The representatives of the centre for the technology development (Spanish acronym CDTi), public body belonging to the Spanish ministry of science, have present for the first time to the railway sector the correspondent details to the procedure of public buyout, which is running with the purpose to encourage the innovation from the public sector through the acquisition of innovation solutions. Solutions that are not in the market yet.

The presentation of this new plan has been released during the fifth event of RAILWAY INNOVATION HUB, `New resources and financing for the innovation´ inside the cycle of innovation in the railway value chain.

The person in charge of the innovative public buyout office, Sergio Capitán, has stated in a clear way the necessary conditions the enterprises have to accomplish in order to benefit from this pre-commercial buyout. Buyouts that will be funded with FEDER funds, so this implies that non-Spanish enterprises could also benefit from this initiative.

Capitán has explained that CDTi is going to acquire R&D services which would be able to become prototypes of first products or services, in the form of testing series, and these prototypes must satisfy public needs.

In this sense, he qualifies that the developing prototype must be entire yielded to the public administration interested on it.

Sergio Capitán also noted that the innovative public buyout office will only accept the incoming information up to may the 31st, the application, the interest expression `Innovative solutions oriented to the public demand´ (Spanish acronym SIOD), have another goal and this is to create a catalogue form by all these ideas, prepare for future bids.

Among the demanded requirements, Capitán highlighted that the mature level of the technology proposed has to be enough to test it in a real environment by the administration and insisted on the premise that the local or autonomic administration have to be from specific areas of Spain (Andalucía, Canarias, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y León, Comunidad Valenciana, Galicia o Extremadura).

This public buyout has a final statement, and this is that all the prototypes must be worth at least 2 million Euros, so below this amount would not be suitable for the buyout.

LOAN TO SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

During the event organized in Málaga by RAILWAY INNOVATION HUB, Carolina Rodríguez from Enisa, also exposed the incentive plan proposed for small and medium enterprises, through participative loans that manage the public entity attached to the ministry of Industry. These loans had help almost 600 companies with an amount of 99 million of euros.

Rodríguez has pointed that the first operations have been started and she qualify that the funds will be distributed with no more guarantees than the innovative project self-reliance and a creditworthy team.

The enisa´s representant also said that these funds are only destinated to Spanish companies counting with an innovative project and looking for co-financing.

COLLABORATING BETWEEN ADIF AND RENFE.

During the event organized by RAILWAY INNOVATION HUB, the innovation manager of RENFE, Javier Rodriguez, announced the main strategy signed among RENFE, ADIF and High Speed ADIF, looking stablish a global frame which permit to boost the railway innovation, with the goal of enhance the competition and the services offer to the citizens and the society.

Through this agreement, the signing enterprises want to encourage the change to an open innovation model and outer collaboration, in order to confront the challenges with technology solutions in order to adapt to a railway 4.0 safer, more efficient and more sustainable.

Finally, finishing with the Event, some associates from RAILWAY INNOVATION HUB, have exposed their capacities (Universidad de Cantabria, Universidad de Málaga, CegaDrone, Cetemet, Tecnalia, Matisa y Stadler)