¿What are desiccant materials? Materials, as silica gel, are widely known and we can find them in small doses, together with products as clothes, measuring instruments or lenses.  The objective of this kind of substances is simply to catch ambient moisture and avoid damages by effect of this. It is important to highlight that adsorption is a superficial phenomenon in opposition to absorption, which is a volumetric process. Adsorption is a process in which atoms or molecules from a fluid are caught in a material...Read more

    Let’s begin by considering two types of prototypes: virtual prototypes, on which verifications and test are made virtually on what’s called digital mock-up, and rapid prototypes, which will allow us to obtain a physical prototype on which make those verifications and test (but at higher costs). Both technologies are greatly used and useful within Industrial Design, and both types of prototyping are complementary, since their objectives may be different. For the same product we may need to make a rapid...Read more

Last 20th of February 2013 the meeting for the launch of the SMART-MED-PARK project, co-financed with ERDF funds of the European Commission through the MED Programme and led by IAT, was held in Seville. Along with IAT and the Technology Park of Andalusia as Andalusian partners, other seven organisations coming from Slovenia, Croatia, Portugal, France, Italy and Spain participated in the meeting, debating the main technical, administrative and financing aspects to be taken into account for the project implementation. SMART-MED-PARKS...Read more

Eco-innovation are all forms of innovative activity which aim to improve products (goods or services), the production processes or service provision, and methods of marketing or business management. This activity can prevent or considerably reduce the impacts on the environment and is profitable from an economic point of view. The European Union is committed to promote Eco-innovation and this can be seen with its recent launch of the Eco-innovation Action Plan which is one of the commitments of the emblematic...Read more

The Mediterranean (MED) Sea Basin is a vital space for circulation of goods with significance beyond the interest of countries directly involved. MED ports and maritime commerce handled through them have been a boost both for regional and European Economic development. Circulation of goods/capitals within the MED Sea faces a number of challenges. In this frame, the INTE-TRANSIT project is aiming to achieve better logistic organization of MED ports and their logistic activities areas through the use of modern ICT technologies...Read more

Currently, Europe is facing a new design process of support policy for Regional Development for the Europe 2020 Strategy. In this context, all regions are involved in the revision of the Regional Innovation Strategies under an integrated approach for Smart Specialisation wich are integrated, place-based economic transformation agendas that do five important things (see European S3 Platform, here -o using imege below-): They focus policy support and investments on key national/regional priorities, challenges...Read more

    The production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food waste are essential activities, and not only to human health, but also for the overall economic development. However, the agri-food industry, like any human activity, involves exploitation of the natural environment. Furthermore, the concern raised internationally as a result of the rapid degradation that is suffering the environment has grown in a way that has become one of the main challenges of the XXI century. Although traditionally...Read more

Curiously, throughout recent history “new” tools for the design or redesign of products, processes and services in general (or, in particular, for  reducing costs or finding new business models) are put on the table all the time. As the old mines that, as a result of the rising price of metal or new uses, are put into operation again, the old tools for design or innovation management (including or not environmental factors -ecodesign- or thinking their entire lifecycle -LCA-), are back into...Read more

The R&D director of IAT, Carmen Baena, has been named the new president of the European Value Management Association -EGB- in General Assembly held on 6 October in Lisbon. This international association, comprised of members from ten European countries, is aimed to the definition and promotion of the European System of Training and Certification of people on Value Management, a model based on the specific principles and methods aimed at improving the performance of the organizations by optimizing its resources.   IAT,...Read more

“It is not wise who knows many things, but who knows useful things”. (Aeschylus) Who wants to handle unreliable data? Who likes to be bombarded with information? Did not find what you need? What kind of organization you want the knowledge of its staff to become obsolete? What company might want your employees to work together to take forward the activity? Once overcame some temptations that we might fall not fighting the enemies of efficiency, we manage the knowledge precisely to fight on these fronts. But...Read more