one day Bright sun with a pleasant temperature of about 20 degrees. It sided with Generalitat Valenciana until the time it took to sell the benefits it had so that Alicante would become a center of attraction for companies in the technology sector and lay the foundations for the production model change that seems decisive in the decades to come. . This is why Distrito Digital has returned to its new headquarters in the Port of Alicante, the preferred expansion point beyond the original headquarters at the Ciudad de la Luz facilities. Moreover, they all coincide with 8M in a day, which also serves the claim of equality.
The open day of the event, which will be held at the new headquarters of the Digital District, has been announced. At pier 5 of the Port of Alicante It allowed us to explore a four-space building prepared to house more companies and transform the city into a beacon of innovation in the Mediterranean context. The expansion confirms Generalitat’s firm commitment to a project: As Chairman Ximo Puig emphasized, he already has about a hundred companies. and creates more than a thousand jobs with high added value.
A very important date has been chosen for the release. March 8th. The meeting also underlined the need to continue the fight to reduce the gender gap that is still very evident in the technology sector, as evidenced by the number of graduates leaving Spanish universities each year. In this context, eight women shared their experiences of how they made their way in innovation by overcoming glass ceilings, sticky floors and the barriers of compromise: María José Peral (Artificial Intelligence Institute), Itziar Pérez López ( Dual Link), Noemí Mira (Bookaris), María Furió (GFT), Ana Ivars (Dynamiza Digital), Nieves Lozano (Accenture), Manuela Esclapez (DXC Technology) and Beatriz Sánchez (Valentina’s store). This meeting was moderated by Elvira Quiles, director of the Center for Advanced Digital Innovation, followed by the 8M manifesto read by Lucía León (reTIClaje.es).
Evident
We celebrate the struggle for equality between women and men in one day to make visible the potential of feminism to transform society in a just, equal and inclusive way. The struggle for gender equality has been the main element of social, cultural, economic and political transformations throughout history. “We must pay attention to the difference and diversity that makes it difficult for women to develop life projects under equal conditions and with the same opportunities in many sectors. The aim is for all women to live with the same rights and freedoms as men.”
An expansion with a new target in Alcoy
Generalitat President Ximo Puig’s speech emphasized public-private partnerships to ensure that the digital transformation process reaches the “maximum number of companies” and all productive sectors. He touched on this when talking about the expansion of the Digital Zone, which will reach Alcoy and other towns in the Valencian Community, such as Gandia or Castellón, with the will to “take advantage of innovative ambition” across the region. The new Digital Zone destinations will specialize in specific sectors to “continue the successes of Alicante”, supported by the fact that the Community has been the region that has scaled most in innovation in recent years.
Generalitat invested 13 million Euros in the new headquarters of the Digital District. In his speech, Puig suggested that they are working on a project that will enable transformation. Amaro’s old ships at the center of technologies that enable it to transfer innovation to the entire production system. The new building at Pier 5, on the other hand, consists of four modules of 1,200 square meters each, divided into two floors, and includes all services for the implementation of startups, companies and multinationals. The facilities also include a co-working floor, restaurant, underground car park and a terrace for presentations at the Poniente pier.
The 97 existing companies and 1,000 workers involved in the project show, in the words of the president, “a shift from speculation to innovation in the Consell model.” Puig wants to influence that line, as he confirms by pointing out that the new headquarters is “a lever to keep up” the change in the production pattern in the Valencian Community. «We are a new field south mediterranean With Botanic’s rise to power in 2015, “a number of inactive assets have been reborn in a new recovery,” continued Consell’s president. “. In this context, I put the Ciudad de la Luz first and foremost the facilities where activity has recovered after the European embargo has been overcome.
Josefina Bueno, Minister of Innovation and Universities, was one of the first to speak at the event. In her speech, she emphasized that the struggle against inequality between women and men should be continued by creating “spaces”. egalitarian coexistence, where prosperity and future opportunities are generated for both women and men. “The new space is another example of Consell’s drive for productive model change and a more resilient, competitive economy and is poised to respond to the challenges demanded by the new digital,” Bueno continued. society ».
