The CDTI Innovation brings together 700 agents from Spain and Latin America in Andalusia to boost early public demand for citizen-focused R&D

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI Innovation), the state innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, brings together in Andalusia, from 19 to 21 November, about 700 experts and agents from Spain and several Ibero-American countries to debate, work and explore the transformative potential of innovative public procurement and open innovation as a lever for the early mobilization of R&D from the public sphere and deploy knowledge-based solutions that improve the quality of life of citizens in areas such as health.

In particular, the CDTI Innovation, the state innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, has led public procurement initiatives in Spain since 2019, with 425 million euros destined for technological R&D solutions of which 91.2 million correspond to specific health initiatives for citizens in areas such as organ preservation, clinical trials, hadrontherapy, bioreactors, brain PET scan, non-invasive neuromodulation, surgical robotization, lung simulation or energy support and resilience systems for hydrogen-based hospitals.

Public procurement demonstrates how science saves lives when integrated into state procurement processes. Surgical robotization projects, pulmonary simulations using artificial intelligence or energy support systems in hospitals show measurable results: more accurate diagnoses, less invasive interventions, continuity of emergency services and reduction of waiting times. The social dimension of these state public actions has a direct impact on the citizen’s benefit: more resilient hospitals, more accessible treatments, health protocols based on robust evidence and an environment of innovation that traps talent and generates high-skilled employment.

Innovative Public Procurement is consolidated as well as a tool to stimulate the early demand for R&D capable of aligning the execution of public policies with the most important and urgent social challenges. Through specific Pre-Commercial Procurement (PPP) and Innovative Public Procurement (IPC) programmes, the CDTI Innovation has promoted 25 projects between 2020 and 2025 alone, including an important group of initiatives focused on health (9) but also other areas such as water and environment (4), aerospace and Earth observation (4), security and justice (5), energy and ecological transition (2), digital technologies and infrastructure (1) and critical infrastructures (1).

In addition to the impact of the citizen, public procurement also acts as a channel of capillary action and territorial structuring, deploying solutions throughout the state.

The effectiveness of the public purchase of the CDTI Innovation lies in activating public funding in advance, ensuring that companies and technology centers and solvers design solutions adjusted to the real requirements of public services based on prior market consultations. This approach reduces technological risk, accelerates the implementation of prototypes and opens the door to private investments and European co-financing that locally scale global impact initiatives.

A meeting with demonstrative and international ambition

The working meeting of the Ibero-American Forum for Innovative Public Procurement and Open Innovation, held by CDTI Innovation at the Granada Congress Centre, unfolds for three days an extensive program of technical debate and interaction between public administrations, knowledge centres, tractor companies, innovative and solving SMEs, technological platforms, clusters, business associations or specialized consultancies, among other agents of the ecosystem. The work programme is structured in six routes or nodes (CPI policies, sectoral challenges, co-design, technological demonstrations, B2B meetings and evaluation methodologies) to promote both strategic reflection and the generation of concrete synergies between administrations and industry.

With the collaboration of organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Inter-American Network of Government Procurement (RICG) and the Organization of American States (OAS), the Ibero-American Forum for Innovative Public Procurement and Open Innovation is a space for meeting and exchanging experiences and good practices in the Hispanic and Portuguese languages. More than 20 countries will provide success stories, lessons learned and common challenges, consolidating an unprecedented public-private cooperation network in the field of open innovation.

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.

Supporting documentation:

https://www.cdti.es/noticias/compra-publica-innovacion-CPP-CPI-CDTI
https://www.cdti.es/sites/default/files/2025-11/guia_compacta_de_compra_publica_innovadora_del_cdti.pdf

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