The CDTI Innovation commemorates International Women’s Day by strengthening its commitment to equality

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March, CDTI Innovation reaffirms its commitment to gender equality as a strategic element for economic, technological and social progress. The full participation of women in science, technology and innovative entrepreneurship not only responds to a principle of equity, but also strengthens the quality, impact and competitiveness of the R+D+I system.

The advances towards equality are visible, although still insufficient. According to the ClosinGap Index 2026, Spain is progressing towards parity, especially thanks to the boost in female employment, but the pace remains slow. Structural challenges persist in areas such as conciliation, digitalization or STEM disciplines, where the female presence remains unequal.

The CDTI Innovation works to actively contribute to reversing these gaps. Internally, in March 2026, the CDTI human team (365 people) consisted of 54.52% (199) women and 45.48% (166) men. In addition, the evolution in the representation of women in positions of responsibility within the entity reflects a positive trend, consolidating a sustained advance in access to managerial and technical positions of higher qualification.

As for the impact of the instruments managed by the CDTI, it can also be analysed from a gender perspective. According to the open data section #CDTIdata of the CDTI Innovation website, in 2025, 31% of the employment induced by the financed projects was female, with significant differences according to the sector (from 54% in Health to 26% in ICT). It also highlights a greater female presence in highly qualified profiles, reaching 39.6% in the case of staff with doctoral degrees.

While progress is being made, there is still room for improvement in the systematic integration of gender perspectives into R&D&I projects. In 2025, only 35.2% of the supported projects incorporated this approach and only 3.4% were specifically aimed at reducing gender inequalities, which reinforces the need for further progress in this area. In this commitment to promote the participation of women in the business and technological fields, the CDTI Innovation manages programs such as NEOTEC Women Entrepreneurs, Innvierte and Cervera, in which the participation of women is especially noteworthy.

Equality is a lever for growth and competitiveness. Incorporating more female talent into science, technology and innovation means expanding resources, strengthening the ecosystem and improving the quality of results. Una I+D+i más diversa es también una I+D+i más sólida, resiliente y preparada para afrontar los retos económicos y sociales. For this reason, on March 8, the CDTI Innovation renews its commitment to a more open, inclusive and oriented innovation to generate opportunities for all people.

CDTI Innovation

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2024, within the framework of a new strategic plan, the CDTI provided more than 2.3 billion euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.

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