English Translation of COLCIENCIAS Project Typologies version 5

English Translation of COLCIENCIAS Project Typologies version 5.

Available here Tipologias de Proyectos version 5 2018 or on COLCIENCIAS.

  1. General Definitions.

Actor Recognized by Colciencias: Are those natural or legal persons that are susceptible of recognition by Colciencias as established in the policy of recognition of actors and that are enabled by the tax statute to give endorsement to a project that is presented to the call for tax benefits.

Scope of the project: i) The scope of an investigation indicates the goals that must be met or the results that will be obtained from the execution of the project and conditions the method that will be followed. ii) It is the work done to deliver a product, service or result with the specified functions and characteristics3

Social appropriation of science, technology and innovation: The Social Appropriation of the CTeI is an intentional process of understanding and intervention in the relationships between science, technology and society, which aims to expand the dynamics of generation, circulation and use of scientific knowledge -technological, and promote synergies between academic, productive, and state sectors, actively including communities and interest groups of civil society. It must include in a comprehensive manner the following components: Citizen participation in CIII, Communication of CIII, Exchange and transfer of knowledge, and Knowledge management in Social Appropriation of CIII.4

Guarantee: In the case of projects for tax benefits for investment, the guarantee must be given by the legal representative of the actor recognized by Colciencias. In any of the cases, the recognition must be valid at the time of making use of the tax benefit and it will be understood as official with the signature of the letter of presentation, endorsement and acceptance of commitments presented in the call.

The endorsement implies that the recognized actor is linked to the project with the role of Co executor or technical supervisor and is required to begin the evaluation process of the proposal.

Project life cycle: “It is the series of phases through which a project goes from its inception until it’s closure. (…) The phases are bounded in time with a beginning and an end or point of control. “5

Science, Technology and Innovation (CTeI): The qualification as technology and innovation science projects, hereinafter CTeI, includes the qualifications established in the law as “scientific, technological or innovation”, “research and technological development” projects or “of high content of scientific and technological research” as well as the other references in this matter contemplated in the current legislation.

Contingency: An event or an occurrence that could affect the execution of the project and that can be taken into account as a reservation.

Counterpart: These are the resources contributed by income taxpayers for the realization of a Science, Technology and Innovation project that will access tax benefits. The counterparts can be in cash or in kind (when a cash payment is not made for the development of said activities).

Copyrights: “They are the rights of the creators on their literary and artistic works. Works that lend themselves to copyright protection range from books, music, painting, sculpture and films to computer programs, databases, advertisements, maps and technical drawings. “7

Industrial design: “It is any external form or aesthetic appearance of functional or decorative elements that serve as a pattern for its production in industry, manufacturing or crafts with special characteristics, so that they add value to the product and generate differentiation and variety in the market. . The protection modality is called an industrial design registry. “8

The large volume of design work in an industrial sector that is oriented to production processes, is not classified as R & D. However, some elements of the design work, such as plans and drawings to define processes, technical specifications and operating characteristics necessary for the conception, development and manufacture of new products and processes, must be included as R & D.

Evaluation: It is the process of conceptualization or evaluation of a program, a project, a document, an information (among others), which necessarily implies the review by a scientific / academic / expert pair who as an evaluator must present a written concept of the evaluation – according to previously defined criteria – a concept that should be clearly supported.

Impact Evaluation: “Impact evaluation is a type of summative evaluation” 9. The World Bank 10 defines impact assessment as the measurement of changes in the well-being of individuals that can be attributed to a specific program or policy. Its general purpose is to determine the effectiveness of policies, programs or projects executed. The impact evaluation can be used to determine to what extent the planned results were produced or achieved, as well as to improve other projects or programs in execution or future (Brousseau and Montalvn, 2002) “11.

Layout Schemes of Integrated Circuits:

a) Integrated circuit: A product, in its final or intermediate form, whose elements, of which at least one is an active element and any or all of the interconnections, form an integral part of the body or surface of a piece of material, and that is intended to perform an electronic function;

b) Layout diagram: The three-dimensional arrangement, expressed in any form, of the elements, at least one of them being active, and interconnections of an integrated circuit, as well as that three-dimensional arrangement prepared for an integrated circuit destined to be manufactured.12

Project Risk Management13: Project risk management includes the processes to carry out the identification, analysis, assessment, response and control of the associated risks.

Guide14: A recommendation or official advice that indicates policies, standards or procedures about how something should be done.

Indicator: i) It is an instrument to measure the achievement of the objectives of the programs and a reference for monitoring progress and for evaluating the results achieved. ii) Tools to clarify and define, more precisely, objectives and impacts (…) are verifiable measures of change or result (…) designed to have a standard against which to evaluate, estimate or demonstrate progress ( …) with respect to established goals, facilitate the distribution of inputs, producing (…) products and reaching objectives15 “.

Executing Entity: Any income taxpayer that makes a capital or own resources placement that is recorded as a counterpart for the execution of a project in CTeI.

Administrative staff16: This category includes leaders, managers, administrators or managers who carry out administrative, economic and / or project management activities, as well as qualified and unskilled personnel for office support, maintenance, surveillance and secretariat, among others and that participates as support in the execution of the projects of CTeI. The fees of these personnel must be recorded in the project administration expense item.

Patent: “A patent is an exclusive right that is granted over an invention. That is, a patent is an exclusive right that is granted over a product or a process that, in general, offers a new way of doing something or a new technical solution to a problem. To obtain a patent, you must submit an application in which technical information about the invention is publicly disclosed. “17

Patent of invention: A patent of invention is the protection given to every new product or procedure, in all fields of technology, which offers a new way of doing something, or a new technical solution to a problem. The invention patent must be new (novelty), have an inventive level and be susceptible of industrial application.

Utility Model Patent: A utility model is considered as any new form, configuration or arrangement of elements, of any device, tool, instrument, mechanism or other object or part of it, that allows a better or different operation, use or manufacture of the object that incorporates it or that provides it with some utility, advantage or technical effect that it did not have before.18

Pilot plant19: “The Pilot Plant is defined as the process consisting of specific assembled parts that operate as a harmonious whole with the purpose of reproducing, at a scale, production processes.

It facilitates the subsequent operation and application at industrial level or in a certain work area; It also serves to compare theory (models) with practice and experimentation in various areas of knowledge. Its purpose is:

Predict the behavior of a plant at an industrial level, operating the pilot plant at conditions similar to those expected. In this case, the data obtained will be the basis for the design of the industrial plant.

Study the behavior of industrial plants already built, where the pilot plant is a replica and will be subject to the operating conditions foreseen for the industrial plant. In this case, the pilot plant is called a model and its main function is to show the effects of changes in operating conditions more quickly and economically than if they were carried out in the original plant. ”

The construction and use of a pilot plant are part of the R & D, as long as the main objective is to acquire experience and obtain technical or other data that can be used in:

– The evaluation of hypothesis.

– The development of new product formulas.

– The establishment of new finished product specifications.

– The design of special equipment and structures necessary for a new process.

– The drafting of operating instructions or manuals about the process.

– Standardization of batches of testing and development of production processes.

Once the experimental phase is completed, the pilot plant functions as a normal unit of commercial production. As of that moment, its activity can not be considered to be of R & D or technological development, even if the plant continues to be called a pilot plant. Since the fundamental objective of a pilot plant is not of a commercial nature, in principle it is irrelevant that part or all of its production may end up being sold20.

Prototypes21: A method to obtain an early feedback regarding the requirements, providing a functional operating model before actually building it.

Industrial prototype: Original built model that has all the technical and operational characteristics of the new product.

Once all the necessary modifications have been made to the prototype (s) and all the relevant tests have been carried out satisfactorily, the R & D phase is considered to be completed. The construction of several copies of a prototype to meet commercial, military or medical needs, once the original prototype has been successfully tested, does not constitute part of this phase, even though this activity is carried out by the expert staff in I + D22.

Project: “Project is a temporary effort that is carried out to create a product, service or unique result.” 23

CTeI Project: It is a coherent and comprehensive set of science, technology and innovation activities, which seek to achieve an ultimate goal through specific objectives, using a coordinated and interrelated methodology defined in a period of time, which can be supported in key elements such as: tools, human resources, support of guidelines and guidelines of senior management, essential technological or physical resources, in addition to previously estimated financial resources.

A CTeI project seeks to generate new knowledge, generate new products, services, organizational models, develop prototypes and / or pilot plants, develop experiments among others.

Responsible for the project before the CNBT, all the entities participating in the project will be responsible for the execution of the project and for the use of the benefit granted, according to their role and contributions. However, the entity responsible for coordinating the presentation of the project and the annual execution reports, will be the entity that provides the greatest resource to the project as an investor in the case of deductions, and in the case of donations, it will be the entity grantee

Risk (24): An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more of the project’s objectives.

Role (25): A defined function to be performed by a member of the project team.

Transfer of knowledge and technology: The Transfer of Knowledge and Technology (TCT) defined from the perspective of the Innovation Systems, comprises a set of actions at different levels carried out by different institutions in an individual and aggregated way for the development, use, use, modification and diffusion of new technologies and innovations, and that constitutes the framework in which governments apply policies to contribute to innovation processes. (26)

The TCT requires a system of interconnected public and private institutions to create, store and transfer information, knowledge, skills and competencies. Usually the transfer is made with Intellectual Property assets through the following processes27:

  1. Sale of intellectual property rights.
  2. Licensing of intellectual property assets.
  3. Joint ventures or collaboration agreements.
  4. Generation of new technology-based companies (spin-off and start-up).

2. Typology of CTeI projects.

The definition of Science, Technology and Innovation projects is very broad and also involves efforts made by companies and the academic sector to generate new knowledge and materialize it in products and / or services, organizational models and processes that allow it to be more competitive and generate a social and economic impact.

In order to establish which projects can access the tax benefits, the National Council of Tax Benefits (CNBT) has established the conditions and characteristics of the projects that respond to the nature of the instrument and are aimed at generating value in the companies and the society.

For the Colombian case, scientific research projects, technological development and innovation are considered CII projects and are conceived as a systematic process that starts with the understanding of the foundations of observable phenomena and facts (basic research), ending with the introduction of implementation of solutions to problems faced daily by different sectors of society, which translates into the improvement of the country’s social and economic indicators.

CTeI projects are classified into three types: i. Scientific research projects, ii. Technological development projects and iii. Innovation projects.

