The Madrid R&I Ecosystem and the Quadruple Helix (SM2i – 4H)

Castles and Fortresses

•  Spanish region with the largest number of employees in R&D activities.

• Lack of alignment between curricular designs and the skills required by the business fabric.

• It concentrates 24% of the total Spanish employment in R&D (calculated as full-time staff, FTE).

• Difficulty for young people to access the system and for the generation of stable conditions for the development of their professional career.

• 41,56% of the personnel dedicated to R&D work are women, 1 point higher than the Spanish average, being one of the highest in Europe.

• Reduced rate of generational change and aging of the research staff.

• High qualification among the research staff. 50% of the personnel dedicated to R&D tasks have a Bachelor's or Master's degree.

• Difficulties in making the Community of Madrid attractive both in the return of talent and in the attraction of international research staff.

• Continued increase in employment in R&D since 2012.

• The percentage of research staff in the ICT sector has decreased by 8,8% and that of female researchers by 17,7%.

• High number of ICT specialists, well above the European and Spanish average. 26,26% of the personnel dedicated to R&D is concentrated in the ICT branch of activity.

• The percentage of women in the scientific discipline of "Engineering and technology" is 30,7%, which is 13,7 points below the average for the region.

• The average employment in technology-based companies is well below the European average.

• Take advantage of the arrival of European funds to launch a call for the return of national talent who, due to lack of opportunities in Spain, are developing their scientific career abroad and to improve access conditions for young researchers and support in the development of their research career.

• The health and economic crisis derived from the coronavirus has dealt a new blow to youth employment. In the last quarter of 2020, the INE registered 40,1% unemployment among those under 25 years of age of both sexes (9,6 points more than in the same quarter of the previous year).
   

• Explore new employability options related to teleworking to attract human resources. 

• Reduced capacity to offer stability to scientific-technological talent.

• Promotion of STEM vocations among the female collective to promote research activities in the "Engineering and technology" and ICT sectors.

• Brain drain to other locations due to lack of support for the development of their career in the region or due to the lack of optimal conditions for their performance.

• Hand in hand with the European Research Area initiative, review in coordination with the educational community the curricular programs and training cycles at the level of universities and vocational training centers to adapt their contents to the needs of companies.

• Existence of barriers, to a large extent legislative, for the mobility of personnel between research organizations and companies, hindering the transfer of knowledge.

• Promote participation in programs such as Marie Skłodowska-Curie among SM2I agents.

• Intensification of the mobility of research staff professionals to other countries thanks to the promotion of the teleworking model.

• The European Union (EU) faces a skills shortage, particularly in the field of STEM (STEM in Spanish, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and ICT, especially among women dedicated to R&D .

• Large number of networks and alliances of universities and research groups, with companies, clusters and science parks associated with strategic sectors and support for business synergies.

• Difficulties in transferring to the market the results of the investigations of the network of universities and research organizations.

• Increased public commitment, in terms of more innovative practices to respond to elements of the S3 (2014-2020) including new calls within the framework of the V PRICIT.

• Insufficient support from the PRICIT prior to the valorization of the results of the R+D+i.

• High participation and achievement of returns in the AGE and UE programs by the SM2I. The SM2I has achieved an increase in the return obtained in millions of euros in Horizon 2020 compared to what was achieved in the previous Framework Program, reaching 2,63% of the total volume of the program. This represents an increase of 38% in the funds returned compared to the previous Framework Programme.

• Lack of alignment of the areas in which the research projects financed by PRICIT are developed with the needs of the industry.

• Public policy committed to R+D+i, with strategic sectors and with the transfer of knowledge.

• Absence of calls to finance later stages of research projects that may have transfer potential, not supporting the stage until the first viable product is obtained.

• Limitation of collaborative culture among SM2I agents.

• Evolution of investment in R&D in the Community of Madrid, strongly conditioned by the evolution of state R&D funds.

• Lack of consolidation of the deployment of dynamics and projects of the entrepreneurial discovery process.

job opportunities

Threats

• Positioning of science and technology as fundamental elements to overcome and face the consequences of the global crisis caused by COVID-19.

• An environment of great uncertainty and drastic changes at all levels, accelerated by the health crisis (COVID-19).

• Increase in transnational public funds allocated to financing R+D+i (New Horizon Europe framework program and Next Generation EU Funds).

• Risk of complacency due to leadership position as a "strong innovator" at a European level.

• High alignment of the EM2I strategy with the National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (EECTI).

• Lack of a strong connection between the business sector and the world of research.

• Participation in complementary Plans with the Ministry of Science and Innovation supported with MRR funds.

• Not having a leadership position in the new instruments and mechanisms defined with a high impact on society and in the formulation of policies for cooperation, transfer and valorization of results.

• Potential underlying the value chains of large leading companies and SMEs in the priority sectors of the Community of Madrid for the configuration of open innovation models.

• Loss of positioning of the region at the international level if an improvement in the valuation of research results is not achieved to offer new innovative products, processes and services that have an impact on the well-being of society and that integrate the gender dimension.

• Possibility of participating in collaboration spaces and strategic alliances at the state level and at the European level due to the good reputation of SM2I agents.

• Promotion of the Public Procurement of Innovation and opening of new contracting models for new products and services.

• Importance of the deployment of the entrepreneurial discovery process in the identification of needs.

• Effort to disseminate recognized knowledge and successful experiences.

• More than 50% of the region's population (54%) believes that there is little culture of innovation.

• The Community of Madrid is among the autonomous communities with the most positive perceptions of the importance of innovation by the population.

• Perception that investment in R+D+i is insufficient and that the laws do not favor innovation.

• Open science initiatives such as e-ciencia, a digital platform for free access to scientific production, generated by public universities located in the Madrid region – integrated into the Madroño Consortium – as well as by any researcher from another university, institution, OPI, or independently, who intends and wishes to participate in the open dissemination of science

• Low knowledge of Smart Specialization (RIS3), especially among SM2I companies.

• Low dissemination of science and R&D results among the research community, companies and educational ecosystems.

job opportunities

Threats

• Positioning of science and technology as fundamental elements to overcome and face the consequences of the global crisis caused by COVID-19.

• Environment of great uncertainty and drastic changes at all levels of society and the economy, accelerated by the health crisis
  (Covid-19).

• Open Science principle of the new Horizon Europe program, based on which open access to publications and research data is guaranteed.

• Risk of complacency due to leadership position as a "strong innovator" at a European level.