The Ministry of Industry, Employment, Innovation and Commerce, through SODERCAN (Sociedad para el Desarrollo de Cantabria) has awarded a total of 5.3 million euros (5,306,963 euros) to nine large companies in Cantabria to support projects to improve industrial competitiveness in the automotive, nuclear, pharmaceutical and ICT sectors. These R&D+i projects represent a total private and public investment of some 23 million euros, accounting for 3,637 jobs.

The Minister of Industry, Employment, Innovation and Commerce of the Government of Cantabria, Eduardo Arasti, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the call which met the expectations of SODERCAN and the scale of the approved projects.

The individual investments in R&D+i range from one to almost five million euros, 62% corresponding to projects in the automotive industry, a key strategic sector for the economy of Cantabria in which R&D is crucial to meeting the challenges faced by the sector.

The Information and Communications Technologies or ICT sector is second in terms of volume of investment, accounting for 14% of the total. This sector provides essential technological leverage for regional growth.

The projects are being undertaken by Industrial Farmacéutica Cantabria (Cantabria Labs), Fieldeas, Equipos Nucleares (ENSA), Consulting Informático de Cantabria (CIC), Vitrificados del Norte (Vitrinor), Hitachi Astemo Buelna, Edscha Santander, Teknia Ampuero and Seg Automotive Spain.

In this call by SODERCAN, aimed at manufacturers or industry-related services companies, seeks to incentivise innovation by supporting experimental industrial research and development projects for the development of new processes, products and/or services that improve the competitiveness of companies in the region.

SUBSIDISED PROJECTS

• ENSA: New technological solutions for the Safe and Efficient Decommissioning of Nuclear Reactors (DESER).
• Cantabria Labs: Development and validation of a drug for atopic dermatitis.
• Seg Autmotive: Digital transformation, Vehicle electronics systems, E-bike e Inverter Lines development.
• Edscha Santander: Experimental development of new Door Articulation and Retention Systems for Electric Vehicles (SARVEL2024).
• CIC: Advanced Modules for the management of heterogeneous information systems based on Artificial Intelligence (MAIA).
• Hitachi Astemo Buelna: Experimental development of new technological solutions in the field of brake systems (BRAKIN2024).
• Teknia Ampuero: Development of new components and processes for electronic steering (SbW) components
• Display window: Experimental development of a new product-process binomial for obtaining aluminium kitchenware (VITBAUXI24)
• Fieldeas: Artificial Intelligence applied to the optimization processes of the Fieldeas platform (FIA)

According to the conditions of the call, the projects must have a budget of over one million euros, with external aid totalling up to 25%, and an execution period of between 12 and 18 months. The maximum subsidy per project is one million euros.

Arasti explains that this call is in response to the need to promote and encourage R&D projects and energy efficiency in Cantabrian companies, as well as to orient industrial diversification and excellence towards new and cutting edge technologies.

An additional priority is to encourage private R&D+i projects and so “approach the national average in R&D investment”.

The head of Industry recalled that the sector is currently facing a number of important challenges, particularly the execution of R&D projects and the application of the results in their industrial activities, technology transfer, attraction and retention of talent, or digitalisation with a focus on activities deemed “industry 4.0”. Other issues refer to environmental responsibility and energy efficiency, without which it will be impossible for Cantabrian industry to thrive in a globalised marketplace.