2.1. Scientific Research Projects

Scientific research includes “creative work carried out systematically to increase the volume of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of that knowledge to create new applications.” (OECD, 2002) 28: The term Scientific research encompasses three modalities: basic research, applied research and experimental development, which can be defined according to the OECD (2002) as shown below:

Basic research “consists of experimental or theoretical works that are undertaken mainly to obtain new knowledge about the foundations of observable phenomena and facts, without thinking about giving them any application or specific use” .29 Regardless of the area of knowledge.

Applied research “also consists of original work carried out to acquire new knowledge; however, it is fundamentally directed towards a specific practical objective “30, regardless of the area of knowledge. Applied research is undertaken to determine the possible uses of the results of basic research, or to determine new methods or ways to achieve specific predetermined objectives.31

Experimental development “consists of systematic works based on existing knowledge obtained by research or practical experience, which are directed to the manufacture of new materials, products or devices, to establish new procedures, systems or services or to considerably improve those that already exist “ 32

The main objective of scientific research projects is the generation of new knowledge, with the aim of acquiring a deep understanding of the phenomena under study and the possible applications that may be made in the future. Table 2.1 shows the main objectives of the types of scientific research based on what is defined in the Frascati Manual.

Main objectives of the scientific research projects based on the Frascati manual:

Basic Research: Its main purpose is the generation of knowledge with two purposes: the first is to expand the volume of existing knowledge about a phenomenon and / or observable facts, the second has the objective of increasing the volume of knowledge available on a problem in order to to promote understanding for the future to develop a solution or application.

Applied research: Its main objective is to acquire new knowledge oriented towards a specific practical objective. To achieve this, all existing and available knowledge must be considered to solve specific problems.

Experimental Development: Its main objective is a deep understanding of the phenomena and factors that affect the materialization of an idea. It differs from applied research because in this type of project, there is a theoretical solution to a problem but it still does not meet the necessary conditions for the development of a functional prototype.

2.1.1. Projects that qualify as scientific research.

Projects that qualify as scientific research as defined by the National Council for Tax Benefits based on international manuals, could be summarized in table 2.2., Which contains illustrative and non-exhaustive examples to guide evaluators and proponents to identify in what type Your project can be located.

2.1.2. Projects that do not qualify as Scientific Research.

Projects that do not qualify as scientific research are those that by their scope or form of execution do not conform to what is defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals. Below is an enunciative list of these type of projects:

1. Projects that by their scope, structure and results may be considered Technological Development or Innovation.

2. Projects whose main objective is:

A) Teaching and training of personnel.

B) Development of undergraduate, Master and Doctorate theses.

C) Scientific, technological and technical information services.

D) Acquisition, collection and processing of data.

E) Tests and standardization of laboratory tests.

F) Accreditation of laboratories and bioterios.

G) Specialized technological and technical services.

H) Specialized consultancies

I) Administrative and legal activities aimed at obtaining property products

intellectual.

J) Pre-feasibility and / or feasibility studies.

K) Indirect management and support activities that do not constitute R & D in themselves.

L) Purchase, expansion, maintenance or update of infrastructure, equipment and machinery or computer programs.

M) Routine software use and maintenance activities.

N) Development of information systems that use known methods and tools

existing IT

O) The conversion or translation of computer languages.

P) The addition of user functions to those of computer applications.

Q) The debugging of computer systems.

R) The adaptation of existing software that does not imply new developments.

S) Strengthening of institutional capacities.

T) Activities that are of a routine nature and that do not imply scientific or technical advances or

do not solve technological uncertainties.

U) The creation of research centers, technological development centers, incubator of

companies, technological parks laboratories, among others.

3. Those developed in Free Zones based on the simple fulfillment of the Master Plan of

General Development of the Free Zone.

4. Those that are developed based on simple compliance with the regulations in force and / or obtaining certifications.

2.1.3. Content requested for the evaluation of a scientific research project.

In order to carry out the proposal evaluation process, the Technical Secretariat of the National Council of Tax Benefits has defined a series of contents requested in the online form for the registration of projects. Below is each of these contents with their respective description to guide proponents and / or evaluators in the process of qualifying the proposals as CTeI projects.

Title of Project

The title is the first reference of the project, it must describe the subject and the work to be done, for this it is important to take into account the content of the proposal and the purpose for which the research work is carried out. It is recommended to use a maximum of 250 characters for the title.

Amount requested for tax benefits for investment

The executing agency of the project must register in the online form what amount they request for the tax benefit during the duration of the project.

If there are more entities in the development of the project, this amount corresponds to the totality of the resources contributed by the participating entities and must coincide with the total value of the project without including the amounts financed with public resources.

The tax benefit applies only to the resources contributed by the income taxpayers that participate in the project and that are invested in the current and future fiscal period.

Type of Project

The type of project of a scientific research nature that is presented must be classified according to these options:

 Basic research

 Applied research 

 Experimental development

Justification of the nature of the project

Arguing the reasons why they consider that the project conforms to the type of scientific research, for this they may take into account the guidelines of the National Council of Tax Benefits consigned in this document and the own analysis that the proposer made at the time of formulating the proposal taking into account criteria such as the scope and purpose of the project. It is recommended to make a concise justification, which does not exceed 500 words and which answers the question What characteristics does the present project have that can be classified as a scientific research proposal?

Executive Summary

Summarize in a maximum of 500 words the necessary information to explain what the problem or need consists of, how you think it will solve it, what are the reasons that justify its execution and the tools that will be used in the development of the project.

Knowledge that will generate the research project (Identification and description)

Mention the new ideas or concepts that are important for scientific progress in the subject that contribute to achieving the proposed objectives. It is recommended to describe the relevance and contribution of the proposed project to the subject under investigation and explain how it will contribute to the generation of new scientific – technological knowledge or the advancement of the state of the art.

Statement of the problem or need

The approach of the problem makes it possible to identify the need to carry out the study and must be formulated in a clear and concrete manner, allowing the identification of the question or hypothesis to be answered, whose solution or understanding will contribute to the advancement of science and the generation of new knowledge.

The definition of the problem is one of the most complicated phases when formulating a project of any kind, since it must define what the problem consists of in a broad way, delimit it, and analyze if it is worthwhile to carry out a project to solve it. For scientific research projects it should be evident that there is a gap in the knowledge of a topic or for the materialization of a solution for the case of experimental development.

For this stage it is necessary to review the background and importance of the subject to be investigated, the previous studies carried out at national and international level and the way in which the development of the present investigation will contribute a new knowledge or allow the materialization of the knowledge in a good or service to future that satisfies a need.

State of the Art

The purpose of the elaboration of the state of the art is to give theoretical support to the problem posed and to the research that seeks to be carried out, and its objective is to know in depth the topic to be investigated and to identify the main advances obtained to date in this area of knowledge for guide research to generate new knowledge.

A state of the art must contain among other elements:

1. Analysis of the available scientific information on the subject, in order to corroborate that there is in fact a gap in knowledge. For this purpose, systematic searches of the scientific literature should be carried out to demonstrate the advance of scientific knowledge in this field. Remember that a state of the art must include the most recognized authors in the subject and an analysis of the works published in the last five years, as well as describe the main components and elements of the topic to be investigated.

2. The way in which the subject has been addressed in previous research, in this case, the results and methods used in the research that most closely approach the topic under study must be documented in order to guide the research to new ways of approaching the subject. problem or the identified need.

3. Know the perspectives or approaches of previous research on the related subject, so that new perspectives can be considered to analyze it, for example when studying the topic of traffic accidents in a region of Colombia, in the state of the art it is evident that the previous investigations focused on analyzing only the incidence of the road infrastructure and the safety of the vehicles that travel the most in this zone in the accident rate, for which a research that analyzes whether cultural and social factors affect said rate of accidents would generate new knowledge.

4. An analysis of similar cases of research at the regional, national or international level, in order to avoid “inventing the wheel” and take advantage of the results of previous research to generate new knowledge.

In case the project does not have direct antecedents or with a low number of publications, this situation should be evidenced by an analysis of the bibliography in recognized scientific sources.

In the case of projects with previous phases developed by the entity, the results achieved in the phases developed must be related.

For this item, it is recommended to take into account the analysis of technological surveillance, consult scientific databases and patents, relate bibliographic review (retaining the structure of formats such as the APA), and consult Scienti to verify the state of the national technique.

Remember to respect the intellectual property rights of article authors by citing them properly and including such references in the bibliography section.

Objectives of the project

The objectives define what is intended to achieve with the development of the project and become a guide during its execution as they define the scope of the research. When formulating an objective, it is necessary to verify that it is achievable and drafted clearly, in such a way that ambiguities or deviations are avoided throughout the development of the project. Below are some recommendations for its formulation:

The general objective of the project is one and you must establish that you intend to achieve the research, for that you must answer what and what you want to do the project for. It must be shown in a general way what will be the result of the research, the methods to be used and the challenge to be solved. It is recommended to write with a verb in infinite that translate action for example establish, implant, synthesize, analyze, develop among others.

The specific objectives define the aspects, phases and / or main stages that are needed to reach the general objective, they must be coherent with each other and show what the results and methods are for each phase of the project. It is recommended to establish a maximum of 5 objectives and write starting with a verb in infinitive.

Main errors in the formulation of objectives:

1. Confuse objectives with activities, processes or procedures.

2. Repeat the general objective within the specific objectives, remember that the general objective is the purpose of the project and the specific objectives detail the

main phases to achieve it.

3. Write objectives that are not consistent with the title and the problem

raised, remember that the projects have a common thread that begins with the

Title.

4. Write objectives ambiguously so that it is not possible to identify

who is looking for the project and what the results will be.

5. Explain the objectives, given that in this field only those are defined, the objectives are justified with the problem and state of the art and are explained in the methodology.

Proposed Methodology

The methodology defines the way forward to achieve the proposed objectives, and must identify and describe the use of qualitative and quantitative methods, procedures, analytical techniques that will be used to achieve each of the specific objectives.

It is recommended to write the methodology by specific objective and define for each of them, the procedure, technique or tool to be used, for example observations, surveys, interviews, experimental designs, simulations, validations, tests, tests and others, the variables to analyze when applicable and the information or data that you aspire to obtain and the results.

Main errors in the formulation of the methodology:

1. Write the methodology as a list of activities, this is done in the project schedule

2. Define the methodology with little detail, given that without sufficient information an evaluator of the proposal could consider that the objectives are not attainable.

Project Risks

Risks are an event or condition of uncertainty that, when materialized, can have a positive or negative effect on the scope of one or more project objectives (PMI, 2013).

In this item, it is requested to record the main risks that the entities have identified that could impact the execution of the project and the activities or control points for their mitigation. This information is necessary to follow the project.

In the case of the evaluation of the proposals, the evaluators will verify that the identified risks allow to reduce the uncertainty of reaching the proposed objectives.

