The main aim of this action has been to conduct diagnostic “Technology Audits” for companies, with a view to providing incentives for R&D+I of an international nature, in particular the execution of bilateral projects with countries from outside the EU-27 states.

These audits give the company a real and practical view of their current situation with respect to technology, analysing strengths and threats so as to identify their technological needs in order to enable the company or the sector to grow and the technology on offer that can be transferred to other companies and sectors.

This was the preliminary step in order to encourage firms to work on defining R&D+I projects with a bilateral or multilateral character.

On 11 November 2008, the regional Minister for Industry, Innovation and Employment, Javier Erro, distributed the reports with the results of the Technology Audits conducted by the Economic Development Agency of La Rioja, within the framework of the Globaltech Rioja Programme, to the 20 participating Riojan businesses, out of the more than 50 which expressed interest.

The ones which took part came from the five target business sectors of the Globaltech Project: Agri-food (4 companies), Metal-Mechanics (5 companies), Elastomers-Plastics (4 companies), Environment- Energy-Construction (5 companies) and Footwear (2 companies).

Recommendations for the short, medium and long term.

After analysing each company and presenting graphically its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) each diagnosis goes on to make a series of recommendations presented in a prioritized form according to their importance and spread over a timeline in the short, medium and long term, and of two types:

The companies have confirmed the importance of this action as a prior step to taking decisions about technological research.