IK4-TEKNIKER’s revenue remains at €21.4M thanks to the commitment of Basque companies to R&D&i
07-05-2015
Endorsed by its results, the Basque R&D centre is aspiring to be a “significant player” in the new Basque R&D&i system. IK4-TEKNIKER has made a strategic commitment to maintain employment and to transfer technology to the market through research projects, start-ups and stakes in new enterprises. Throughout its 34-year history it has enjoyed growing prominence in Europe as it has participated in 207 European projects and has led an average of 20% of these projects.
The commitment of the Basque business base to R&D&i has allowed IK4-TEKNIKER to keep its revenue in 2014 at 21.4 million euros, a figure that has remained steady in recent years despite the difficult economic context. In fact, more than half the Basque R&D centre’s turnover, 52%, corresponds to its R&D&i activities under direct contract with private companies.
In an economic situation as complicated as that of recent years, IK4-TEKNIKER has made a strategic commitment to maintain employment, which means it has a highly qualified human team of 273 people at its facilities in Eibar.
Another feature is the centre’s commitment to transferring the technologies developed in its laboratories to the Market. Since it was founded 34 years ago, it has taken out a total of 98 patents in 39 different families, it has set up 28 start-ups and has a stake in 9 enterprises, in the form of capital contributions to launch business projects in sectors that offer great potential but which have yet to mature.
In this desire to transfer its innovative technological developments to the market, IK4-TEKNIKER has also developed various models of collaboration with the companies to adapt this transfer to the characteristics of each customer. Right now, the centre has a portfolio of 180 client companies.
Distributing the revenue
Apart from the 52% corresponding to revenue from private companies, the turnover registered last year is made up by the contribution of its participation in competitive calls of programmes to support research issued by the various administrations. So the projects of programmes promoted by the European Union account for 27% of the revenue, those of the Government of the Basque Autonomous Community 19%, and those of the Spanish Government 2%.
What stands out in particular is IK4-TEKNIKER´s growing presence in the European research sphere, in which it has had a leading participation in the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes and well as in the recently-launched Horizon 2020. The Basque centre has participated in a total of 207 European projects and has lead an average of 20% of them.
The presentation of IK4-TEKNIKER’s results is particularly important in the current situation in which, driven by the Government of the Basque Autonomous Community, the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation System is being reorganised.
In this context, the Eibar-based centre is taking up the challenge and is in the running as one of the leading agents in this new scenario.
“At IK4-TEKNIKER we are also committing ourselves to a near future in which R&D&i has to be more measurable and more profitable for companies as well as for the country as a whole. In this context we are aspiring to be a significant player supported by our results in in-house research and in the transfer of knowledge to companies,” stressed Itziar Cenoz, the Centre´s Marketing Director. And she highlights the ongoing commitment of the IK4-TEKNIKER professionals to “go on improving” so as to be capable of offering each customer the best technological solution.