In light of this situation, how is Meco contemplating its new projects? How do new ideas arise? The truth is that once again I must mention that trade fairs are a good starting point. At these trade fairs, the visitors always pose new possibilities for the machine which we may have not thought of. On the other hand, in our specific case, I particularly like to think of what can be done which has not yet been done. Inventor’s soul... Meco is defined by its capacity for constant innovation, incorporating improvements and looking for new challenges. 34 / facilitates participation in certain countries and I feel this should be promoted. On the other hand, I would like to see more support for R&D for companies which, such as our own, are pure R&D. And this is not lack of knowledge. At Meco we are fully aware of the lines of credit focused on this and how to present the projects, but there’s no funding available. So, when they decide a project is interesting, they grant a line of funding, not a subsidy, because non-refundable subsidies have prac- tically disappeared, and this represents a problem for a company which contributes its know-how and work but has insufficient funds of its own to cover everything. What happens then? Without non-refundable subsidies, we come across funding which used to be at 0% interest, but now are only released at the Euribor rate plus a markup. They also require a guarantee, which happens to be personal in the case of SMEs. This represents yet another difficulty for small companies such as our own, which can only obtain bank guarantees, with the risk this entails if the project, which is a proposal, does not prosper on a technical level or doesn’t make good sales. That is, in Spain, SMEs dedicated to R&D must put their assets at risk in order to develop projects which will definitely have a positive repercussion on society, wellbeing and creation of jobs. This does not occur in coun- tries like Germany or France. Yes, without ceasing to analyse whether the idea makes sense, its use, because some inventions have no use and maybe some things haven’t been invented because they aren’t necessary. You can also pose solutions which, without being strictly necessary, can be attractive enough for the market. This is the case of introducing the possibility of incorporating helical slots into our machine. At present, our client may not need to perform spirals, but he may like to know that someday, if he needs it, there is already a machine which has been prepared for this purpose. And there is always room for innovating in the design and aesthetics of the machines. We also find that direct contact we maintain with our clients thanks to our engineering work and industrial maintenance helps us a great deal. Talking and sharing information is the cornerstone for developing improvements in the processes, creating synergies between companies and promoting colla- boration...something which isn't very common in Spain and that in countries like the US it is seen on day-to-day basis. To conclude, with all your experience, what message would you send to companies which want to venture out to the international machinery-tool market? I can't seem to understand that State budget provisions for R&D are being reduced. I won’t accept that there is no money as an excuse, this has no logic. All investments entail a risk, but they are also an investment in the future. A modern and developed state must include a strong and solvent technological support policy and must also have sufficient patience in order for the seeds which are planted via R&D to grow, but for this the companies must receive help to ‘plant’ these seeds and when they ‘grow’ then the company will then deal with maintaining their growth. On the other hand, the option of collaborating with a tech- nological centre requires the company to become associated to this centre and lose part of the project’s intellectual property, when in fact the company is capable of developing the entire project on its own. This is the reality of R&D in Spanish SMEs, which are the ones which create the most jobs in Spain. Always referring to small and medium-sized companies which want to venture into exporting without having any prior experience, I would tell them that the first thing they must do is seek government support. Fortunately, they are mechanisms which work, and for example the PIPE, a programme for supporting exports which is related to the Icex and ACC1Ó in Catalonia. We started in the same way and I am very happy we made the decision when we did. From PIPE, they visit the company and study the product which is to be exported, analysing certain markets, etc., and deciding whether it is viable or not. In general, the visits are carried out by people with plenty of experience in exports and who know how to provide guidance on the steps which are to be carried out. Conversely, I would mention that it is unadvisable to attend an industrial trade fair without having performed a prior study, given that one must have a good knowledge on the target market. Also, in order to gain expe- rience one must start with countries which are close-by, closer to us on mental and industrial levels, not aiming for emerging countries. At Meco, it has taken us 5 years to venture into India. And they should dust off their English, Russian and French books; we may even need the Chinese ones also. /