ASOCIACION PARA LA PROMOCION, INVESTIGACION, DESARROLLO E INNOVACION TECNOLOGICA DE LA INDUSTRIA DEL CALZADO Y CONEXAS DE LA RIOJA

Their core work

NOVEX (operating as CTCR — Centro Tecnológico del Calzado de La Rioja) is a Spanish technology centre originally established to serve the footwear and leather goods industry in La Rioja. Their R&D work has expanded well beyond footwear into advanced materials, smart textiles, circular manufacturing, and digital technologies for industrial equipment. In H2020, they contributed expertise in materials science and manufacturing processes — from metallised textiles for wearable applications to enzymatic degradation of plastics and digital twins for industrial remanufacturing. They bridge traditional manufacturing know-how with emerging sustainability and digitisation challenges.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only three projects spanning 2018–2020, the evolution is compressed but visible. Their earliest project (MATUROLIFE, 2018) stayed close to their textiles and materials roots, while the two later projects (RECLAIM 2019, upPE-T 2020) moved decisively toward circular economy themes — remanufacturing industrial equipment and upcycling plastic waste into bioplastics. There is a clear pivot from traditional materials processing toward sustainability-driven manufacturing and bio-based materials.

CTCR is moving from its traditional footwear/textile materials base toward circular manufacturing and bio-based alternatives, positioning itself as a sustainability-oriented materials R&D partner.

How they like to work

CTCR has participated exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, across all three H2020 projects. Despite this small project count, they have worked with 64 unique partners across 18 countries, indicating they join large, diverse Innovation Action and Research consortia. This profile suggests a reliable specialist contributor that integrates well into multi-partner European projects without seeking the administrative burden of coordination.

With 64 unique consortium partners across 18 countries from just 3 projects, CTCR has built a remarkably wide European network relative to its project volume. Their partnerships span a broad geographic range, reflecting the large-scale IA and RIA consortia they join.

What sets them apart

CTCR's unusual origin as a footwear industry technology centre gives them deep, hands-on expertise in materials processing, surface treatments, and manufacturing techniques that most generic R&D centres lack. Their transition into circular economy and bioplastics means they bring practical manufacturing experience to sustainability projects — they understand how materials behave in real production lines, not just in laboratories. For consortium builders, they offer a rare combination: an SME-sized, agile research centre with sector-specific manufacturing know-how and proven experience in large European consortia.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RECLAIM
  Largest budget share (EUR 495K) and most technically diverse — combining digital twins, predictive maintenance, and remanufacturing of large industrial equipment.
• upPE-T
  Represents a bold thematic expansion into enzymatic plastic degradation and bioplastics, running through 2025 — their longest-running and most forward-looking project.
• MATUROLIFE
  Closest to their core competence in textiles/materials, applying metallisation techniques to create smart textiles for elderly independence.