The Centre is governed by private law in its relations with third parties. This allows to offer swift and flexible support services to Spanish companies for the development of R&D&I business projects and international exploitation of technologies developed by companies.

Its functions are:

• To evaluate and finance technological development, innovation and modernization projects developed by Spanish companies: CDTI grants financial help of its own to companies and facilitates access to that of third parties (bank financing from the Line for the Financing of Technological Innovation) for the execution of both national and international research and development projects.

• To manage the Spanish participaOctober 16, 2009ogical cooperation: CDTI manages and pursues the achievement of industrial contracts with a high technological content by Spanish companies generated within the framework of different national and European organizations. These include the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Hispasat, Eumetsat and Spainsat. Likewise, it supports and give advise to Spanish companies on the access to Subventions from the Framework Programme of R&D of the European Union.

• To promote technology transfer and technological cooperation between enterprises: it helps Spanish companies to internationally exploit technologies that they have developed. In order to do this, it offers technological promotion projects, its external network of representatives and the Iberoeka projects.

• To support the generation and development of new technology base firms, through the Neotec Initiative.

The CSIC is an autonomus multisectorial, multi-disciplinary public research body affiliated to the Ministry of Science and Technology, with its own legal personality, its own assets and a presence throughout the national territory. The CSIC was founded in 1939, taking over the facilities and material of the National Science Research Foundation of 1931 and of the defunct Study Extension and Science Research Board, which had been created in 1907 for the sole purpose of undertaking scientific and technical research in all branches of knowledge.

The current objectives and functions of the CSIC, as provided in the above Act and in the regulations promulgated under it (R.D. 140/1993, 29 January), are as follows:

• To prepare and execute scientific and technological research projects.
• To assist in the analysis and selection of future scientific and technological objectives and to advise the authorities on questions of research and technological innovation.
• To foster progress in basic research.
• To collaborate with the Autonomous Regions in research activities as identified in formal agreements.
• To collaborate with the universities in research and higher education activities.
• To undertake researcher and technician training programmes within the sphere of science and technology.
• To collaborate with the National R&D Plan in such advisory and management tasks as may be assigned to it, and with any Governments of Autonomous Regions requesting such collaboration in furtherance of their science policies.

Recursos Humanos para la Innovación (Human Resources for Innovation) is a specialised employment portal aimed at highly qualified people from the research sector (doctors, those on doctorates, engineers, etc.), and all university students considering innovation and research as the main course of their professional future.

Therefore, the main objectives of this tool are, on the one hand, to give professionals with a research vocation career opportunities in the business world and, on the other, to satisfy companies' needs for such profiles, contributing, at the same time, to encouraging innovative practices. Furthermore, this portal offers other services of great value to guarantee professional guidance and the adaptation of candidates to the posts offered by companies.

The Regional Information and Technological Promotion System madri+d is a network of Public Research Centers and private non-profit entities linked to technological innovation, and promoted by Autonomous Community of Madrid within the framework of the European Union.

Activity principles:

• Knowledge and spread of the scientific and technologic supply in teh Autonomous Community of Madrid.
• Creation and co-ordination of capacities within the regional innovation system.
• Information and guidance on technological innovation demands.

Royal Decree 557/2000 of April 27th, 2000, on the restructuring of the ministerial Departments, creates the Ministry of Science and Technology as the Department responsible for the policy of promotion and general co-ordination of the scientific and technical research, the technological development and the ruling of the communications.

The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology was created pursuant to the 27 April 2001 resolution of the Spanish Council of Ministers at the initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology. It was introduced in a public act by the President of the Spanish Government on 6 November 2001 in the Museum of Natural Sciences. The Foundation operates as a non-profit entity with functional autonomy for the purpose of providing ongoing flexible services to the Spanish science-technology-business system. It also contributes to identifying opportunities and needs, while proposing types of actions to participants and players in the Spanish system of scientific research and technological innovation.