It is suggested to write the risks based on the following structure: “As a result of (enter the cause), there is a possibility that (possible future event) causing (enter the effect)” for example as a result of inadequate handling of samples, there is the possibility that the results of the laboratory tests are not as expected, causing the specific objective not to be reached 1. For this risk, the entity defines safety and sample management protocols and includes tools that allow researchers to constantly monitor the conditions environmental aspects of laboratory tests.

Trajectory and capacity of the working group or institutions participating in the project

Describe the experience and trajectory that the executing and co-executing entities and the actor recognized by Colciencias have in the subject of the proposed project, it is suggested to include previous research, products obtained, publications, presentations, technical documents, among others.

In case an entity considers that the information included in the Scien-ti platform is sufficient to evaluate the trajectory and capacity, include in this item the information about the group to be validated in the evaluation process.

Distribution of project responsibilities:

Clearly describe the activities and deliverables that will be developed in the execution of the

a) The executing agency

b) Co-executing entities

c) The actor recognized by Colciencias

d) The entities and / or persons that will carry out specialized consulting activities. 

e) The entities that will perform technological services within the framework of the project.

Bibliography

Relate the sources of scientific and / or technological information relevant, current and / or updated that were consulted and / or cited in the text of the project. It is recommended to use sources recognized by the national or international scientific and technological community and the APA, ISO or MLA formats for citations. The proponent of the project is responsible for making the respective citation of the documents consulted.

Environmental Impact in the execution of the Project

Identify the effects of the development of the research project, whether positive or negative. In the event that the project identifies a negative environmental impact, it must identify if it is necessary to obtain the permits and environmental authorizations issued by the competent authorities that enable the development of the project. It is recommended to establish the pertinent actions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts identified.

Remember that with the joint signature of the letter of presentation, endorsement and acceptance of commitments, the project entities certify that “The present project was formulated taking into account the environmental norms, norms of health research or applied, in the case of genetically modified organisms or access to biological and genetic resources, or in case of using live resources, agents or biological samples, personal data, information from previous research carried out with living beings or that have no impact on life. And they have the respective supports (ethics committee, environmental licenses among others), in case COLCIENCIAS requires them “.

If, to the consideration of an evaluator, a project that requires a special permit for its execution, the supports may be requested to the proponents in the feedback stages and in case of not sending it, the National Council of Tax Benefits may reject its proposal due to non-compliance the requirements established by law.

Aspects of Intellectual Property

The entities participating in the project must define the ownership of the intellectual property rights derived from the results, taking into account the roles of the parties involved and their functions in the project. For more information, consult the Intellectual Property Guide adopted by the CNBT available on the Colciencias website. If there are no results that can be protected by intellectual property or that other protection mechanisms are defined, this should be explicitly stated.

Technical results by specific objective.

Relate for each specific objective the results that show its scope.

In the event that I consider that there are other results than those registered in the “results” field, they may be included in this space and identify the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators thereof.

 

Schedule

To relate the main activities required for the execution of the project based on what is defined in the methodology and to limit them in a period of time, in such a way that it allows to observe all the execution of the project and to know the progress status. It is advisable to take into account possible contingencies and / or delays that may arise during the execution of the project when defining its duration.

Remember that for the development of this project, you may apply to the CNBT for an extension for the execution of the project only when it is not possible to obtain the technical results in the time initially stipulated, this extension may not exceed one year.

Results

Define the measurable and quantifiable products that will be reached with the development of the project. It is necessary to establish at least one result for each specific objective and indicate the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators.

Remember that these results must be fully achieved within the framework of the project development and must be consistent with the methodology and demonstrate compliance with the project’s objectives.

Example of indicators: number of indexed publications, tests carried out, presentations, laboratory tests developed, experiments performed, etc. (during the execution of the project). A guide to the possible results can be found in section 5 of this document.

Expected Impacts

Relate the expected medium and long-term effects with the development of the project as a result of the knowledge acquired and generated in the research.

It is important to identify for each impact, the qualitative and quantitative indicators that can be verified, their description and the year of measurement. An example of indicators could be: number of new publications made by participating entities, number of prototypes developed, number of projects developed based on the knowledge generated, among others.

Budget

The budget of the project gives financial backing to the proposal and becomes one of the restrictions that limit the scope of the project. It is for this reason that it must be directly related to the activities defined in the methodology and the resources required to achieve the objectives.

In this item, the entity must record the values of the investment in the project within the framework of the items approved by the National Council for Tax Benefits (CNBT) for tax purposes. These can be consulted in number 3. It is important to register the

Provider when a purchase is made to other entities and the justification of why this item is necessary in the project and its relation with the proposed methodology and activities. Likewise, it is recommended to break down the items in detail and not to group investments in large items (for example: acquisition of machinery necessary for the development of the project).

To plan these items, it is necessary to make an estimate of costs taking into account factors such as inflation and the projection of the value of the dollar, so that the company can access the tax benefit in an appropriate manner. Remember that you will not be able to increase the value of the budget registered for tax purposes, so that investments with amounts higher than those approved by the CNBT will not be able to access the tax benefit. Entities may only make a quota transfer for tax purposes throughout the life cycle of the project.

2.1.4. Qualification criteria for a scientific research project. 

Quality of the project, 

(viability(33) of the project): (74%)

to)

b) Formulation of the proposal: (1%)

i) It will be verified that the registered project has been formulated taking into account the project typology document approved by the CNBT.

Quality of the proposed concepts: (5%) will be considered

i) The quality of the proposed research or development actions, as the case may be and

proposed methods for the execution and monitoring of the project, which guarantee the approach of

the proposed objectives.

ii) The quality of the project’s background, that is, whether the project is adequate and updated.

Information provided on:

  • The theme of the project.
  • The state of the art in the subject.
  • The approach of the problem.
  • The bibliographic review.

 Aspects related to technological surveillance or other pertinent documentation

that leads to identify the added value provided by the development of the project at the local, sectoral, regional, national or international level.

Quality and efficiency of project planning. (68%) 

It will be verified

  1. The clear and coherent definition of the specific objectives set to achieve the general objective.
  2. The coherence and relevance of the methodology and the activities to be developed in order to achieve the objectives and results proposed.
  3. The technical expertise of the participants that make up the work team, necessary to perform the tasks assigned within the project. The knowledge and verifiable technical trajectory related to the theme of the submitted proposal must be assessed.
  4. The coherence of the time spent by the work team in the activities to be developed.
  5. The consideration of technological competitiveness for technological development or 
  6. innovation projects, that is, the advantages for the country, the risk of obsolescence and the possibility of generating patents
  7. The coherence between the proposal and the administrative and technical management capacity of the group or recognized center that co-executes or supervises the project to qualify.
  8. The clarity and coherence of the distribution of budgeted resources in the project. He
  9. It will verify that the budgeted items are necessary to achieve the objectives, are clearly defined, justified and conform to the project typology document.

Potential impact of the project through the development, dissemination and use of project results. (20%) 

It will be verified:

 III.

Relevance of the project. (6%) 

It will be verified:

  1. The contribution to the strengthening of the country’s research and development. 
  2. The contribution with scientific training, knowledge transfer or new technologies.
  3. The clear, coherent definition of the expected results for each of the specific objectives.
  4. The contribution and implementation of the added value provided by the results of the project.
  5. For research projects: identify contributions of new knowledge.
  6. The identification of the results with verifiable quantitative and qualitative indicators.
  7. The strengths of intellectual property.
  8. The validity and relevance of the means and type of proposed disclosure.

2.2. Technological Development Projects

Technological development is understood as: “Application of the results of research, or any other type of scientific knowledge, for the manufacture of new materials, products, for the design of new processes, production systems or services, as well as the substantial technological improvement of pre-existing materials, products, processes or systems. This activity will include the realization of the results of the research in a plan, scheme or design, as well as the creation of non-marketable prototypes and the initial demonstration projects or pilot projects, provided that they are not converted or used in industrial applications or for commercial exploitation “.34

The main objective of these projects is the materialization of the knowledge available or obtained by the entities participating in the project, in prototypes, pilot plants, models to validate their usefulness in satisfying a need whether internal, external or from the market.

Technological development is considered as the first phase of innovation, and include in its scope the manufacture of test batches at pilot scale for the case of new products or the development of pilot plants for the validation of new production processes.

Experimental development projects differ from technological development because in this type of research, there is a theoretical solution to a problem but it still does not meet the necessary conditions for the development of a prototype. Its objective is a deep understanding of the phenomena and factors that affect the materialization of an idea and not in the development of prototypes.

2.2.1. Projects that qualify as Technological Development.

The projects that qualify as technological development as defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals, are summarized in the following table, which contains illustrative and non-exhaustive examples to guide evaluators and proponents to identify in what type tour project can be located.

Features

Technological development projects validate solutions at the prototype and pilot level, before scaling up at an industrial level, its objective is to reduce the uncertainty generated by the theoretical solutions proposed.

Possible Results 

Prototypes, pilot plants, models

Design, optimization and / or standardization of pilot-level processes.

Validation of design and its impact on improving the quality of goods or services.

Development of information technologies in relation to operating systems, programming languages, data management, programs of communications and tools for software development.

The development of software that produces advances in the generic approaches for the capture, transmission, storage, recovery, treatment or presentation of information.

R & D in software tools or technologies in specialized areas of computer science (image processing, presentation of data recognition characters, artificial and others).

Geographic, intelligence interactives, prototypes and artifacts for science centers.

Examples

  • Design of a prototype of bumper and directions in low range cars from thermoplastic polyurethanes, with greater resistance to friction and tenacity, for automobiles.
  • Design of a pilot plant for the analysis of the efficiency of the reading system by means of bluetooth, for the traceability of products.
  • Application of algorithms based on neural networks for the development of pilot software for traffic lights in cities.
  • Pilot plant for potassium nitrate for the manufacture of fertilizers in citrus fruit plantations
  • Prototypes for the development of intelligent textiles from nanotechnology processes.
  • Prototypes for the development of reverse engineering for the production of mechanical parts in the automotive sector.
  • Development and validation of robot prototypes for automation processes that improve the productivity and / or efficiency of the plant.

2.2.2. Projects that do not qualify as Technological Development.

Projects that do not qualify as Technological Development are considered to be those that by their scope or form of execution do not conform to what is defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals. Below is an enunciative list of this type of projects:

1. Projects that by their scope, structure and results can be considered as scientific research or Innovation.

2. Projects that consist essentially of technological services and / or specialized consultancies.

3. Projects whose main objective is:

A) Regular or periodic modifications made to products, production lines, manufacturing processes, existing services and other operations in progress, even when said modifications may represent improvements to them.

