CIRCE reaches over €15 million to help the industry meet energy and sustainability challenges and adds 122 new clients in 2022

The CIRCE technology center continues its positive trend and closed the 2022 fiscal year with revenues of €15 million, of which €5.7 million (+19%) came from projects with companies, and €9.4 million (+13.5%) were derived from returns on competitive funding for R&D&I projects.

This represents a 16% growth compared to the previous year, driven by a greater impact in technology transfer to the business sector in the fields of energy and sustainability. In this context, the technology center added 122 new clients in 2022, a 54.7% increase compared to 2021. Of these, 55% are national clients, 29% are from Aragón, and 16% are international.

Funding from competitive R&D&I funds, with more than 85% coming from the prestigious Horizon Europe program, enabled a return of nearly €29 million for Spanish entities collaborating with CIRCE and over €15 million for Aragonese organizations, thus achieving the main goal of transferring project results to companies to improve their competitiveness.

In total, 13 European research projects were awarded to CIRCE in 2022, of which 3 are coordinated by the technology center, amounting to €8.51 million in funding. This is in addition to national and regional projects, although they represent a smaller portion of the total.

Hydrogen, artificial vision, smart grids, and recycling technologies

Notable developments within these projects include tools for sizing systems that generate and use hydrogen, as well as the development of safety procedures for its integration into industry; the development of artificial vision models for waste separation and improvements in microwave technology-based plastic and textile recycling techniques; the development of a bidirectional charger for electric vehicles using silicon carbide technology; and a tool for calculating flexibility needs for electricity distributors.

To protect CIRCE's R&D&I developments, 2022 saw the approval of 4 utility models, 3 software and algorithm protections, and 1 industrial design.

This positive outcome is also reflected in CIRCE's workforce growth, which closed 2022 with 282 professionals, representing a 6.8% increase compared to the previous year.

This growth was accompanied by a professional and personal development plan through which CIRCE employees benefited from over 11,377 hours of training. Additionally, the second edition of the CIRCE Academy talent program was launched, allowing 24 young professionals to join the organization while continuing their education with a specialized postgraduate degree.

Furthermore, the technology center continues its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, renewing the RSA and RSA+ Seals issued by the Government of Aragón and obtaining the GTPW seal for the third consecutive year, positioning CIRCE as a great place to work.
 

CIRCE celebrates 30 years with significant challenges ahead

CIRCE is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023 with significant challenges ahead.

This year, the technology center aims to maintain sustained growth that will allow it to increase the sale and licensing of innovative solutions developed within the framework of R&D&I projects.

In this way, the technology center will fulfill its mission of continuing to support companies in their energy and sustainability challenges, enabling them to compete in increasingly demanding international markets amid the current energy environment of volatile prices.

In the field of funding programs, CIRCE expects to exceed €9 million in returns from the Horizon Europe program this year and reach €10 million in total funding across all public calls.

The ultimate goal is to secure funds that will allow the advancement of innovative projects in areas such as the operation and maintenance of photovoltaic parks, the development of protections for the integration of renewables into low-voltage grids, the development of hardware and software for the integration and management of assets in energy communities as a source of flexibility services, and artificial intelligence tools for energy-intensive industries.