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Collaborations

To support the achievement of our scientific research goals we continue to seek and earn financial sponsorship in various forms. Sponsorship of the Institute’s research activities has great benefits for both the Institute and the sponsoring organisation.

In order to ensure that the scientific integrity of the Institute’s research activities is both maintained and seen to be maintained, we have drafted a set of general principles to guide us in our management of sponsorship. These principles will help us to preserve and protect the freedom of research conducted within the Institute.

The general principles that we follow in respect of sponsorship are the following:

  • Any sponsorship must produce significant benefit for IMDEA Networks within its agreed strategic goals and objectives, and without detriment to the wider public interest.
  • This benefit must outweigh any reputational or business risk for IMDEA Networks through being associated with the sponsor.
  • Sponsorship must always be consistent with IMDEA Network's ethical policy.
  • IMDEA Networks will not endorse or give preference to sponsor products. Nor will IMDEA Networks give any competitive advantage to any sponsor.
  • All research projects must be undertaken with the clear understanding that the researchers concerned have the full right to publish any results obtained by them, subject only to established safeguards for the protection of privacy or confidentiality of personal data sponsors the option to bar specific individuals or groups.
  • All intellectual property rights stemming from the sponsored activity, whether anticipated or not, remain the property of IMDEA Networks, unless there is an explicit agreement to the contrary in the original sponsorship document.
  • In general, we do not agree to exclusivity clauses that grant any special or exclusive information to a research sponsor.
  • Participants in research projects shall be selected by the Institute’s Director in accordance with the Institute’s policy based on professional criteria.
  • Research agreements may neither bar nor give contrary in the original sponsorship document.
  • IMDEA Network's work, and its key messages, should not be influenced or contradicted by the sponsor. Any statement by the sponsor about its relationship with IMDEA Networks, or use of IMDEA Networks logos/brands in sponsor advertising, or publications showing images relating to IMDEA Networks, must be explicitly approved by IMDEA Networks. This requirement should be spelt out in the sponsorship agreement.

Externally-funded research projects enable us to collaborate with researchers from other organisations and backgrounds. Research funding is awarded following a rigorous competitive selection process in which project proposals, and the organisations presenting them, are subject to great scrutiny. Such rigour helps to ensure that research undertaken is relevant and well-managed.

European Union (EU)-funded Research Projects provide the Institute with excellent opportunities to collaborate with leading players in the international arena. Such projects are awarded through an open tendering system in which project consortia, composed of players from public and private sectors, collaborate to prepare and submit competitive research proposals in response to a specific EU call. The awarding of the research grant is a decision based on the funding organisation’s assessment of the proposals’ relative probabilities of success in achieving the stated goals.

IMDEA Networks seeks partnerships with leading companies, research institutes, Universities and technology centres that wish to form consortia for collaboration on such projects.

National and Regional Research are similar to European-funded research projects in their openness and the tendering processes used. 

Commissioned (or “Contract”) Research Projects in which the Institute is contracted by a company or organisation to conduct exclusive research on its behalf can be considered.

We  collaborate with University Carlos III of Madrid on a number of funded research projects. You will find more information about all our current and concluded projects on our Reseach Projects webpage

Please contact us if you would like to discuss any of these forms of Funded Research Project collaboration.

The Oficina de Proyectos Europeos Madri+d – IMDEA (Madri+d – IMDEA European Projects Bureau) is a network structure to support the participation of its member corporations in European programs. It is made up of IMDEA Water, IMDEA Food, IMDEA Energy, IMDEA Materials, IMDEA Nanoscience, IMDEA Networks, IMDEA Software and the Foundation for Knowledge ‘Madri+d’ in a coordination role.

The IMDEA Centers, whose end is to create a solid base for the generation of knowledge within the Community of Madrid with a critical presence in each of the selected scientific fields, strive to meet the following targets with regard to Horizon 2020:

  • To improve the quality of research and enhance the international projection of IMDEA activities through the participation of their researchers in a growing number of transnational cooperation projects
  • To increase the success rate of proposals presented through careful preparation and review of projects
  • To develop in-house, internationally competitive cutting-edge science and technology, which involves: 
    • Increasing the number of researchers (especially young researchers) developing and leading their own research projects (in particular, at the ERC)
    • Increasing the number of coordination projects led by IMDEA researchers.
  • To increase the revenue from European research funds, by participating in a more projects and through the mean funding obtained for them
  • To reach a critical mass in terms of researchers and equipment to international standards, supported whenever possible on the instruments available through Horizonte 2020, and to facilitate mobility and exchange programs for in-house researchers (Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions)
  • To encourage research in collaboration with companies, contributing to the creation of a scientifically and technologically advanced business network.
  • To improve the skills of IMDEA scientific and managerial personnel in the general and concrete aspects of Horizonte 2020 most relevant to their participation.
  • To maintain a presence at international forums related to the many areas within Horizonte 2020 of interest to mi+d and IMDEA, and to increase the capacity to detect opportunities for participation and identifying partners.
  • To promote interdisciplinary collaboration in European projects among IMDEA Institutes.

The attraction of world-class researchers is a cornerstone of our strategy to establish IMDEA Networks as a leading player in Future Wireless Internet research. We welcome support from leading companies in the field to establish a program of sponsored research chairs to help us achieve this goal.

Sponsorship of a Research Chair provides organisations with many benefits including:

  • Publicity: we would normally name a Research Chair after the sponsor(s); subsequently the name of the research chair would be indicated in all media communications related to the research project and the sponsored researchers, including publications in scientific journals
  • Access to research findings
  • Support highlights the organisation’s commitment to research in important fields
  • Establishes a long-term relationship with the Institute
  • Demonstrates a commitment to finding and nurturing talented researchers
  • Access to the expertise and databases of IMDEA Networks
  • IMDEA Networks can contribute to activities of the organization, such as workshops and seminars

The NETCOM (Research on Networks and Communication Services) Group within the Department of Telematic Engineering at the University Carlos III of Madrid (with whose researchers we collaborate extensively) is the beneficiary of the Telefonica Chair (Cátedra Telefónica-UC3M en Internet del Futuro para la Productividad).

Please contact us if you would like to discuss sponsoring a Research Chair at IMDEA Networks.

The Institute participates in and, in some cases, organizes various scientific events throughout the year. Some of these are sufficiently large and international in character, that they attract leading corporate sponsors and supporters.

We are presently organising other scientific events of international, national and regional interest. Those that are suitable to receive sponsorship will be publicised through these web pages.

Please contact us if you would like to discuss Event Sponsorship with IMDEA Networks.

These awards are intended to enhance the careers of the very best young researchers working in the field of Future Wireless Internet. Further details of our program of Research Fellowships will be announced in due course.

Early-stage researchers looking for salaried positions in which they will be supported to undertake a Ph.D. should see our “PhD Student” webpage in Career Opportunities. These positions provide full-funding for pre-doctorate researchers for a period of up to four years.