Throughout history, the strategy of joint learning and working has been frequently used in many cultures to produce highly relevant collective knowledge. As regards collaborative learning, all team members are responsible for what they and others learn and collaboration is the end result of positive interdependence, interactions, individual contributions and personal and group skills. In order to implement a truly collaborative learning process, we must not only work together but also cooperate to achieve a goal that will never be reached individually.

Our motivation at Tekniker is driven by collaborative actions that work, by fostering applied solutions and delivering value to the market and this is something that can only be achieved by working together. We also believe that by collaborating with strategic customers, institutions, young talent, companies, universities and other research centres we will be able to share an ecosystem capable of mobilising a large number of players that will generate wealth in their environments.

Our technological knowledge and vision in terms of applying new developments can help to generate opportunities that will allow companies to improve their production.

“One of our main goals consists in delivering solutions to the industry and generating and transferring our expertise and technologies so that companies can perform more competitively. Our organisation has extensive experience in terms of working closely with its customers, meeting their demands and responding to their problems and opportunities with solutions in an agile, efficient and practical manner. Thanks to a close collaboration and mutual trust resulting from carrying out joint innovation actions, we can deliver truly valuable and measurable responses to the customers and companies we are collaborating with.”

Borja Coto, coordinator of multifunctional surfaces at Tekniker

We have also helped to create more quality jobs, provide training, disseminate science and allow talent to grow so that our young people have more opportunities regardless of where they end up working.

“Universities are our best source as it is where future talent is nurtured. Tekniker also offers a wonderful place to put into effect whatever has been learned and discover a vocation for research. We collaborate with educational cooperation processes that allow students to learn more about a technology centre whilst carrying out work-placement activities and end-of-degree and/or master’s projects covering different areas. It is, without a doubt, our main feature to attract the very best people and transfer knowledge to the industry. It is a winning bet, a collaboration conducive to a challenging career with a very promising future.”

Ane Abadía, people management and development at Tekniker

Exchanging technology and sharing the necessary infrastructures is essential to develop and test solutions and develop new high-value added products and services.

“Technological platforms are networks that bring together technology centres, universities, companies and other organisations interested in specific technological fields. Among other things, this framework allows Strategic Research Agendas to be established by setting medium-long term goals for technological advances in the sector. Tekniker is actively involved in more than twenty national and international technological platforms addressing, among other subjects, factories of the future, robotics, wind power, smart grids, materials for energy, photonics and Artificial Intelligence. Our presence in these forums has allowed us to influence future research agendas and place them in line with the strategies of the companies we are collaborating with.”

Aitor Alzaga, subdirector of technology at Tekniker

Standing in line with Europe’s goals with regard to technologies is very important for us from a dual perspective as, on the one hand, we collaborate and acquire knowledge provided by the state of the art in those fields in which we are playing an active role and, on the other, because we cooperate and compete with leading European references and this forces a technology centre such as Tekniker to deliver excellence.

Since the organisation first participated in 1989, Tekniker has accumulated an extensive amount of experience in terms of defining and executing projects funded by the European Union, with more than 280 participations and has played the role of coordinator in 25% of the cases. Tekniker, therefore, has enhanced the involvement of its customers in European projects by bringing its generation of knowledge and collaboration in line with the industry.

Alberto Alberdi, coordinator of European programmes at Tekniker

It is equally vital to implement a sustained institutional approach in terms of R&D&I over time to create a solid foundation to foster collaboration and growth and a knowledge-based society in which qualified, high-quality jobs guarantee the present and the future, offer greater opportunities and serve to balance our society, our country.

“Strategic collaborative actions with customers, institutions and other centres are vital to perform our activities. R&D&I is a long-term approach that requires sustained, long-term, regular relationships to provide stability and obtain results. In this regard, one of Tekniker’s main corporate axes is focused on maintaining strategic partnerships and collaborations and on being fully aware that unity and collaboration are essential.”

Alex Bengoa, director general of Tekniker

At Tekniker, therefore, we have many people working in #SuccessfulCollaborations, with different profiles and functions (all of them necessary), as they enrich the centre’s vision and provide further growth for the centre and our partners. Different approaches to achieve a common goal: acting as a driving force for whoever follows you on the value chain, just like dominoes, when a gentle initial push triggers a major effect we can all benefit from.

We are dealing with a reality. At Tekniker, we share technological plans and work on a daily basis with 25 collaborative organisations; we have established strategic ties with Basque institutions, with the university, with more than 250 customers that have placed their trust in us for years by collaborating in different R&D&I projects; we have attracted more than 5,000 participants every year to attend our dissemination events, etc.

But this is not the end of the road as we expect to carry on growing together with our collaborators to cope with the major transformation challenges our society is currently facing in the form of energy transformation, digitisation, smart manufacturing and our capacity to react to the unexpected.

#SuccessfulCollaborations #TogetherWeCan