Interview to Eva Martín, Innovation and Project Manager at the Science and Technology Park Cartuja
Q: How is the engagement with the Spanish SMEs going?
A: The Science and Technology Park Cartuja, in Seville, will be the pilot site for the SPEEDIER Project in Spain. Specifically, this pilot will be carried out focusing on companies allocated in two buildings that are representative and emblematic in our park. One is the Marie Curie Technoincubator, a building inaugurated in 2010 and that performs as an incubator for 30 technology and innovative based SMEs. The second building is the Italian Pavilion Business Centre. This building was built for the Universal Exhibition of Seville in 1992 and it opened as a business center in 2001. It currently hosts 14 entities, SMEs, and large companies, running in sectors as diverse as Biotechnology, Electronics, Retail, IT, eHealth, and Energy and Environment.
Since the beginning of the project, we have received very good feedback from the SMEs with the dissemination activities. Most companies and their leaders have let us know that they are aware of the importance of reducing energy consumption, not only as a way of saving costs for the company but as a positive action for our planet, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Q: What are the next actions planned for them to join the project?
A: So far, we have obtained the commitment to participate in 15 SMEs. They have registered through the website and they have also subscribed to SPEEDIER’s monthly newsletter. Our goal is to reach 100% of the tenants of both buildings, that is, 44 companies. To do this, we will continue contacting them directly one by one. Personal contact is the most effective way to engage SMEs in the project, although conversations currently have to be by phone or in a virtual mode due to COVID19. This engagement work run until September to start the pilot in the fourth quarter of 2020.