SUCCESS CASES

How do the CDTI and the Ministry of Science and Innovation evaluate the results, effects and impacts of the largest R&D&I aid program in Spain?

The Challenge Addressed

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) is the main Spanish agency dedicated to financing companies to boost their research and development activities. The totality of its aid - divided into multiple instruments and calls for proposals - forms what, in terms of European competition law, is called a State Aid Scheme and, as such, must be approved by the European Union.

In order to approve it and to continue to be able to operate, the European Union requires the CDTI to carry out an evaluation exercise of the aid scheme, with a depth not comparable to any other evaluation of this type in Spain. For four years, the results, effects and impacts are evaluated, exploiting all existing sources on R&D in Spain and comparing the different behavior between companies that receive aid and those that do not.

After a competitive bidding process, Novadays was selected as the appropriate company to perform this evaluation, together with the Universidad Completense de Madrid, with whom our teams collaborate regularly.

Novadays' Contribution

Novadays and the Complutense University helped CDTI to accurately define the logic model of the evaluation of its aid scheme, as well as to implement the set of operations and field work necessary to perform it.

Over the course of four years, the necessary instruments were created to make this evaluation possible and two intensive evaluation exercises were carried out on all programs and calls for proposals.

More than 10 different programs were evaluated and more than 50 calls for proposals were studied. The results, which were positive for CDTI and for the companies, were made public and the report can still be downloaded from our client's website.

Impact and Results Obtained

  • Knowledge of the results, effects and impacts of an investment of more than 1,200 million euros in business R&D projects, many of them in cooperation with Universities and Technology Centers.
  • Creation of more than 30 sectoral cases, describing the results, effects and impacts in specific sectors, such as energy, aerospace, biotechnology, ICT, transportation, etc.
  • Creation of a methodology that is still in use by our client, institutionalizing the evaluation and strengthening the organization's Capabilities to continue applying best practices in this area.

The General Secretariat for Innovation publicly presents the results of the evaluation of the CDTI's aid scheme.

EVALUATION : @CDTIoficial presents to the European Commission the results of its grants awarded to R&D projects.

Innovative companies receiving CDTI grants create more skilled R&D jobs and increase productivity

The CDTI meets its objectives and performs an effective job as a driver of business innovation in Spain