B) Scaling at an industrial level35 or commercialization of the results obtained or developed at the pilot plant level.

C) Routine efforts36 to improve products, processes or services.

D) Routine adjustments made by the company due to its normal operation or leveling with

with respect to competitors that does not imply a development by the executing company.

E) Periodic changes, seasonality or seasonal changes (eg fashion design), that do not imply

changes in the functionality of the products.

F) Design changes that do not modify the functionality of the product or service.

G) Aesthetic modifications of existing products to differentiate them from similar ones.

H) Marketing of products and services of other companies, including parent companies.

I) Consulting

J) The replacement, purchase, expansion or update of infrastructure, machines, equipment or

Software.

K) Strengthening institutional capacities

L) Pre-feasibility studies (37), feasibility (38).

M) Hiring technological services and / or specialized technicians.

N) Administrative and legal activities aimed at obtaining property products

intellectual

O) Indirect management and support activities that do not constitute R & D in themselves.

P) Computer activities that are routine in nature and do not involve advances

scientists, technicians, who do not resolve technological uncertainties or who do not demonstrate their CTeI component.

Q) Commercial application software and development of information systems that use methods

known and existing computer tools.

R) The maintenance of existing computer systems.

S) The conversion or translation of computer languages.

T) The debugging of computer systems.

U) The adaptation of existing software.

V) The preparation of documentation for the user.

W) Teaching and training of personnel, development of undergraduate thesis, Masters and Doctorate.

X) Scientific, technological and technical information services.

Y) Acquisition, collection and processing of data.

Z) Tests and standardization of laboratory tests.

3. Those developed in Free Trade Zones according to the simple fulfillment of the General Development Master Plan of the Free Trade Zone.

4. Those developed based on simple compliance with current regulations and / or obtaining certifications.

2.2.3. Content requested for the evaluation of a Technological Development project.

In order to carry out the proposal evaluation process, the technical secretariat of the National Tax Benefits Council has defined a series of contents requested in the online form for the registration of projects. Below is each of these contents with their respective description to guide proponents and / or evaluators in the process of qualifying the proposals as CTeI projects.

Information requested by Colciencias

Title of the project

The title is the first reference of the project, it must describe the subject and the work to be done, for this it is important to take into account the content of the proposal and the purpose for which the research work is carried out. It is recommended to use a maximum of 250 characters for the title.

Amount requested for tax benefits for investment

The executing agency of the project must register in the online form what amount they request for the tax benefit during the duration of the project.

If there are more entities in the development of the project, this amount corresponds to the totality of the resources contributed by the participating entities and must coincide with the total value of the project without including the amounts financed with public resources.

The tax benefit applies only to the resources contributed by the income taxpayers that participate in the project and that are invested in the current and future fiscal period.

Project Type

The type of project must be classified, for this case it is Technological Development.

Justification of the nature of the project

Argument the reasons why they consider that the project conforms to the type of Technological Development. For this purpose, they may take into account the guidelines of the National Council of Tax Benefits consigned in this document and the own analysis that the proposer made at the time of formulating the proposal, taking into account criteria such as the scope and purpose of the project. It is recommended to make a concise justification, that does not exceed 500 words and that answers the question: What characteristics does this project have that can be classified as a Technological Development proposal?

Technological development of the proposal (identification and description)

Mention the new ideas or concepts that are important for the scientific and technological advance in the subject that contribute to achieving the proposed objectives. It is recommended to describe the relevance and contribution of the proposed project to the subject under investigation and explain how they will contribute to the materialization of an idea in a prototype, pilot plant, model among others.

Pre-evaluation of the market for technological development.

Mention what are the needs and opportunities of the market identified for this project. For this purpose, it will have to consult or identify needs with customers, analyze competitors and the market and, as far as possible, characterize the potential market for new products and, for processes and / or organizational models, the needs of the company in comparison with the available solutions.

Statement of the problem or need

The approach of the problem allows to identify the need and / or opportunity to carry out the study and must be formulated in a clear and concrete way, allowing identifying the need or opportunity that one wants to replace with the development of the project and the scientific / technological uncertainty whose solution or understanding it will contribute with the materialization of available knowledge in a tangible good or service at the prototype or pilot level.

The definition of the problem is one of the most complicated phases when formulating a project of any kind, since it must define what the problem consists of in a broad way, delimit it, and analyze if it is worthwhile to carry out a project to solve it. For technological development projects, it should be evident that there is a challenge in the materialization of a theoretical solution, that merits a stage of development and validation of the same before implementing it or launching it into the market.

For this stage it is necessary to review the background and importance of the subject to be investigated, the previous studies carried out at national and international level and the way in which the development of the present investigation will allow the materialization of the knowledge in a good or service that satisfies a need in the medium term.

State of the Art

The purpose of the elaboration of the state of the art is to give theoretical support to the problem posed and to the project that seeks to be carried out, and aims to know in depth the topic to be investigated and to identify the main advances obtained to date in this area of knowledge for guide the project to the development of a prototype or pilot plant that will allow an improvement of existing products and solutions.

A state of the art must contain among other elements:

  1. Analysis of the available scientific information on the subject, in order to corroborate that there is a real challenge in the materialization of these solutions. For this purpose, systematic searches of the scientific literature should be carried out to demonstrate the advance of scientific knowledge in this field. Remember that a state of the art must include the most recognized authors in the subject and an analysis of the works published in the last five years, as well as describe the main components and elements of the topic to be investigated.
  2. The way in which the subject has been addressed in previous research and / or projects. In this case, the results and methods used in the investigations that are closest to the topic under study and / or to the possible prototypes or pilot plants developed must be documented, in such a way that it guides the project to new ways of approaching the problem or the identified need.
  3. The perspectives or approaches of previously developed projects on the related subject, in such a way that new perspectives can be considered to analyze it. For example, a company proposes a project for the design of a prototype of an aquatic robot, in the state of the art they review the possible materials with which they can comply with the designs and identified that there is a type of alloy that is malleable and resistant to high hydrostatic pressures but that has never been used to build a robot, so they decide to include it for the development of the project.
  4. An analysis of similar cases of research at the regional, national or international level, in order to avoid “inventing the wheel” and take advantage of the results of previous research to generate new functional prototypes, improvements in pilot plants, new models, others.
  5. In case the project does not have a direct background or with a low number of publications, this situation should be evidenced by an analysis of the bibliography in recognized scientific sources.
  6. In the case of projects with previous phases developed by the entity, the results achieved in the phases developed must be related.
  7. For this item, it is recommended to take into account the analysis of technological surveillance, consult scientific databases and patents, relate bibliographic review (retaining the structure of formats such as the APA), and consult Scienti to verify the state of the national technique.
  8. Remember to respect the intellectual property rights of article authors by citing them properly and including such references in the bibliography section.

Objectives of the project

The objectives define what is intended to achieve with the development of the project and become a guide during its execution as they define the scope of the research. When formulating an objective, it is necessary to verify that it is achievable and drafted clearly, in such a way that ambiguities or deviations are avoided throughout the development of the project. Below are some recommendations for its formulation:

The general objective of the project is one and you must establish that you intend to achieve the research, for that you must answer what and what you want to do the project for. It must be shown in a general way what will be the result of the research, the methods to be used and the challenge to be solved. It is recommended to write with a verb in infinitive that translates action for example establish, implant, synthesize, analyze, develop among others.

The specific objectives define the aspects, phases and / or main stages that are needed to reach the general objective, they must be coherent with each other and show what the results and methods are for each phase of the project. It is recommended to establish a maximum of 5 objectives and write starting with a verb in infinitive.

Main errors in the formulation of objectives:

Confuse objectives with activities, processes or procedures.

Repeat the general objective within the specific objectives, remember that the general objective is the purpose of the project and the general objectives detail the main phases to achieve it.

Write objectives that are not consistent with the title and the problems raised, remember that the projects have a common thread that begins with the title.

Draft objectives in an ambiguous way so that it is not possible to identify what the project is looking for and what the results will be.

Explain the objectives, given that in this field only those are defined, the objectives are justified with the problem and state of the art and are explained in the methodology.

Proposed Methodology 

The methodology defines the way forward to achieve the proposed objectives, and must identify and describe the use of qualitative and quantitative methods, procedures, analytical techniques that will be used to achieve each of the specific objectives.

It is recommended to write the methodology by specific objective and define for each of them, the procedure, technique or tool to be used, for example simulations, validations, tests, tests, among others, the variables to be analyzed when applicable and the information or data that aspire to obtain and the results.

Main errors in the formulation of the methodology:

Write the methodology as a list of activities, this is done in the project schedule

Define the methodology with little detail, given that without sufficient information an evaluator of the proposal could consider that the objectives are not achievable.

Project Risks

Risks are an event or condition of uncertainty that, when materialized, can have a positive or negative effect on the scope of one or more project objectives (PMI, 2013).

In this item, it is requested to record the main risks that the entities have identified that could impact the execution of the project and the activities or control points for their mitigation. This information is necessary to follow the project.

In the case of the evaluation of the proposals, the evaluators will verify that the identified risks allow to reduce the uncertainty of reaching the proposed objectives.

It is suggested to write the risks based on the following structure: “As a result of (enter the cause), there is a possibility that (possible future event) causing (enter the effect)” for example as a result of an inadequate design of a functional prototype , there is the possibility that the prototype does not meet the identified needs, causing the specific objective not to be reached. 

1. For this risk, the entity defines a validation with design experts before making the prototype.

Trajectory and capacity of the working group or institutions participating in the project

Describe the experience and trajectory that the executing and co-executing entities and the actor recognized by Colciencias have in the theme of the proposed project. It is suggested to include previous research, products obtained, publications, presentations, technical documents, among others.

In case an entity considers that the information included in the Scien-ti platform is sufficient to evaluate the trajectory and capacity, include in this item the information about the group to be validated in the evaluation process.

Distribution of responsibilities

Clearly describe the activities and deliverables that will be developed in the execution of the project: 

  1. The executing entity. 
  2. Co-executing entities. 
  3. The actor recognized by Colciencias. 
  4. The entities and / or persons that will carry out specialized consulting activities. 
  5. The entities that will perform technological services within the framework of the project.

Bibliography

Relate the sources of scientific and / or technological information relevant, current and / or updated that were consulted and / or cited in the text of the project. It is recommended to use sources recognized by the national or international scientific and technological community and the APA, ISO or MLA formats for citations. The proponent of the project is responsible for making the respective citation of the documents consulted.

