- The Center will be located in Guadalajara and envisages a budget of 20 million euros over three years.
- Among the first projects is a System for Automatic Detection of High Vehicle Occupancy and Intelligent System for Waste Collection.
- The Foundation yesterday presented the Center to the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
Ferrovial, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, and the University of Alcalá de Henares have signed an agreement to establish the Foundation Center for Intelligent Infrastructure Innovation.
The Center aims to carry out research, innovate and develop technologies for mobility, transport, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. It will predominantly focus its activities on highways, airports and cities, through the development of intelligent, eco-efficient projects, which are of value to society.
The Center will be built at the Guadalajara Science and Technology Park and envisages a budget of 20 million euros over a three-year period. It will receive public funds from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, in addition to private funding, principally from Ferrovial.
Ferrovial and other partner organizations will contribute 50% of the funds, while the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha will contribute 43.5% and the University of Alcalá the remaining 6.5%.
The first chairman of the Foundations board of trustees is the minister of Education and Science of Castilla-La Mancha, María Ángeles García.
Intelligent infrastructure
The Center aims to become a nationally and internationally recognized benchmark for the development of products and services, based on the concept of intelligent infrastructure. That is to say, all those infrastructures that seek to improve the quality of life for their users through technology and services, in an economically, social and environmentally sustainable manner.
Among the first of the Centers projects is a System for Automatic Detection of High Vehicle Occupancy, in the area corresponding to Highways; the Automatic Control of Boarding Passengers using Biometric Recognition in the Airports area; as well as an Intelligent System for Waste Collection, and the Control of Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Urban Areas in the area focused on Cities.
This new institution will underpin Ferrovial’s innovation strategy. The company currently engages in research, development and innovation projects, with a total budget of 50 million euros. .
Presentation at the Ministry of Science and Innovation
Members of the newly formed board of trustees, among whom is the Rector of the University of Alcalá, Fernando Galván, as well as the Minister of Education and Science of Castilla-La Mancha, María Ángeles García, and the CIO of Ferrovial, Federico Flórez, gave a presentation on the Center yesterday to Arthur Azcorra, Director General for Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurial Development at the Spanish Ministry of Science.
Azcorra expressed his “satisfaction” with the project launch and stressed that the Center is working on the transformation of the productive model so that the latter is increasingly based on innovation, technology, science and knowledge. The Director General highlighted the importance of collaboration between public and private entities to promote innovation initiatives, noting that the Center is a good example of the Spanish Governments State Innovation Strategy.
For his part, Federico Flórez said that the Center represents a significant step forward in Ferrovials innovation strategy. Together with our partners, we want to make it a nationally and internationally recognized benchmark for innovation and development of products and services associated with advanced infrastructure projects.
The ministry has supported the project through a Collaboration Agreement for the promotion of innovation activities in Castilla-La Mancha.