Sectors with the highest participation: finance, education and tourism
The profile of companies that are part of the Digital Zone covers almost all sectors and sub-sectors linked to innovation and the new economy. Overall, more than half of companies belong to the technological industry, which is applied to areas such as software, multiplatform, Big Data, Smart Data, and sectors such as finance, real estate market, education and tourism.
This block is followed by the number of companies related to connection infrastructures and digital marketing. Online commerce, artificial intelligence, smart cities, and the world of gaming and esports are other profiles that have experienced great growth in recent years.
Alicante offers all these companies a business and university ecosystem for both education and research. In this sense, Generalitat’s strategy to consolidate the Community and province as a benchmark for innovation in the Mediterranean includes the center created in Port, a project that also focuses on areas such as supercomputing or 5G networks.
The architectural design of the new headquarters has a modern and minimalist style that complies with all the parameters set by the planning regulations of the Alicante Port Authority. The four modules distributed in the cells are combined through a common platform that allows the inclusion and adjustment of the transition between open spaces and workspaces.
The new building, said the minister, “places the Community with its productive sectors at the forefront of digital transformation because it is connected to areas where job creation is promoted, digital zone and information transfer. Bueno also pointed out that Consell “positions Alicante as a benchmark for innovation nationally and internationally, and a pillar of attraction for innovative capability and a technological engine.”
Antonio Rodes, General Manager of Distrito Digital, underlined that the ecosystem that started to form in 2017 has shifted from “a company settlement to a dynamic organization”, and he claimed the following while talking about it: innovative ecosystemsBesides quoting Madrid or Barcelona, ”Community is also mentioned”. In this sense, Rodes emphasized that “Alicante is oriented towards the knowledge economy”. Finally, he added: “We don’t know where we are going when we create the Digital Zone, but we have received authorization from Puig to build an ecosystem that will move towards a change in the economic model of value-added sectors.”
Effort
In all the speeches, Generalitat’s investment effort for the construction of a complex in the heart of the Port of Alicante was highlighted. city economy and for the entire digital ecosystem of the province. Unveiled this Wednesday, the building is the first to be built from the ground up and stands out for its privileged location with views of the sea, Santa Bárbara castle and Alicante skyline, among its advantages that attract technologists.
The Digital District uses the competitive advantages of the Community to create an environment that can host technology companies and talent. The belly articulates like a broad base innovation data It acts as a bridge between the needs of the institutions and the solutions or possible developments in the market. Since its launch at the end of 2018, the technology center has exceeded growth expectations and reached 500 related companies and organizations among 100 established companies, jointly related companies, and collaborating institutions and organizations. They all now have a new headquarters in the Port of Alicante.
Generalitat opens call for companies’ arrival
Among the first companies to settle in the new headquarters of the Digital District in the Port of Alicante are the Ellis Foundation, the Norwegian Kornsberg and the TMRW group. In fact, Generalitat chairman Ximo Puig arrived this Wednesday to greet the Ellis members after giving the closing speech on his first visit to the facilities. Consell’s president signed a dedication to them and was presented with a shirt that had an image created using artificial intelligence techniques.
These companies have already responded to Generalitat’s call, which has opened a call for more technology companies to be set up in the Digital District’s new headquarters. The guidelines state that applications will be heard in the order of presentation. Likewise, in this acceptance process of the companies, it has been determined that the requests covering the whole area, demanding longer implementation time and showing the intention to employ more employees will be given priority.
On Wednesday’s presentation day, attendees were able to visit an exhibition space attended by some companies affiliated with the Digital Zone for technology companies established in the exterior of the complex: Accenture, Simplicity Works, Dodit, Avamed Synergy, Odissey Robotics, Next Electric Motors, Liux, GTF or uWare Robotics.