Environmental Impact in the execution of the Project

Identify the effects that the development of the research project has, whether positive or negative. In the event that the project identifies a negative environmental impact, it must identify if it is necessary to obtain the permits and environmental authorizations issued by the competent authorities that enable the development of the project. It is recommended to establish the pertinent actions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts identified.

Remember that with the joint signature of the letter of presentation, endorsement and acceptance of commitments, the project entities certify that “The present project was formulated taking into account the environmental norms, norms of health research or applied, in the case of genetically modified organisms or access to biological and genetic resources, or in case of using live resources, agents or biological samples, personal data, information from previous research carried out with living beings or that have no impact on life. And they have the respective supports (ethics committee, environmental licenses among others), in case COLCIENCIAS requires them “.

If, to the consideration of an evaluator, a project that requires a special permit for its execution, the supports may be requested to the proponents in the feedback stages and in case of not sending it, the National Council of Tax Benefits may reject its proposal for non-compliance the requirements established by law.

Aspects of Intellectual Property

The entities participating in the project must define the ownership of the intellectual property rights derived from the results, taking into account the roles of the parties involved and their functions in the project. For more information, consult the Intellectual Property Guide adopted by the CNBT available on the Colciencias website. If there are no results that can be protected by intellectual property or that other protection mechanisms are defined, this should be explicitly stated.

Technical results by specific objective.

Relate for each specific objective the results that show its scope. In the event that I consider that there are other results than those registered in the “results” field, they may be included in this space and identify the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators thereof.

Schedule

To relate the main activities required for the execution of the project based on what is defined in the methodology and to limit them in a period of time, in such a way that it allows to observe all the execution of the project and to know the progress status. It is advisable to take into account possible contingencies and / or delays that may arise during the execution of the project when defining its duration.

Remember that for the development of this project, you may apply to the CNBT for an extension for the execution of the project only when it is not possible to obtain the technical results in the time initially stipulated, this extension may not exceed one year.

Results

Define the measurable and quantifiable products that will be reached with the development of the project, it is necessary to establish at least one result for each specific objective and indicate the characteristics of new knowledge generated, means of verification and indicators.

Remember that these results must be fully achieved within the framework of the project development and must be consistent with the methodology and demonstrate compliance with the project’s objectives.

Example of indicators: number of functional prototypes, tests performed, presentations, laboratory tests developed, pilot plants, experiments performed, etc. (during the execution of the project). A guide to the possible results can be found in section 5 of this document.

Expected Impacts

Relate the expected medium and long-term effects with the development of the project as a result of the knowledge acquired and generated in the research.

It is important to identify for each impact, the qualitative and quantitative indicators that can be verified, their description and the year of measurement. An example of indicators could be: number of new publications made by participating entities, number of prototypes developed, number of projects developed based on the knowledge generated, among others.

Personal

Register the necessary personnel for the execution of the project by participating entity. The scientific and support staff must be registered and clearly define the function in the project, role, specialty and function. To know the type of scientific and support staff consult section 4.2.

It is necessary to define a principal investigator in the project and identify which is the scientific staff of the proposal, since it will be the only one that will be able to access the benefit of Non-Constituent Income of Income and / or Occasional Gain.

Budget

The project budget gives financial support to the proposal and becomes one of the restrictions that limit the scope of the project, which is why it must be directly related to the activities defined in the methodology and the resources required to achieve the objectives. 

In this item, the entity must register the investment values in the project within the framework of the items approved by the National Council for Tax Benefits (CNBT) for tax purposes. These can be consulted in number 3. It is important to register the supplier when make purchase to other entities and the justification of why this item is necessary in the project and its relation with the methodology and activities proposed. Likewise, it is recommended to break down the items in detail and not to group investments in large items (for example: acquisition of machinery necessary for the development of the project).

To plan these items it is necessary to make an estimate of costs taking into account factors such as inflation and the projection of the value of the dollar so that the company can access the tax benefit in an appropriate manner. Remember that you will not be able to increase the value of the budget registered for tax purposes, so that investments with amounts higher than those approved by the CNBT will not be able to access the tax benefit. Additionally, entities may only make a quota transfer for tax purposes throughout the life cycle of the project.

2.2.4. Qualification criteria for a Technological Development project.

Relevance of the Project: (50%)

It will be evaluated that:

1. The proposal of technological development points to the materialization of available knowledge and responds to a real need of the market identified, quantified and characterized by the company.

2. The proposal is duly formulated and the proposed activities point to the realization of the available knowledge at the prototype or pilot level.

3. In the proposal, there is a clearly identified market with potential customers and requirements of the defined products or processes that will be developed and validated in the project.

4. The scientific staff has experience in the scope of application of the project and has been immersed in other processes of technological development previously executed. The knowledge and verifiable technical trajectory related to the theme of the submitted proposal must be assessed.

5. The company has the capacity of infrastructure and equipment necessary for the development of the project and to allocate the necessary resources for its successful execution.

6. The support staff defined in the proposal is sufficient to perform the tasks assigned within the project.

7. There is coherence between the time spent by the work team and the activities to be developed.

8. There is coherence between the proposal and the administrative and technical management capacity of the group, center, R & D & I unit recognized or the researcher who co-executes or supervises the project to be qualified.

9. The distribution of budgeted resources in the project is coherent and sufficient. It will be verified that the budgeted items are necessary for the achievement of the objectives, are clearly defined, justified in the proposal and conform to the project type document.

10. The Technological Development proposal has previous studies or theoretical background that provide support to the proposed solution and contains novel elements that have not been implemented or developed previously and that pose a challenge for the company.

Quality of the project: (30%) 

It will be verified:

  1. There is coherence between the description of the problem or need, the state of the art, the challenge or opportunity to be addressed and the objectives of the project.
  2. The results of the project point to the materialization of the results of previous research stages that lead to the development at the pilot or prototype level of new products, organizational models processes.
  3. The proposed methodology allows the obtaining of results, the scope of the general objective and responds to the nature of a technological development project.
  4. The project clearly evidences the difference between what exists in the company and the challenge and / or challenge that the company faces with the development of the proposal.
  5. The technological development contains theoretical foundations that give viability to the project and satisfy a quantified and identified need.
  6. Within the postulated project, there are activities that allow the appropriation of the knowledge generated by the company, the sector and / or country, or the patent application on the obtained development.

Impact of the project: (20%) 

It will be verified:

  1. There is a clearly identified proposed strategy within the company to capture the added value of the project and scale it up in future stages.
  2. The development of the project, will result in the materialization of knowledge in a prototype or pilot of a new or significantly improved product or service, or a new organizational model for the company, the country or internationally.
  3. The economic, social, technological, environmental and cultural impact of technological development has been identified and quantified and is considered significant compared to the identified problem situation.
  4. The contribution with the scientific training, knowledge transfer or new technologies that aim at the competitiveness of the companies and the productive sector.

 

NOTE: The minimum qualification for the approval of a project will be 80 points.

2.3. Innovation Projects

An innovation is the introduction to the use of a product (good or service), of a process, new or significantly improved, or the introduction of a new marketing or organization method applied to business practices, work organization or external relations “(39).

For there to be innovation, it is necessary, at least, that the product (good or service), the process, the marketing method (40) or the method of organization are new or significantly improved for the company.

“Innovative activities correspond to all scientific, technological, organizational, financial and commercial operations that effectively lead, or that aim to lead the introduction of innovations. Some of these activities are innovative in themselves, others are not new but are necessary for the introduction of innovations. Innovation activities also include R & D activities that are not directly linked to the introduction of a particular innovation “ (41).

Innovation should be considered as a continuous process, based on a methodology that generates knowledge, the use of new technologies or the generation of innovation opportunities. For purposes of the instrument of Tax Benefits for investment, the National Council of Tax Benefits in Science, Technology and Innovation has defined that the following may be considered as innovation projects:

Product Innovation 

“A product-service innovation is the introduction of a new or significantly improved good or service with respect to its characteristics or possible uses. This type of innovation includes significant improvements in technical specifications, components, materials, embedded software, ergonomics or other functional characteristics. “Significant improvements of existing products may be the result of changes in materials, components or other features that improve their performance43. Service innovations can include significant improvements in supply operations (for example, in terms of efficiency or speed), the addition of new functions or features to existing services, or the introduction of entirely new services44.

Innovation in Process 

“A process innovation is the introduction of a new or significantly improved production or distribution method. It includes significant improvements in techniques, equipment or software45. In services, process innovations include new or significantly improved methods for the creation and delivery of them. Innovation in the process includes innovations in the methods of distribution and production, in the former they are linked to the logistics of the company and include the equipment, the computer programs, the techniques for supplying inputs, the allocation of supplies within the company or the distribution of final products. Production methods include techniques, equipment and programs that can be used to produce goods or services.

Organizational Innovation 

“Organizational innovation is the introduction of a new method of organization applied to business practices, to the organization of work or to the external relations of the company46”. The differentiating characteristic of an organizational innovation, compared with other changes organizational, is the application of a new organizational method (to business practices, to the organization of work or external relations) that has not been used before in the company and that is the result of strategic decisions of the management (47). Within the organizational innovation is among others:

  • Innovations in the organization of the workplace (48): These innovations imply the introduction of new methods of attribution of responsibilities and decision-making power among employees for the division of labor, or of new structuring concepts.
  • Innovations in foreign relations (49): involve the introduction of new ways of organizing relationships with other companies, research organizations, clients, suppliers and public institutions.

The main objective of innovation projects is the introduction into the market of a product or service or the implementation of a new process on an industrial scale or an organizational method in all the areas involved.

Innovation in product: Its main purpose is the introduction of new products or services for the sector, the region or the country or significantly improved, that is to say that they modify some characteristic of the product in such a way that they have better performance.

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Process innovation: Its main objective is the introduction of new processes for the production of a product or provision of a new or significantly improved service, that is to say that they modify components of the process to improve the performance of the process in terms of cost reduction and increase Of capacity. The main difference between a process innovation and a product innovation is that the first is focused on improving the way the product is made while the second is focused on improving the characteristics of the product.

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Organizational innovation: Its main objective is to introduce new organizational models in the company, and is focused mainly on people and / or work organization, while process innovation refers more to the introduction or modification of the components of the process to improve its performance, efficiency, among others.

Table 2.6. Main objective of the innovation project types.

2.3.1. Projects that qualify as Innovation

Projects that qualify as innovation as defined by the National Tax Benefits Council based on international manuals, could be summarized in the following table, which contains illustrative and non-exhaustive examples to guide evaluators and proponents to identify which type can be located her project.

Typology

Product or service innovation features introduce new or significantly improved products or services for the sector.

