The Regional Minister of Education, Science, Universities and Vocational Training, Román Rodríguez González, accompanied by the Director of the Galician Innovation Agency, Carmen Cotelo Queijo, visited our facilities this morning.

Our General Director, Toni Pons, and our Executive Director, Lucía Camino Vázquez, explained the great growth that we have experienced in recent years, and our commitment to continue working to promote R&D the sustainability of the business fabric and the local economy of Culleredo through the creation of the Centre of Excellence for Competitiveness in Circular Economy.

This morning, the Regional Minister of Education, Science, Universities and Vocational Training, Román Rodríguez González, accompanied by the Director of the Galician Innovation Agency, Carmen Cotelo Queijo, visited our facilities, located in Culleredo. During the visit they were accompanied by our General Director, Toni Pons, our Executive Director, Lucía Camino Vázquez, and our team of R&D managers and researchers, to explain the main activity of CETIM and some of the projects we are currently working on in our three research areas: Advanced Materials, ECO BIO Technologies and Digital Industry.

Toni Pons said: “At CETIM’s facilities we work with around 90 highly qualified people who develop innovative projects aimed at improving sustainability and efficient use of resources in companies. We are multi-sectorial, which allows us to act on all strategic sectors and support their ideas to be better economically and environmentally”.

We reinforced our commitment to the fight against climate change, environmental improvement, the achievement of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda in November last year by joining the ‘Alianza Galega polo Clima’, an initiative of the Xunta de Galicia to generate synergies in climate action in Galicia.

“In recent years we have had an annual growth in income of around 25%, and we want to continue promoting R&D, increasing the efficiency and sustainability of all Galician and Spanish companies, but the space we currently have available limits us,” added Pons, “and we believe that La Cros is the best place for this because we would be rehabilitating an area that was contaminated until very recently and in which the various administrations have already invested more than 50 million euros in decontaminating it”.

As Pons explained, ” the Centre of Excellence for Competitiveness in Circular Economy will be a clear example of public-private collaboration and a pole of attraction for talent and wealth generation linked to sustainability and respect for the environment “, as it will house, in addition to the CETIM Technology Centre, spaces for the organisation of municipal socio-cultural activities, training and awareness-raising and eco-coworking areas. “We want it to be a sustainable construction, both in terms of the materials used and in terms of energy, with efficient management of resources such as water and air, while at the same time guaranteeing the monitoring of all the elements. We will reuse and continue to contribute economic and social value to Galicia in the more than 15,000m²  that make up the grounds of the former La Cros factory. The Centre of Excellence for Competitiveness in Circular Economy will be a demonstrator of technologies and materials developed by CETIM in collaboration with our clients and collaborators”.

In addition, during the meeting, Pons presented the Circular Excellence CETIM project, an initiative in which we will have the support of the Galician Innovation Agency to improve its scientific excellence in circular economy, through the provision of advanced equipment with an investment of close to €1M.

This action represents a significant improvement in the commitment to Galician R&D, which, Pons stresses, needs catalysts to increase its projection and relevance not only at a regional level, but also nationally and internationally. “Like the main European models of Technological Centres, we aspire to achieve a 33:33:33 balance: a third of stable funding; another third through research projects; and the last third through technological services close to the market”.

For his part, Román Rodríguez applauded the work of the centre for being “a clear example of the great growth of Galicia in the field of innovation”, committed to the promotion of Galicia’s technology centres because they are “fundamental elements for making our Community a benchmark in the field of innovation, sustainability and public-private collaboration”.

Green hydrogen production and storage

At CETIM also present to Román Rodríguez and Carmen Cotelo our capacity for the production and storage of green hydrogen. According to 2020 data included in the Hydrogen Roadmap, 99% of the hydrogen consumed is grey; in other words, it is produced from natural gas or other light hydrocarbons such as methane or liquefied petroleum gases through processes that emit carbon dioxide.  At our  Technological Centre, as Cristina Martínez, ECO BIO Technologies Area Manager, explained, we are researching different technologies for the production of green hydrogen, such as dark fermentation, “a biological process in which we use organic waste as raw material and produce hydrogen thanks to the combined action of a set of microorganisms”.

Rosalía Noguerol, Advanced Materials Area Manager, added that the Centre is looking for “safe and efficient alternatives for hydrogen storage based on the development of sustainable materials that improve current processes at an economic and environmental level”.