Not all companies have it, but those that do dedicate a division or budget to this area usually share it. R&D is the acronym used to talk about Research and Development, that is, all those activities carried out by an organization or corporation to improve its existing products, services or procedures or to devise new ones.
In English, R&D or RTD is often used to talk about the same concept, using the words' research 'and 'development'.
In many cases, R&D is associated with the industrial world, however, it is something that can be present in many branches and businesses. Even an SME can have it as part of their 'DNA'. However, there are certain sectors that - for the account it brings them - tend to dedicate more investment to this section, such as ICT, automotive, pharmaceutical products, food, etc.
Another term that has started to be used, related to the previous one, is I+D+i. Basically, it is understood as Research, Development and Innovation. At a certain point, the innovation component began to be linked to the other two words, since it is usually the result of them.
Generally, all countries seek to promote R+D+i through grants, grants and loans. It makes sense, since the more research, development and innovation there will be more strength in the processes and products and the greater the differentiation from the competition will take place. Innovation also affects improvements of different kinds for citizens, the environment, health, etc.
To know the level of R+D+i activity that a particular country has, this can be done through the proportion between expenditure on R+D+i and GDP (Gross Domestic Product), breaking down expenditure in public spending and private spending.
To know if a company does R&D is as easy as looking at whether it has a department for that purpose. This is usually made up of researchers or scientists and what it seeks is not a short-term gain or benefit, but rather long-term profitability. However, if we are talking about an SME, research and development can be somewhat more subtle, with entrepreneurs or partners dedicating personal time to this aspect.
How to make sure if my company is carrying out fundable R&D projects
You may be wondering if your company does projects of this type that can obtain public aid or grant. How to know for sure? What type of funding can you access?
The CDTI (Center for Technological and Industrial Development), under the Ministry of Science and Innovation, is the one that marks the step in this direction. It has Cervera Grants, which are aimed at technology centers or groups of the same that are registered in the corresponding registry. In this case, we talk about groups consisting of at least 3 entities and 5 at most.
To identify if they do R+D The CDTI believes that research is being carried out on its priority technologies, which are advanced materials, eco-innovation, energy transition, intelligent manufacturing, health technologies, a safe and healthy food chain, deep learning and artificial intelligence, advanced mobile networks, intelligent transport and information protection. Is this the case with your company?
On the other hand, another program aimed at companies with R&D in their DNA is grants PID (Research and Development Projects). In this case, R&D projects are considered to be “projects aimed at the creation and/or significant improvement of a productive process, product or service that can include both industrial research and experimental development activities”. Here, unlike the Cervera program, there are no restrictions on the sector or technology to be developed.
More: Funding for the CDTI Cervera Program