Possible Results

  • Substitution of products or imports.
  • Development of friendly products with the environment.
  • Development of functionalities increase the aggregate of the product or service.
  • Entry to new markets.
  • Increase market share.
  • Improvement of quality of goods and services.

Examples

1. Introduction to the market of pest biocontrollers in crops.

2. Validation and introduction to the market of a bumper to from thermoplastics, production, marketing, manufacturing plant.

3. Implementation of a mobile application of an early warning system, based on data analysis with Big data technology, for inhabitants in populations at high risk of flooding or avalanche by increasing rivers.

Typology: Process innovation

Features

Implementation of new or significantly improved manufacturing processes or service provision.

Possible Results

  • Reduction of response times to the needs of customers.
  • Reduction of consumption of raw materials and energy.
  • Improvements in the flexibility of the production process or the provision of services.
  • Increases in production capacity or provision of services.
  • Reduction of labor costs. Reduction of product out of specifications.
  • Reduction of product design costs.
  • Reduction of operating costs for the provision of services.
  • Optimization of a process.
  • Significant improvement in the quality of service
  • Reduction of environmental impacts.
  • Reduction of response times to customer needs.

Examples

1. Implementation in the company of a product traceability system through bluetooth, to reduce the quantity of non-conformed products marketed and identify the critical points of Process Control.

2. Implementation of a telemedicine system in rural hospitals for the treatment of chronic diseases.

3. Improvement of Efficiency in electrical systems through the transfer and dissemination of new knowledge in management.

4. Implementation of a system for smart traffic lights in large cities.

Typology:  Organizational Innovation

Features

Implementation of new organizational models at work, mainly in the organization of the workplace, the external relations of the company or the application of new organizational methods.

Possible Results

  • Administrative transaction reduction.
  • Reduction of supplies and/or of costs
  • Significant improvement of working conditions.
  • Improvement in communications and interactions between the different business units.
  • Increase in the transfer of knowledge with other organizations.
  • Increased ability to adapt to changes in customer demand.
  • Increase in the efficiency or speed of the supply / distribution chain and / or shipment of goods and services.
  • Development of new methods of relationship with customers and / or suppliers
  • Development of new capabilities that have a different impact on the business model.

Examples

Auto parts supplier development program: Management model for competitiveness

Incorporation of new practices to the business model.

2.3.2. Projects that do not qualify as Innovation.

Projects that do not qualify as innovation are considered those that by their scope or form of execution do not conform to what is defined by the National Council of Tax Benefits based on international manuals. Below is an enunciative list of this type of projects:

  • Projects that due to their scope, structure and results can be considered as Scientific Research or Technological Development.
  • Projects that consist essentially in the contracting of technological services and / or specialized consultancies.
  • Routine efforts (50) to improve the quality of products.
  • The adaptation of an existing product or production process to the specific requirements imposed by a customer (Custom production). Unless they imply significantly different functional attributes.
  • The periodic or seasonal changes (eg, fashion design).
  • Design changes or aesthetic modifications that do not alter the functionality of the product or existing products.
  • Marketing of products and services of other companies, including parent companies.
  • Routine adjustments made by the company due to its normal operation or leveling with respect to competitors that do not involve developments by the company.
  • Increases in production or service capacity, due to the increase in production capacity or the use of logistics systems similar to those currently used by the company. (Projects to increase production or service capacity that have not been derived from R & D processes or activities 51
  • Changes in business practices, work organization or external relationships that are based on organizational methodologies already used by the company.
  • Projects of organizational innovation that do not imply the introduction of new organizational methods or that have been previously used by the company.
  • Projects whose main focus is the application or contracting of existing methodologies, for example: competitions, challenges, methodology for closing gaps, among others.
  • Mergers, acquisitions and / or similar operations, for example: transformation, asset purchase, spin-off, etc.
  • The acquisition and simple parameterization of software for business management (ERP – CRM).
  • The projects whose main objective are:
  • Prefeasibility studies52, feasibility53.
  • Hiring of technological services and / or specialized technicians.
  • Administrative and legal activities aimed at obtaining intellectual property products
  • Management and indirect support activities that do not constitute R & D in themselves.
  • Consulting activities
  • The replacement, purchase, expansion or update of infrastructure, machines, equipment or computer programs.
  • Strengthening of institutional capacities derived from routine activities of the company.
  • Commercial application software and development of information systems using known methods and existing computer tools
  • Adaptation and / or purchase of software for the integration of other existing systems.
  • The maintenance of existing computer systems.
  • The conversion or translation of computer languages.
  • The addition of user functions to those of computer applications.
  • The adaptation of existing software.
  • The preparation of documentation for the user.
  • The unique development of a digital application (app) or customization of an existing digital application.

Those developed in Free Trade Zones based on the simple fulfillment of the Master Plan for General Development of the Free Trade Zone.

Those that are developed based on simple compliance with current regulations and / or obtaining certifications.

2.3.3. Content requested for the evaluation of an Innovation project.

In order to carry out the proposal evaluation process, the technical secretariat of the National Tax Benefits Council has defined a series of contents requested in the online form for the registration of projects. Below is each of these contents with their respective description to guide proponents and / or evaluators in the process of qualifying the proposals as CTeI projects.

2.3.4 Criteria for qualification of an Innovation project.

Pertinence of the Project: (50%), it will be evaluated that:

The proposal is duly formulated and the proposed activities point to the solution of previously identified needs. In the proposal, there is a clearly identified market with its economic and social impacts, compared to: potential customers, final and direct users, estimates of the volume of additional revenue or market share that the company can obtain. In the case of innovations in process and organizational, the company has identified and quantified the cost savings or the impact in terms of performance variables, positioning or quality attributes that will bring the implementation of innovation to the company.

The scientific, professional or interdisciplinary staff (for example, technicians, commercial experts, financiers, researchers, etc.), has experience in the scope of application of the project and has been immersed in other innovation processes or has had experience in the development of projects of impact in the sector linked to the proposal. The knowledge, technical or verifiable professional trajectory related to the theme of the submitted proposal must be assessed.

The company has the capacity of infrastructure and equipment necessary for the development of the project and to allocate the necessary resources for its successful execution.

The support staff defined in the project is sufficient to perform the tasks assigned within the project.

There is coherence between the time spent by the work team and the activities to be developed.

There is coherence between the proposal and the administrative and technical management capacity of the group, center, R & D unit recognized or the researcher who co-executes or supervises the project to be qualified.

The distribution of budgeted resources in the project is coherent and sufficient. It will be verified that the budgeted items are necessary for the achievement of the objectives, are clearly defined, justified in the proposal and conform to the project type document.

The innovation proposal has previous developments or background that provide support to the proposed solution and contains novel elements that have not been implemented or developed previously by the company and that aim to generate competitive advantages.

Quality of the project: (30%), it will be verified:

There is coherence between the description of the problem or need, the state of the art, the challenge or opportunity to be addressed and the objectives of the project.

The results of the project point to the scaling of results of previous stages of research or innovation that lead to the incorporation of innovation in the market and / or implementation of the solution in the company.

The proposed solution presents a degree of novelty and added value, to address the opportunity; the technological or non-technological challenges to be solved; or it generates changes of positioning in the market that the company would have given the execution of the project.

The methodology proposed allows the obtaining of results, the scope of the general objective and responds to the nature of an innovation project.

The innovation contains theoretical or practical foundations that give viability to the development of the project and satisfaction of an identified need.

Within the postulated project, there are activities that allow the appropriation of the knowledge generated by the company, the sector and / or country, or the patent application on the obtained innovation.

Impact of the project. (20%) It will be verified:

There is a clearly identified strategy within the company to capture the value added by innovation.

The development of the project, will bring as a result an innovation for the company, the sector, the region, the country or internationally.

The economic, social, technological, environmental and cultural impact of innovation has been identified and quantified and is considered significant compared to the identified problem.

The contribution to strengthening the competitiveness of companies and the productive sector.

NOTE: The minimum qualification for the approval of a project will be 80 points.

3. Financeable items for CTeI projects

The National Council of Tax Benefits has defined as items that can access tax benefits for investment in Science, Technology and Innovation projects, which are shown below:

SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL

This item includes the fees paid to scientific personnel. These personnel carry out direct activities of Science, Technology and Innovation in the project aimed at achieving the objectives. Remember that only the values described in this item may access Non-Constituent Income from income and / or occasional gain. (More information see section 4.2.)

Fees paid to support staff, administrative staff related to the proposal and personnel not involved in the project.

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4. Roles in the projects of CTeI4.1. Roles of the entities participating in the project

The entities participating in the postulated projects, depending on the functions and tasks assigned, will have one of the following roles:

Executor: Any mixed or private company or natural person, who technically and financially leads the project and is responsible for carrying out the fulfillment of the objectives and results proposed for the CTeI project and the investments registered in the SIGP. There can only be one executing agency in the project and it must be a taxpayer of income.

Co-executor: Any company, public or private institution, that participates directly in the fulfillment of the objectives and results proposed for the CTeI project, under the direct or indirect coordination of the executor. Co-executors can participate with different income taxpayers of the executing agency who participate and invest in the execution of the project, as well as a research group or center, research centers and institutes, technological development centers, Science Technology parks and Innovation, Research Results Transfer Offices (OTRI), innovation and productivity centers, technology-based incubators, science centers and organizations that promote the use and appropriation of science, technology and innovation that will be part of the development of the project.

Technical Supervisor: Natural or legal person who exercises a specialized technical activity, and whose fundamental purpose is to guide, support and ensure compliance with scientific, technical and budgetary commitments throughout the life cycle of the CTeI project. Every supervisor must have the recognition of Colciencias as a research group or center, research centers and institutes, technological development centers, Science Technology and Innovation parks, Research Results Transfer Offices (OTRI), innovation and productivity centers , technology-based incubators, science centers and organizations that promote the use and appropriation of science, technology and innovation, with expertise in the thematic area of project development and that will endorse the project they will present.

If a change of the actor recognized by Colciencias is required, the proponent must request COLCIENCIAS the approval of the new entity that will endorse the project, for which COLCIENCIAS will verify the suitability based on the information registered in the ScienTI platform or Colciencias own databases.

4.2. Roles of the staff in the project

The project personnel are the people who work directly and indirectly in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, services, methods and systems, 54 and can have the following roles:

SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL: These are the people who carry out direct CTeI activities that require the application of concepts, design of methodologies, validation of results and are in charge of coordinating and controlling the execution of the project. These personnel perform tasks directly related to the main activities of the project, and have verifiable technical and / or professional expertise in the development of CTEI projects and / or in the main thematic area of the proposal. This category includes the Principal Investigator, researcher Company of the productive sector, Co-researcher, Software Developer and advisor.

