The Regional Ministry of Economy, Finance, and European Funds, through the Andalusian Agency for Innovation and Development (IDEA), which is part of Andalucía TRADE, has awarded the service concession contract for the comprehensive technical management of the Center for Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (CFA) to the Foundation for Research, Development, and Application of Composite Materials (FIDAMC).
The Center for Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (CFA) is an industrial environment that, equipped with the necessary facilities and resources, aims to become a national leader, enabling companies—on their own and with the appropriate technical support services—to develop technologies that can be easily applied and transferred to their production processes.
The CFA is being developed in Puerto Real, on a site provided by Navantia to the regional government for a period of 15 years, at a cost of 18.31 million, financed by the ERDF, of which 77% has already been committed and/or disbursed.
Carolina España, Regional Minister of Economy, Finance, and European Funds, announced the award during the “VII Aerospace & Defense Meetings—ADM 2024,” a leading event for the aerospace industry in Spain and Southern Europe, which took place May 14–16 in Seville and brought together more than 1,100 professionals and 320 companies from the aerospace sector across 28 countries.
Spain has highlighted the boost this will provide to the advanced transportation sectors—primarily aerospace, shipbuilding, and rail—by making this infrastructure available, “which was at risk of not being built.” The project has been “redefined to ensure compliance with European Union requirements and to guarantee that the Center opens with all the necessary legal, financial, and technical safeguards.”
“The CFA will help accelerate the implementation of new manufacturing processes in companies, thereby facilitating investment in R&D and enabling sustainable growth in sectors where competitiveness is driven by innovation,” he continued.
FIDAMC, headquartered in Madrid, is an R&D&I center focused on composite materials technologies for the aerospace industry, whose goal is to strengthen Spain’s position in this technological field. The Foundation’s board of trustees includes entities such as the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) and the Community of Madrid; companies such as Airbus, Mtorres Diseños Industriales, Talgo Hexcel, and Aciturri; and the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Its commitment to managing the CFA reflects its interest in expanding its operations in Andalusia and taking the lead at a center focused on advanced transportation technologies at the national and international levels.
This contract will be in effect for 5 years and is valued at 5.6 million euros. Along with the awarding of the technical management contract, the center will gradually add services and equipment until it becomes fully operational this year.
Currently, 88.63% of the 29 equipment lots planned to provide the center with the technology necessary for its operation have been awarded, at a total cost of 15.80 million euros. Of those 29 lots, 68% have already been received at the CFA facilities. In the equipment acceptance process, the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the IDEA Agency—part of Andalucía TRADE—is receiving technical support from a multidisciplinary team at the University of Cádiz.
Services to Be Provided by the Concessionaire
The services to be provided by the concessionaire include managing the occupancy of industrial space and the use of equipment, as well as promoting the CFA’s facilities in the context of industrial innovation projects, among other things.
To access CFA services, interested entities must submit a proposal for an innovation project, which will be evaluated in accordance with the principles of publicity, open competition, transparency, non-discrimination, and equal treatment of all candidates. The fees for the services to be provided will be publicly available.
The technological fields covered by the CFA include digital systems development, additive manufacturing, robotics and automation, welding, and process and auxiliary equipment control.
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