IK4-CIDETEC, is a Technology Centre created in 1997 as a non-profit foundation specialized in generating and transferring knowledge/ technology in the areas of Materials, Surfaces and Energy. IK4-CIDETEC has an annual turnover of 12 M€ in 2016 and a workforce of 160 people; 95% of them hold university degrees and 50%, a PhD. Since 2001 up to now, IK4-CIDETEC has developed R & D projects with 450 companies of the most varied sorts working in different productive sectors. At the same time, in collaboration with other industrial partners, CIDETEC has set up 4 new companies that industrialize a number of developments and complement the centre’s activity. IK4-CIDETEC’s work has been particularly strong in the European Union, which has resulted in the participation in 34 projects of the 7th Framework Program, leading 8 of them. This activity is followed up in the current European program, Horizon 2020, within which IK4-CIDETEC participates in 16 projects, leading 3 of them. The Polymers & Composites Unit is specialized in the synthesis and functionalization of polymers as well as in the compounding of thermoplastics and rubber and in the preparation of thermoset composites. The team is composed by 12 researchers and includes 2 engineers and 8 PhD polymer and organic chemists. It is worth to mention the experience of IK4-CIDETEC in the valorisation of biomass from different wastes. In this sense, IK4-CIDETEC has recently coordinated a European Project (Eclipse) in the FP7 programme for the valorisation of algae and other waste from lignocellulose biomass.
Role in the project
IK4-CIDETEC has the leading role as Coordinator of KaRMA2020 project. IK4-CIDETEC will be involved in the pre-treatment of poultry feathers and in the developping of technologies for the preparation of keratin based materials, specifically in the development of biobased plastic formulations for biodegradable packaging and in the development of bio-based and flame retardant composites.