Principal Investigator: Is the director or leader of the life cycle of the project. It directly develops activities of planning and management of the scientific and technical aspects of the work of the co-researchers, among its main tasks are the formulation, execution and technical coordination for the development of the objectives and achievement of the proposed results. It has the technical capacity and accredited expertise in the thematic area of the project to be developed. For purposes of software development projects, the principal investigator will be the one responsible for the software life cycle. In the case of personnel associated with the companies, the principal investigator will be the professional with experience in the development of research and / or innovation projects.

The principal investigator will be in charge of approving personnel changes and transfers between items approved by the CNBT without exceeding 20% of the total value of the fiscal period and report them to COLCIENCIAS in the annual technical and financial execution report. When for some reason it is required to change the principal investigator of the project, you must request it from COLCIENCIAS by sending the resume of the new principal investigator who must have an equal or superior profile, when in the framework of the project they do not have an equal or superior profile, the entity must send a summary of the resumes of the scientific personnel to COLCIENCIAS and request the designation of the principal investigator.

It is necessary to designate a principal investigator for each project and must be linked to the project throughout the life cycle and have a time commitment according to the defined functions.

Co-researcher: Thematic expert who contributes and technically and operationally supports the activities of CTeI during the life cycle of the project. Participate directly from your field of expertise. Doctoral or master’s degree students who are directly linked to the execution of the project are included in this category. In the case of companies, it consists of technical or professional personnel specialized in the thematic areas where the project is developed, an example of this may be the production manager or the supervisor of a production line in an automotive or food factory.

Researcher of the Productive Sector: Person who, due to his / her academic training and / or professional experience, has the knowledge related to the system or topics

intervene and participate actively in the development of the project, technically and operationally supporting the activities to be executed.

Software developer: Person who, due to his training and experience, actively participates in one or more aspects of one or several stages of the software development cycle and technically and operationally supports the activities of the project to be executed.

Advisor: Consultant or counselor of an external nature to the participating entities, expert in the subject, and whose services are contracted given their expertise in the topic of the CTeI project. Your contributions are required for the development of the project, therefore you must clearly identify the specific deliverables of your advice. This advisor can be national or international.

SUPPORT PERSONNEL: These are the people who carry out indirect activities of CTeI that require the application of concepts and operational methods, under the supervision of scientific personnel. This category includes research assistants, field staff, laboratory support personnel, operators, technicians, and students in general.

Their tasks include among others:

  • Perform bibliographic searches and select material and relevant information in archives and libraries.
  • Perform validation tests of the first versions of software
  • Perform experiments, tests and analysis.
  • Prepare the materials and equipment necessary for conducting experiments, tests and analysis.
  • Record data, make calculations and prepare tables and graphs related to the project.
  • Conduct statistical surveys and interviews necessary for the project. 

ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL: These are the people who perform administrative support activities for the development of a CTeI project. Included in this category are financial, security, general services, managers or project coordinators with project management functions without deepening the design of the research or the validation of results.

5. Typology of products as results of CTeI activities

Products resulting from Generation of New Knowledge activities

Research articles A1, A2, B and C

Articles in indexed journals, in the indices and bases mentioned in the group measurement model.

Research articles D

Articles in indexed journals, in the indices and bases mentioned in the group measurement model.

Research result books

Books that meet the minimum quality requirements specified in the group measurement model.

Chapters in book result of research

Chapters in research results books, which meet the minimum quality requirements defined in the group measurement model.

Technological products patented or in the process of granting the patent

Patent obtained or requested via PCT or traditional and utility model, which meet the requirements defined by the group measurement model.

Vegetable variety and animal variety

Must meet the quality requirements of the group measurement model.

Products resulting from Technological Development & Innovation activities

Certified or validated technological products

Industrial design, integrated circuit scheme, software, pilot plant, industrial prototype and distinctive signs that meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Regulations, rules, regulations or legislations

Regulations, norms, regulations, legislations, clinical practice guides and differentiated bills according to the scope of application (national and international), that meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Business Products

Business secret, technology-based companies (spin-off and start-up), creative and cultural industries, innovations generated in business management, innovations in processes, procedures and services that meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Scientific-technological consultancies and final technical reports

Scientific-technological consultancies and final technical reports; and consulting in art, architecture and design, which meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

License agreements for the exploitation of works protected by copyright

License agreements for the exploitation of works protected by copyright, which complies with the requirements of the group measurement model.

Products resulting from activities of Social Appropriation of Knowledge

Citizen participation in CTEI

Citizen participation or community (s) in research projects. Space / event of citizen or community participation (s) related to the CTeI, which meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

Pedagogical strategies for the promotion of the CTEI

Program / Pedagogic strategy to promote the CTEI. It includes the formation of networks to promote the social appropriation of knowledge, which meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

Social communication of knowledge.

Knowledge communication strategies, generation of printed, multimedia and virtual contents, that meets the requirements of the group measurement model.

Circulation of specialized knowledge

Scientific events and participation in knowledge networks, creation workshops, cultural and artistic events, working papers, informative bulletins of research results, scientific journal editions or books resulting from research and final research reports, meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Acknowledgments

Awards or distinctions granted by institutions, public or private organizations that use parameters of excellence to recognize management, productivity and contributions and the impact of research or technological development in an area of knowledge.

Products of activities related to the Training of Human Resources for the CTEI

Doctoral thesis

Management or co-direction or advising of Doctoral Thesis, theses are differentiated with recognition of those approved. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Master’s degree work

Management or co-direction or consultancy of work of master’s degree, works are differentiated with recognition of those approved. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Undergraduate work

Management, co-direction or advice of work of undergraduate degree, work is differentiated with recognition of those approved. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Research and Development Projects

Projects executed by the Research Groups as Principal Investigator classified according to funding sources. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Research projects – Creation

Projects executed by the research groups in their capacity as principal investigator, classified according to funding sources. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Research, Development and Innovation Projects (R + D + I)

Projects executed by researchers in companies and projects with young researchers in companies. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Extension and social responsibility project in CTEI

Extension projects, in which the type of participation of the research group in the project is specified (extension project in CTEI or social responsibility project – solidarity extension). These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Support for training programs

Support for the creation of master’s or doctorate programs or courses. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Accompaniment and advising of thematic lines of the Ondas Program

Accompaniments and advice on thematic lines of the Ondas Program. These products must meet the requirements of the group measurement model.

Annex 1: Software Project

DEFINITION OF SOFTWARE56: “A software product is the sum total of the computer programs, procedures, rules, technical documentation and associated data that are part of the operations of a computer system.”

It includes among others:

  1. Several independent computer programs. 
  2. Configuration files that are used to execute these programs. 
  3. A documentation system that describes the structure of the system. 
  4. The documentation for the user that explains how to use the system. 
  5. Websites that allow downloading information on recent products57.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT58: “In order for a software development project to be classified as R & D, its realization must lead to scientific or technical progress and its objective must systematically resolve a scientific or technical uncertainty.

The development of the software in the projects can be classified in R & D whenever there is an advance in the field of information technology.

Normally, these advances are generally evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Therefore, upgrading to a more powerful version, improving or modifying an existing program or system, can be classified as R & D if they provide scientific and / or technological progress that leads to greater knowledge “(.. .)

LOGICAL SUPPORT

The software consists of one or more of the following elements: the computer program, the program description and the auxiliary material.

For the purposes of the previous article, it is understood as:

a) “Computer program”: The expression of an organized set of instructions, in natural or coded language, regardless of the medium in which it is stored, whose purpose is to make a machine capable of processing information, indicate, perform u obtain a function, a task or a specific result.

b) “Program description”: A complete presentation of procedures in a suitable form, sufficiently detailed to determine a set of instructions that constitute the corresponding computer program.

“Auxiliary material”: Any material, other than a computer program or a program description, created to facilitate its understanding or application, such as description of problems and instructions for the user. … “

APPLICATION DOMAINS OF THE SOFTWARE

Currently, there are seven major software categories:

Systems software: Set of written programs to service other programs. Certain systems software (for example, compilers, editors, and tools for managing files) processes complex but deterministic information structures. Other applications of systems (for example, components of operating systems, drivers, network software, telecommunications processors) process mostly indeterminate data. In any case, the systems software area is characterized by: great interaction with the computer hardware, intensive use by multiple users, concurrent operation that requires sequencing, shared resources and administration of a sophisticated process, complex structures of data and multiple external interfaces.

Application software: Isolated programs that solve a specific business need. Applications in this area process commercial or technical data in a way that facilitates business operations or administrative or technical decision making. In addition to conventional data processing applications, application software is used to control real-time business functions (for example, point-of-sale transaction processing, real-time manufacturing process control).

Engineering and science software: It has been characterized by algorithms “devourers of numbers”. Applications range from astronomy to volcanology, from stress analysis in automobiles to the orbital dynamics of the space shuttle, and from molecular biology to automated manufacturing. However, modern applications within the area of engineering and science are abandoning conventional numerical algorithms.

Computer-aided design, system simulation and other interactive applications have begun to be done in real time and have even taken on system software features.

Embedded Software: Resides within a product or system and is used to implement and control features and functions for the end user and the system itself. Embedded software performs limited and particular functions (for example, control of the panel of a microwave oven) or provides significant operational and control capability (digital functions in a car, such as fuel control, control panel and control). braking systems).

Product line software: It is designed to provide a specific capacity for use by many different consumers. The product line software focuses on a limited and particular market (for example, product inventory control) or is directed to mass consumer markets (word processing, spreadsheets, computer graphics, multimedia, entertainment, database management and applications for personal or business finances).

Web applications: Called “webapps”, this category of network-centric software groups a wide range of applications. In its simplest form, webapps are little more than a set of linked hypertext files that present information with limited text and graphics. However, since the emergence of Web 2.0, webapps are evolving into sophisticated computing environments that not only provide isolated features, computing functions and content for the end user, but are also integrated with corporate databases and business applications.

Artificial intelligence software: It makes use of non-numerical algorithms to solve complex problems that are not easy to treat computationally or with direct analysis. Applications in this area include robotics, expert systems, pattern recognition (image and voice), artificial neural networks, theorems and games demonstration.

STAGES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOFTWARE61

The development of the Software includes the following stages62:

Analysis stage: Process in which the requirements of the system are defined, by the precision of its functions, its behavior, degree of performance, the architecture to be used and the integration with other systems. You can refer to the Software Requirements (ERS) specification as defined in the IEEE 830 standard.

