UPM, leader in European research activities
UPM is the Spanish University most involved in research projects within the 7th Framework Programme of the EU, as well as the one that achieves a greater return to R&D investments.
The Technical University of Madrid is the first university and the third institution in Spain most involved within the Seventh Framework Programme according to a report from Centro de Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI) of Minister of Science and Innovation. This study confirms that UPM takes part in 82 activities, as well as leads other nine, which means to be located among the best European universities in R&D.
This study gathers information about different activities developed by universities, companies and centers of innovation and technologies, Spanish public centers for research which participate in this program. Participation in the Seventh Framework Programme is one of the major important sources of financing of R&D projects, as well as a strategic challenge for universities to position themselves among the most excellent entities related to scientific-technological field in Europe.
In the report, offered by CDTI, the Technical University of Madrid placed third, immediately after the Spanish National Research Council and Instituto de Salud Carlos III of Madrid.
Ranked first in R&D competitiveness
Its high participation within the Seventh Framework Programme turns UPM into the Spanish university which has achieved the best results on return to R&D investments. The other universities that hold an outstanding position in this ranking are the Technical Universities of Cataluña and Valencia, which develop 57 and 47 research activities, respectively. Those are followed by Autónoma of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra and Complutense of Madrid.
In this sense, the database of community programs (PPCC), managed by CDTI, provides this information which contains the provisional results (updated in April) of the Spanish participation in the Seventh Framework Programme in the period 2007/2009. So far, 1087 Spanish entities take part in 1736 funding activities.
UPM, driving force of innovation
Within this Seventh Framework Programme, researchers from the Technical University of Madrid are involved in 124 European projects, coordinating 21 of those. This data represents a 50% increase in financial resources over last year Programme.
Mostly of those activities concern to research activities developed by several scientific entities in transnational cooperation, which pretend to achieve or strengthen the leadership in key areas of science and technology. Additionally, Information and Communication Technology ICTs acquires a major relevance, containing 46 projects in the development phase. Also, the number of initiatives on transport, environment, space, security and energy fields achieved success.
Furthermore, UPM boosts these activities related to the fields of Nanotechnology, Materials and Production Technologies (NMP) and Supplies, Agriculture and Fishing and Biotechnology (KBBE), two of the great scientific-technological strategic lines in the development of knowledge in the 21st century.
The participation of UPM is also notable on Marie Curie actions, devoted to promote the career development of researchers, as well as research and training in nuclear matter which fall in the framework of EURATOM.