Indra implements an R&D laboratory in the Adif Railway Technology Centre in Malaga

Adif and Indra signed an agreement to recruit the IT multinational for Adif Railways Technology Centre based in Andalusia Technology Park (PTA) in Malaga.

Indra, the premier IT company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe, will implement a laboratory specialised in research and development in advanced solutions for railway traffic. This way, the IT company and Adif will team up to consolidate Spain as a worldwide benchmark in high speed.

On occasion of the creation of the new laboratory, the company will post a team of 20 researchers and developers to the new centre. There, its avant-garde developments will be promoted to control and manage railway exploitation, an area where Indra and Adif have collaborated for over a decade.

The main outcome of the above-mentioned collaboration was the Da Vinci system, developed by Indra and intellectual property of Adif. It is regarded as the world’s most advanced railway traffic management platform.

Both companies will focus their efforts on railway signalling and safety. In this area, Indra has developed a new RBC system (Radio Block Center) in order to improve signalling in the framework of the future European Railway Traffic management System (ERTMS).

With this new R&D laboratory, Indra reinforces its presence in the Andalusia Technology Park (PTA) in Malaga, where it inaugurated a Software Lab at the beginning of 2004. Malaga Software Lab, where the company collaborates with PTA and the University of Malaga, is part of Indra's software lab network. The network consists of 20 centres distributed across Europe, Asia and Latin America and it employs over 4000 professionals specialised in high-level software for all the sectors Indra is active in.

Malaga Railway Technology Centre (CTF), a technology innovation benchmark

Adif, always committed to innovation and technology development from the start, has 56 R&D ongoing projects in the development phase and in cooperation with different organisations which represent a global investment of 107 million Euros besides the cooperation with over 125 Spanish firms, 22 technology centres and 24 universities.

With the creation of the CTF, Adif seeks a leading position for the Spanish railway system at European and world level. The technology centre and the future test loop will be at the head of investigation, development and innovation applied to high speed.

The Retse building, handed over by Agencia Idea, with a financial aid of € 5.6 million by the Ministry of Science and Innovation within the framework of the scientific/ technological infrastructures, is a 3000 m2 – two- storey edification, with 25 m2 modular spaces and premises of 150 m2. It will be destined to technical work, training and demo classrooms, conference room; and services such as a canteen and parking lot.

In the first stage, the CTF will be equipped with two specialised laboratories: the GSM-R for the RBC-Tren technology and communications and the development of ERTMS data engineering; and the ICT laboratory, dedicated to transport intelligent systems and the evolution of the Da Vinci system, an advanced railway traffic management system.

The departments of the centre will be specialised in training, technology surveillance, R&D&I project management and technology transfer for the development of Adif's either national or international projects in cooperation or for third parties under contract.

At the forefront of the railway sector

Indra's commitment with the railway sector and innovation has put the company at the forefront at global level. The IT company has developed cutting-edge technology solutions for the most innovative Spanish clients and has exported them to UK, China, USA among others.

The best example of this commitment is the Da Vinci system, born of heavy investment in R&D+i and of the work of 150 people throughout four years, which has become an international railway traffic management benchmark. It manages Spain's high speed network as well as other different networks such as Metro de Medellin or the London Underground (Metronet). Last year, it was chosen to manage Morocco and Lithuania's railway networks.

Indra is the second European company with major R&D investment in the Information Technologies (Computer Services) sector according to the Industrial R&D Scoreboard report released by the European commission. Its commitment with innovation is reflected in an investment of 175 million Euros in 2009, a 15% higher than in 2008. This represents an investment effort of 7% over the revenue figure, well above average Spanish companies-a little higher than 1%-  and the mean developed countries (USA, Japan, etc.) –around 3%.

Indra in Andalusia

Indra's centres in Andalusia are located in Seville, Malaga and Cadiz and employ 400 professionals. Their main area of activity is Public Administrations and Health with projects in other segments such as security and defence or transport and traffic.

The IT multinational is technology partner of the Department of Health in several flagship projects: Diraya, Receta XXI or Salud Responde. In addition to this, Indra has carried out the scrutiny of Andalusia regional elections since 1982, implemented and undertaken the maintenance of different systems for transport in the region like the ticketing systems for urban buses in Seville and Malaga, besides other projects.

In December 2010, the Centre of Excellence of Advanced Digital Health started up in Indra’s centre in Seville. The Excellence centre seeks to develop and research future-oriented projects related to knowledge management in terms of health, a sector led by the IT company and Andalusia at national level. Its purpose is to become an international reference in the health sector in terms of management and development of new programmes and technology projects for further exportation. 

Indra is the premier Information Technology company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe and Latin America. It is ranked as the second European company in its sector according to investment in R&D with nearly € 500 M during the last three years. In 2010 revenues reached € 2,557 M of which a 40% came from the international market. The company employs more than 30,000 professionals and has clients in more than 100 countries.