Design stage: Process in which the definition and description of the information model is carried out, the modules that make up the architecture, the characteristics of the user interface and the procedural detail (algorithms) of the software, in accordance with the defined specifications In the analysis. You can refer to standard such as UML.

Implementation stage: Process in which the translation of the design is carried out in source code and the tests for the detection of errors in the developed code.

Validation and verification stage: Process in which tests are carried out to verify compliance with the requirements and acceptance by the end user.

Annex 2: Additional score awarded for participating in programs and strategies defined by the CNBT.

The National Council of Tax Benefits (CNBT) with the purpose of encouraging private investment in Science, Technology and Innovation projects, approved in the sessions held on July 30, December 17, 2015 and September 28, 2017, according to in minutes 2 and 3 of 2015 and minutes 3 of 2017, give an additional score to the projects presented by companies that participate in the programs and / or strategies defined by the CNBT, which are shown below:

PACT FOR INNOVATION 

The companies that sign the Pact for Innovation and that are part of the Systems for

Innovation, you will obtain a total of 5 additional points in the global qualification of the project.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN USERS OF BENEFIT AND SMES.

In order to promote the association between user companies of the tax benefit and SMEs, the CNBT will award an additional score in the global rating of the project to those entities that involve SMEs as co-executors, granting the projects a score in a range of 1 to 5 according to the following criteria approved by the CNBT:

PROJECTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE GOALS OF THE OBJECTIVES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIZED BY THE CNBT.

The projects presented by companies that, within their formulation and results, contribute to the fulfillment of the goals established within the sustainable development objectives shown below, will obtain a total of 10 points in the overall project rating. The technical evaluators will define in the qualification of the project, if they award the additional score to the presented proposal.

Ending poverty

  • Appropriation and access to new technologies for populations in situations of poverty and vulnerability.
  • Promote the resilience of the poor and people in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to extreme events related to climate and other economic, social and environmental crises and disasters.

Hunger and food security

  • Duplicate agricultural productivity and income of small-scale food producers, particularly women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishermen, including through secure and equitable access to land, to others production and input resources, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for the generation of added value and non-agricultural jobs.
  • Sustainability of food production systems and resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, contribute to the maintenance of ecosystems, strengthen the capacity to adapt to climate change, extreme weather events, droughts, floods and other disasters, and progressively improve the quality of soil and soil.
  • Maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farm and domesticated animals and their related wild species, inter alia through good management and diversification of seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources and traditional knowledge and their fair and equitable distribution.
  • Increase investments in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technological development and gene banks of plants and livestock in order to improve agricultural production capacity.
  • Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to information on markets, in particular on food reserves, to help limit the extreme volatility of food prices. 

Health

  • Reduce the maternal mortality rate and put an end to the avoidable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.
  • End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, waterborne diseases and other communicable diseases.
  • Reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
  • Strengthen the prevention and treatment of the abuse of addictive substances, including the misuse of narcotics and the harmful consumption of alcohol.
  • Reduce deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents in the world.
  • Guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
  • Achieve health coverage, in particular protection against financial risks, access to quality essential health services, and access to safe, effective, affordable and quality medicines and vaccines for all.
  • Substantially reduce the number of deaths and diseases caused by hazardous chemicals and the pollution of air, water and soil.
  • Strengthen the application of the Framework Convention of the World Health Organization for Tobacco Control.
    Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for communicable and noncommunicable diseases that affect the population and facilitate access to essential medicines and vaccines.
  • Strengthen the country’s capacity for early warning, risk reduction and risk management for national health

Education

  • Substantially increase the number of young people and adults who have the necessary skills, particularly technical and professional, to access employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
  • Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access for vulnerable people, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in situations of vulnerability, at all levels of education and vocational training .
  • Ensure that all young people and at least a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, have reading, writing and arithmetic skills.
  • Gender equality and empowerment of women.
  • Guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
  • Undertake reforms that grant women the right to economic resources under equal conditions, as well as access to property and control of land and other assets, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
  • Improve the use of instrumental technology, particularly information and communication technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

Clean water and basic sanitation

  • Achieve equitable access to adequate sanitation and hygiene services for all and put an end to open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and people in vulnerable situations
  • Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing the discharge of hazardous materials and chemicals, halving the percentage of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and reuse in safety conditions worldwide
  • Substantially increase the efficient use of water resources in all sectors and ensure the sustainability of the extraction and supply of fresh water to cope with water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
  • Implement the integrated management of water resources at all levels.
  • Protect and restore ecosystems related to water, including forests, mountains, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.
  • Capacity-building in activities and programs related to water and sanitation, including water storage and storage, desalination, efficient use of water resources, wastewater treatment, and recycling and reuse technologies.
  • Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in the improvement of water management and sanitation.

Energy

  • Guarantee access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
  • Substantially increase the percentage of renewable energy in the set of energy sources.
  • Improve the rate of energy efficiency.
  • Improve technology to provide modern and sustainable energy services.

Economic growth

  • Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological modernization and innovation, among other things by focusing on sectors with higher added value and labor-intensive use.
  • Improve the efficient production and consumption of natural resources and seek to dissociate economic growth from environmental degradation.
  • Promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
  • Resilient infrastructures.
  • Readjust industries to be sustainable, using resources more effectively and promoting the adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.

Resilient and sustainable cities

  • Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all and improve road safety, in particular through the expansion of public transport, paying special attention to the needs of vulnerable people, women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly.
  • Increase inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable planning and management of human settlements.
  • Significantly reduce the number of deaths and people affected by disasters, including those related to water, and substantially reduce the direct economic losses linked to the global gross domestic product caused by disasters, with a particular emphasis on the protection of poor people and people in vulnerable situations.
  • Reduce the negative environmental impact per capita of cities, including paying special attention to air quality and the management of municipal and other types of waste.

Responsible production and consumption

  • Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
  • Reduce food losses in the production and distribution chains, including post-harvest losses.
  • Achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, and significantly reduce their release to the atmosphere, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse effects on the environment. human health and the environment.
  • Adopt sustainable business practices and implement more sustainable modes of consumption 
  • and production based on scientific and technological knowledge.

Climate change

  • Strengthen resilience and the ability to adapt to risks related to climate and natural disasters in all countries.
  • Incorporate measures related to climate change into national policies, strategies and plans.
  • Increase effective planning and management capacity in relation to climate change.

Oceans and underwater life.

  • Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly pollution caused by activities carried out on the mainland, including marine debris and contamination by nutrients.
  • Managing and sustainably protecting marine and coastal ecosystems with a view to avoiding significant adverse effects, including by strengthening their resilience, and taking measures to restore them in order to restore the health and productivity of the oceans.
  • Minimize the effects of ocean acidification and address them, including through the intensification of scientific cooperation at all levels.
  • Restore fish stocks in the shortest time possible, at least at levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield according to their biological characteristics.
  • Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, in order to improve the health of the oceans and enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of society.
  • Improve the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources.

Forests, desertification and ecological diversity.

  • Conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and inland freshwater ecosystems and the services they provide, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and arid zones, in line with obligations undertaken under international agreements.
  • Promote the sustainable management of all types of forests, put an end to deforestation, recover degraded forests and increase afforestation and reforestation
  • Fight against desertification, rehabilitate degraded lands and soil, including lands affected by desertification, drought and floods.

World Alliance for Sustainable Development

Promote the development of environmentally sound technologies and their dissemination and dissemination.

The total sum of the score awarded in any case may exceed ten points. Entities may only access one of these modalities to obtain additional points.

Annex 3. Conceptualization of SNCTeI actors according to the TRL.

The level of technological maturity or TRL (Technology Readiness Level for its acronym in English), is a tool that as defined in the National Policy Document on Science, Technology and Innovation (CTeI) No. 1602 allows the identification of the actors that they make up the National System of CIII classified by the development of their main activities. The TRL is a methodology that allows to identify the recognized actors that can endorse the proposals according to the orientation and thematic expertise that each one possesses.

Bearing in mind that there is no linear relationship between the R & D & I projects, an approximation to the equivalence between the typology of projects and the TRLs is shown below:

In the previous graph, the Experimental Development typology is located in TRL 4 and 5, since they are small-scale laboratory designs in the laboratory and / or simulated environment close to the real one. The definition of each level of technology maturity is shown below based on what is presented in the Technical self-assessment guide for the recognition of the company’s R + D + i unit:

TRL 1 – Basic principles observed and reported: This corresponds to the lowest level in terms of technological maturity level. At this level, basic scientific research begins and the transition to applied research begins. The descriptive tools can be mathematical formulations or algorithms. At this stage of development there is still no degree of commercial application.

TRL 2 – Technology concept and / or formulated application. Applied research. The theory and scientific principles are focused on specific areas of application to define the concept. In this phase, possible applications of theoretical-level technologies and analytical tools for simulation or analysis can begin to be formulated. However, there is still no evidence to validate this application.

TRL 3 – Concept tests of analytical and experimental characteristics. This phase includes the carrying out of research and development (R & D) activities, which include the performance of analytical tests, concept tests or laboratory-scale, aimed at demonstrating the technical feasibility at the theoretical level of technological concepts. This phase involves the validation of the components of a specific technology, although this does not result in the integration of all the components in a complete system.

TRL 4 – Validation of components / subsystems in laboratory tests. In this phase, the components that make up a certain technology have been identified and it is sought to establish if these individual components have the capabilities to act in an integrated manner, working together in a system.

TRL 5 – Validation of systems, subsystems or components in a relevant environment (or industrially relevant in case of key enabling technologies). The basic elements of a certain technology are integrated so that the final configuration is similar to its final application. However, the operability of the system and technologies still occurs at the laboratory level.

TRL 6 – Validation of system, subsystem, model or prototype in close to real conditions. In this phase it is possible to have pilot prototypes capable of developing all the necessary functions within a given system, having passed feasibility tests in real operating or operating conditions. It is possible that components and processes have been expanded to demonstrate their industrial potential in real systems. The available documentation may be limited.

TRL 7 – Demonstration of validated system or prototype in the real operating environment. The system is or is about to operate on a pre-commercial scale. It is possible to carry out the identification phase of aspects related to manufacturing, life cycle assessment, and economic evaluation of technologies, with most of the functions available for testing. The available documentation may be limited.

TRL 8 – Complete and qualified system through tests and demonstrations in operational environments. In this phase, the systems are integrated, the technologies have been tested in their final form and under assumed conditions, having reached in many cases, the end of the development of the system. Most of the available documentation is complete.

TRL 9 – System tested and operating successfully in a real environment. Technology / system in its final phase, tested and available for commercialization and / or production.