See links related to Professionals and Experts in R&D and innovation (only available in spanish)

A very important link in the innovation process is researchers or technicians who not only know how to conduct research but who also understand what companies need from new technologies. In fact, the lack of qualified human resources is one of the barriers to innovation processes. The statistics available on staff employed in R&D, provided by Eurostat, show that there are big differences between countries, which match the disparities that exist in terms of spending on R&D. In 1995, 1.27% of the workforce in the EU was employed in R&D, compared with 0.94% in Spain. In 1999, the figures were 1.33% for the EU and 1.09% for Spain. Somewhat more recent is the data of the OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators, volume 2002/2, which shows that, in the year 2000, 10.4 of every one thousand employees in the EU worked in R&D activities, while the figure for Spain was 6.7.

A variety of ways can be used to find technicians and researchers: professional guilds and associations, and discussion forums. Guilds and associations can help find a technician or researcher with a particular profile, since many of them keep employment listings in order to put companies in contact with their members. Some also put lists of their associates/members on their websites. Discussion forums can be a good point of contact with technology specialists for raising doubts or problems.