NAITEC, the technology centre specialising in Mobility and Mechatronics, which reaches its fifth anniversary in September, closed 2023 with a turnover of 6 million euros.

The centre boosted industrial transformation last year through 113 direct transfer projects for companies and 21 R&D projects developed in competitive calls for proposals.

The diversification of NAITEC’s markets and the increasing presence of national and international clients are confirmed. In particular, the centre developed transfer projects for 51 companies with technological challenges of increasing complexity, in which digitalisation, sustainability and cybersecurity are increasingly important.

Through its Technological Services unit, NAITEC registered a record year of technical actions for 228 companies, with 988 technical reports in the areas of Materials, Noise and Vibrations and Electronic Product Validation, and 25 projects in Structural Validation of Components and Systems.

Moreover, during 2023 the centre set up new equipment and facilities, such as the Functional Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, the Composite Materials Laboratory and the test infrastructures for electric vehicles (electric propulsion systems, batteries and advanced driving assistance systems).

2023 Project Highlights

During the past year NAITEC has developed outstanding projects in key areas such as sustainable and smart mobility, digital transformation and ecological transition.

In the area of Mobility, the NaVEAC Drive-Lab project for the development of the electric and connected vehicle was completed, with 100% of the investment executed on time and the technical objectives achieved.

Aerial mobility is another of the centre’s main lines, with NAITEC participating, among others, in the iMOV3D project, for the development of intelligent transport based on autonomous aerial vehicles, and in the European U-ELCOME project, which is working on the implementation of services for the safe integration of drones in the European sky.

In terms of digitalisation, NAITEC has developed, within the MACSI project, a new continuous learning platform that obtains data from products that are providing a service and that have been equipped with sensors and other technologies to receive and communicate data. This platform automatically and continuously learns from the data it receives and then applies it to predictive process models. The MACSI platform has already been tested to predict processes in three different applications and sectors.

Sustainability is another of NAITEC’s priority lines, which has been reflected in 2023 in the development of projects related to the ecological transition and in the offer of specific services, such as life cycle analysis and environmental impact measurement, for example.

In the search for more environmentally friendly options, it is essential to develop new sustainable materials. In this regard, the ZEROPLASTICS project is researching new 100% biodegradable, recycled and recyclable packaging solutions for the agri-food industry. In the 3D-MAGNET project, NAITEC is developing a 3D printable material to block electromagnetic signals from disused electronic components.