Present at the Innovaspain Meeting on Innovation and Territory

On 8 May, Cinfa participated in the innovation breakfast organised by Innovaspain at Impact Hub Madrid to discuss territorial R&D models and innovation as a tool for cohesion.

The event was attended by leading representatives from the public and private innovation ecosystem, including Elisa Rivera, Director General of Planning, Coordination and Knowledge Transfer at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; Rocío Castrillo, Director of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at ENISA; Laura Olcina, President of Fedit and Director of the ITI Technology Centre; Marcos Macías, Secretary of the Governing Council at Panacea Cooperative Research; and Antonio González, CEO of Impact Hub Madrid.

Representing Cinfa, our Director of Innovation and Corporate Development, Julio Sánchez Mariñas, shared the company’s history as a leader in R&D in Navarre and its transformative impact on the region at all levels. He also emphasized the importance of promoting and retaining local talent to continue progressing in innovation. In this regard, Cinfa’s ongoing collaboration with public and private organisations such as the University of Navarra and the European Business and Innovation Centre of Navarra (CEIN), among others, has been crucial for attracting top professionals and becoming a benchmark in the field.

Another topic where interesting perspectives were shared was the role of funding and administrative agility in reducing innovation disparities between regions. In addition to the challenges and strategies for ensuring that funding reaches all parts of the country, the discussion also highlighted the importance of keeping projects focused on their objectives and sustaining investment towards these goals.

From the perspective of regional contribution, the discussion emphasized the significant transformative power of startups, particularly in smaller cities. It was noted that there is a critical need to facilitate and promote innovative projects locally to support the sustainable development of local communities in social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

From a social perspective, there were discussions about the cultural mindset and attitudes prevalent in our country, highlighting the need to foster an entrepreneurial spirit across all levels of the economy and society. This means recognising and promoting the intangible value of innovation, beyond just its financial profitability.