1. Problem
In recent years, growing competitiveness in science has been accompanied by an improvement in the innovation ecosystem. However, within the EU28, Spain is still lagging at the 20th position in innovation, according to the European Innovation Scoreboard (2016). The indicator for patents with effect in Europe, the United States and Japan, places Spain 26th out of all world countries, with three patents per million inhabitants, far below the averages for the EU (23.3) and the OECD (33.1).
With this scenario, a major need exists for programmes that strengthen innovation through mentoring and support for the transfer of technology with a social impact.