Indra and the Technical University of Madrid celebrate 30 years of collaboration

The Indra-UPM chair created in 2006 was conceived to promote conjoint R&D+i programmes and activities dealing with IT and security and defence systems; and the Indra-Adecco Foundation-UPM Chair created in 2008, focuses on accessible technologies, especially on those of an audiovisual nature. In addition to R&D projects
both Chairs also engage in dissemination, training and technology transfer activities and offer internships and practices, etc. Felix Perez, professor of UPM and Director of Indra Chair named the main achievements during the 30 years of collaboration.

“30 años potenciando el futuro”

The exhibition “30 años potenciando el futuro” has put in the spotlight the most representative projects developed by both institutions in the fields of accessibility, transport, energy, telecommunications, security and defence. Some of the solutions developed by Indra in association with the university which will be demonstrated have become a technology reference in the world.

For instance, the labour of this collaboration reflects in the technology developed for unmanned vehicles (UAVs) or for the control and management of electricity networks; smart transport systems (ITS) and solutions to improve urban traffic; air space surveillance systems such as the LANZA 3D radar or air traffic management systems like SACTA; radar systems to detect space waste; simulators for aircraft or ground vehicles, banking management solutions (core) or technology to make television accessible and immersive.

This year, Indra received UPM’s award for the collaboration in research “for the company’s active participation in several R&D+i projects”. “The stable collaboration for many years with the Technical University of Madrid and the quality of the joint research labour in many projects” were the decisive factors for this acknowledgement.

Commitment to innovation

The company has relations with 150 universities and other knowledge and innovation institutions which are a source of professionals and offer access to new technologies in order to become an international benchmark in the collaboration model and enterprise-university technology transfer.

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. In 2010 the company’s commitment to innovation translates into nearly 300 R&D+i projects, 100 of them developed with universities and an investment of 184 million Euros which represents an effort of 7% over the revenue figure.

Indra

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 31,000 professionals and has clients in more than 110 countries.

UPM

The Technical University of Madrid (UPM) is a benchmark in research and teaching in the fields of Architecture and Engineering in Spain. Each year nearly 38,000 students obtain their college degree and 6,000 complete their postgraduate courses (Master Courses and PhD). The university employs 4,000 researchers and two of them hold the International Campus of Excellence (CEI) acknowledgement. The institution is active in the generation of technological and scientific knowledge and promotes the university-enterprise chairs, which amount to nearly 90, as a means to a strategic and long-lasting collaboration with the entrepreneurial sector and thus facilitate knowledge transfer to society. UPM ranks first among Spanish universities in European Union R&D funding, in the participation in projects within the framework of European Union’s VII programme, in projects for the National programme and in collaboration with the entrepreneurial sector.