The Consorci de la Zona Franca, Barcelona’s Free Economic Zone consortium, has reiterated the agreements with the Leitat Foundation and the Instituto Cameral para la Creación y Desarrollo de la Empresa (INCYDE) Foundation, to open a call for companies and startups interested in participating in the first European 3D Printing Hi-Tech Technology Incubator, the dFactory Incubator. The deadline for applications is October 31st.
The special State delegate to the Consortium, Pere Navarro, and the president of INCYDE, Josep Lluis Bonet, recently signed the agreement of collaboration, which confirms them as strategic partners in Catalonia for the technological transfer of 3D additive manufacturing processes for new business projects. The high technology incubator, which is to foster innovation and 3D technology transfer to companies and micro-SMEs, is 50% co-funded through INCIDE by the European Regional Development Fund within the FEDER 2014 -2020 multi-regional operational programme for Spain.
CAPACITY FOR UP TO 30 3D PRINTING PROJECTS
The dFactory Incubator centre, capable of providing services simultaneously to between 25 and 30 3D printing-related initiatives, will incubate additive manufacturing projects for companies selected from among those responding to this call.
The dFactory Incubator will take up 600 m² in office, co-working and training space, as well as laboratories equipped with the latest 3D printers, at the Consortium headquarters building at the Zona Franca Industrial Estate (Av. Parc Logístic 2-10, by the Parc Logístic Metro station on Line 9 South). The necessary investment to adapt the facilities, the purchasing of equipment and the provision of the services described amounts to €2.9 million.
The incubator aims to contribute to the advancement of productive transformation of small and medium-sized businesses to Industry 4.0 standards, leading to interregional cooperation in pursuit of the EU2020 Strategy and Horizon 2020 objectives, as well as collaboration between public sector agents and business on both domestic and international levels.
To sum up, the services provided by the incubator will be related to the development of business initiatives, 3D printing, provision of technological services, innovation, support for marketing and internationalization of projects, and certification, validation and testing, amongst others.
Featured image: The special State delegate to the Consortium, Pere Navarro, and the president of INCYDE, Josep Lluis Bonet
