CARTIF was created in 1994 as the Automation, Robotics and Information and Manufacturing Technology Centre, a non-for-profit association focused on applied research and based in Boecillo Technology Park, Valladolid, Spain. From October 2005, CARTIF is legally established as a Foundation keeping its main goals:

To disseminate R&D and innovation results.

CARTIF Foundation is a leading Spanish Applied Research Centre in terms of R&D and technology transfer activities. In 2004 CARTIF carried out 110 R&D and innovation projects and served 120 customers, enjoying a total income up to 8,33m€. Nowadays CARTIF is formed up by 190 people, mainly engineers, scientists and senior researchers, 120 of them permanent full-time staff. CARTIF activity has an important international dimension: 16 out of the 2005 projects are international ones, with partners in almost all the EU-25 countries, the non-EU Mediterranean ones and Latin America.

CARTIF has 9 technical divisions supported by 7 departments that ensure CARTIF projects' quality (see figure). A number of committees have been created to address horizontal problems -quality, safety, ethics- following a bottom-up approach.


The general assembly is constituted by CARTIF board, a body that combines the experience of private companies and the support of public and academic entities, trying to find a balance among them. As for 2005, CARTIF board is constituted by 11 organisations, including SMEs, large industrial companies, two saving banks, the Valladolid Chamber of Commerce, the Town Council of Boecillo, Technology Parks of Castilla y León and the University of Valladolid.

CARTIF Foundation is a dynamic and network-oriented organisation that takes advantage of the multidisciplinary skills and technological know-how of Valladolid University researchers aiming to transfer the latest technologies and methodologies to industry. In order to do so, the centre is integrated in a good number of research networks and technology platforms: CARTIF foundation is part of 17 research and professional networks -including 9 international- and 14 technology platforms -including 7 European Technology Platforms. The Centre is integrated as well in the Castilla and Leon Technology Centres Network as well as in the network of Innovation and Technology Centres (CIT) of the Science and Technology Spanish Commission. CARTIF keeps also a close collaboration with the most representative organisations of regional and national industrial development: Castilla y Leon Regional Development Agency, the Spanish Ministry of Industry and the European Commission (DG Research, DG Enterprise, DG Environment and DG TREN). CARTIF is certified according to international ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:1996 and national UNE 166001:2002 EX.

International experience on Innovation support

CARTIF has an Innovation Division specialised in technology transfer and innovation techniques, working closely together with the SMEs in several innovation support initiatives and developing a good number of projects at the regional, national and international level. Regarding the international expertise in innovation support and training projects, the Centre took part in the FP5 Innovation&SMEs programme through "Exploitation of Scenario Planning and Data Searching Expertise" (ESPLANADE) project (Contract No IPS-2.000-00028) and FP5 "Transregional Innovation Best Practice exchange" (TETRIS). Nowadays, CARTIF is taking part in FP6 projects: