Spain to present first pilot project for AI testing in Brussels

Organized by El Periódico de España and sponsored by Telefónica, Procter &_Gamble and Ayming, Prensa Ibérica brought together a large group of experts to analyze the current and future challenges of technological innovation in Spain.

this Javier Moll, President of the Iberian Press, welcomed the conference attendees and noted that his group is committed to Products of the Future, as it is “aware that technological and digital transformation is one of the greatest features of our time”. Moll assured him that this is “a revolution that stimulates thought, changes habits, and forces us to rethink everything: the way we relate, inform ourselves, produce, learn, and live.”

In the same vein, “we cannot miss the opportunity to promote the technological advances necessary to thrive as a society,” said Gemma Robles, director of El Periódico de España.

In her speech, Vice President Nadia Calviño reviewed the current deployment of reforms and investments envisioned in the recovery plan, emphasizing that this is a tool for advancing innovation: “We have initiated competitive processes that fund approximately 29,000 projects representing over 10,000 million projects. companies, research centers, universities, etc.

Calviño took advantage of this forum to report and Progress that the Spanish Government will present a pilot project with the Spanish seal in Brussels next Mondayto realize first controlled sandbox for artificial intelligence rulebook. “Testing this pilot project with Spanish companies, SMEs and start-ups is a great opportunity and an example of the role Spain plays in promoting artificial intelligence,” he said.

also put The great appreciation of the digitization program of SMEs is valued. (‘digital kit’) and meEight exclusive plans launched in the heat of the Digital Agenda (connectivity, 5G, cybersecurity,…), he added, to the Recovery Plan, “in which we invested 20,000 million euros”.

innovation experts

The event featured the first swords of knowledge on technological innovation in Spain. Francisco Marin, director futures transactions and Innovative Career National Award in 2020“We are on the way, but there is still much to be done. We are the 13th economy in the world, but we are falling to the 30th place in the global innovation index.

The implication of the opportunity that Next Generation European funds represented for Spain in terms of technological innovation remained constant throughout the meeting. In the first of the roundtables on “active policies for innovation and development”, Pedro Mier, president of Ameticstressed that European funds should reach companies as soon as possible: “To date, only one out of every four euros allocated to innovation has reached companies,” he said. “We must not forget that the transformation is in companies; science is global and innovation is local, so it is through companies that wealth is generated in the region,” he added.

Antón Costas, President of the Economic and Social Council, was more optimistic: “We are using funds better than we thought; Otherwise, the balance of payments of this country would be incomprehensible. Our companies are more innovative than the statistics say; “We need to have a little more self-confidence because we have all the elements to meet this challenge.”

coincided with it José Manuel Pingarrón, Secretary General of Universities“Who believes that our young doctors today have greater opportunities for mobility and exchange with other universities around the world”.

Ana Castro, Vice President of Knowledge Transfer, CSICHe pointed out that Spain is on the way and our structures are ready, but warned that “the challenges are great and turnaround times may not be as fast as society demands”.

He could not attend the meeting in person as planned, Teresa Risk, Secretary General of InnovationThe Science, Technology and Innovation Act was supposed to go to the Congress of Deputies to be discussed and voted on. But he intervened telematically and assured that it was possible to have bigger and stronger companies only if they put innovation as the main axis.

Companies that are a key element in the innovation challenge

travel futures transactions organized by Spain Newspaper held a second table on “Companies facing the technological innovation challenge” attended by experts from different companies.

The meeting served to demonstrate the continued success of Spain’s modernization. companies, SMEs and start. Without their experience and connections with society as a whole, it is impossible to advance in innovation.

David del Val, Global Director of Strategic Innovation, Telefónicaexplained that betting on innovation is not only an investment, it is also a great business. “Because this way a company supports long-term changes and can sell its development strategies to other companies. However, for this, public institutions need to help us not only with economic resources but also with training programs.”

Invoice Javier Riaño, Procter & Gamble-Spain VP of Marketingwho, in a company like yours, also has the responsibility to innovate in solving the specific needs of consumers without forgetting their context. “For example, we produce detergents and we know that the price of electricity has increased a lot in recent months. We must work to create products that can use the washing machine at low temperatures, thus saving on electricity bills.”

Carlos Artal, CEO of Ayming Spain, for its part, considers it necessary for the State to devote at least 2% of GDP to innovation. “Companies are doing our part. Because only in this way can we survive over time, and we must also encourage the development of a large and robust ecosystem. start“There are companies right now that do not know how to access European resources for digitalisation, and we must make their way easier. Because only then can they be more competitive and continue to grow.”

“We need to implement full digitalization with the support of the public sector. But in parallel, we must try to do this in a cyber-safe way,” he warned. Azucena Hernández, Founder and CEO of Eurocybcar“because if not, we leave the doors open to cybercriminals. A 47-year-old entrepreneur, who received the “first cyber security certificate for a car” in our country, said, “We attach great importance to this in the automotive industry and we are also concerned about the training of our personnel.”