm Technology Centre implemented around sixty R+D+i projects for different industrial sectors, with more than 200 companies taking part in them, mostly Small and Medium Businesses (S&MB).
As regards the research work itself, the Ascamm Foundation considers that it has achieved its goals and that important progress has been made in the strategic sectors in which it specifically wished to participate.
In this respect, mention should be made of the goals achieved in applying Rapid Manufacturing technologies in the biomedical sector, the progress made in the micro-injection field, the generation of new combined processes, the first nanoadditive projects, the consolidation of the mechatronic unit and advanced automation and the creation of the nanotechnologies unit aimed at the manufacture and definition of the Action Plan in the composites field.
Furthermore, the Ascamm Foundation has patented a new system that will make it possible to create 3D-prototypes, based on the application of ultrasonic vibrations.
With respect to collaboration between the Technological Centre and businesses in R+D activities during the past year, reference should be made to the projects that have been started up in the nanotechnologies field and the combined manufacturing and microinjection processes, among others.
At international level, work is now being done on 14 European projects, together with promotion of the SONOPLAST project, led by a Catalan company with the aim of using the Ascamm microinjection patent to develop a marketable technology.

Incessant activity
As can be seen in the 2008 Activities Report, the Ascamm Foundation has implemented the first specifications for the alliances strategy that were set forth in the 2008-2011 Strategic Plan. In this regard, we should mention the work related to the Medical Technologies Centre, among others, or the collaborative agreement signed with the CIN 2, a centre of reference forming part of the Scientific Research Council, in the nanotechnologies field.
Another significant event occurring during the past year was the creation of the Scientific Department, for the purpose of increasing scientific and technological contents of the Centre's R+D activities and strengthening ties with reputed universities and research centres.
In addition, the Management and Strategy Innovation Department has been consolidated and new resources have been incorporated, orientating its activity and actions towards the evaluation of technology.
With reference to training activities, we should refer to the spectacular growth in activities devoted to international training, and the increase in the virtual environment and its use in different international projects.
2008 has witnessed the consolidation of business projects with a technological basis such as Plastiasite S.A (ITC applications), Neos Surgery S.L and Hexascreen Culture Technologies S.L (targeted at the health and biotechnology sector).
As regards international projects, work continues to be done in Latin America and in China, where the centre has collaborated with the Hispano-Chinese Machine Tool Centre in Tianjin and Tsinghua University in Peking, and in North Africa where a project is being developed in collaboration with different technological centres.
The Ascamm Foundation is a founder member of FEDIT (Spanish Federation of Technological Centres), the OPTI Foundation (Industrial Technology Prospective Observatory) and ASERM (Spanish Rapid Manufacturing Association) and is recognised by Generalitat de Catalunya and the Inter-ministerial Commission of Science and Technology as an Accredited Technological Centre.
Ascamm occupies first place in Catalonia and sixth place in Spain in terms of the volume of research projects receiving community support (6th and 7th European Union Framework Programme).