Science and innovation are the hallmarks and driving forces of the most modern economies. Their importance is reflected in key sectors: in construction, in the improvement of infrastructure, in the adoption of clean energy, but also in advances in medicine or even in the food sector, which increasingly relies on technology to improve its efficiency. Because investing in disruptive advances is fueling growth, strengthening competitiveness and guaranteeing a more sustainable and healthy future. Spain is in the midst of a shift towards this model: rich in ideas, proposals and human capital. “Today, Spain is a country of science and for science, which bases its future on strengthening its talent, that of its companies and that of its citizens,” said Diana Morant, Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, at a meeting organized by EL PAÍS and Acciona. This paradigm shift is due to greater investment in R&D with public and private resources, which reached 19.325 billion euros in 2022, according to a report by the Cotec Foundation prepared by the National Statistics Institute with the latest available data. Of this figure, the public sector – which includes both administrations and the various research organizations and universities – registered an investment level of 8.356 billion euros. “The country has shifted its production model towards an economy of talent and ideas,” Morant stressed.Diana Morant, Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities. Santi Burgos
Ethical turn
The Minister of Science underlined how science has taken a powerful ethical turn, in a clear commitment to a sustainable and socially responsible future. “Throughout history, scientific progress has not always resulted in a direct improvement of society or in greater social justice. Today, in an accelerated and disruptive time, we often feel that the future overwhelms us and decides for us, leaving us few options to intervene. This speed sometimes contradicts the critical democratic exercise,” she added. The main objective of progress, Morant stressed, must always be to direct advances towards the well-being of citizens. “This is what is happening both in Spain and in other countries around us. In the globalised world that we share, science no longer lets itself be carried away by haste, but rather is committed to the common good,” she added during her speech at the meeting entitled Disruptive Innovation. Sectors that innovate. So investing in this field is lighting the spark of development. “This is the only way to make Europe and Spain more competitive in the global context.” Along these lines, Morant pointed out that 40% of the European Next Generation recovery funds have been allocated to promoting knowledge, innovation and digitalisation, and of these, 70% have already reached the national productive fabric. “In total, we have invested more than 290 million in technology-based companies, with a budget that goes beyond the European recovery funds and that we have co-financed with a tool such as the Innvierte Programme, through the support of the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)”. The future of Spain is woven at this intersection between science and social impact. In this sense, Carmen Camuñas, director of Acciona's digital innovation hub, emphasised that innovation is not limited exclusively to technological and digital advances, but also encompasses the exploration of new materials, working methods and innovative approaches in general. This holistic conception allows Acciona to find sustainable and efficient solutions for infrastructure and services. For example, the company has implemented the Internet of Things (IoT) for the sensing of truck fleets, which allows for more efficient management during adverse weather conditions and contributes to the reduction of polluting emissions. He also highlighted the use of artificial intelligence for predictive maintenance in complex infrastructures such as energy platforms, improving reliability and optimising resources. For his part, Javier de Castro, Coordinator of the Innovation Unit of the La Paz Hospital Research Institute (IdiPAZ), recalled that it is urgent to apply innovation in the healthcare sector. “We need to transform research into tangible solutions for patients. Innovation should not remain in the laboratory, but rather translate into effective treatments that improve quality of life and medical care.” In this sense, the expert said that the sector is committed to turning the patient's environment into a personalised care centre, directly in their home and family environment. “We are talking about a liquid or fluid hospital concept, where the patient is monitored and followed from their own home through a centralised data centre.” This model not only promises to reduce waiting times and ease the burden on professionals, but also optimizes resources by channeling necessary consultations more efficiently. “When an alarm is detected in the patient, they are called directly, avoiding unnecessary consultations and considerably reducing waiting times,” added De Castro. Innovation is not exclusive to any sector. In the culinary sector, for example, it is making significant progress. At least that is what Joxe Mari Aizega, general director of the Basque Culinary Center, believed, who explained the importance of innovation in gastronomy and food through various initiatives. “We work on recovering varieties of abandoned products, looking for unique gastronomic characteristics and values lost due to industrialization.” Their approach also focuses on alternative proteins based on vegetables and enzymatic fermentations (a biochemical process) to generate new non-animal options. On the other hand, José Moisés Martín Carretero, general director of the CDTI, highlighted the continuous support to more than 1,000 companies annually with an investment of more than 1.5 billion euros. Scientific progress, in his opinion, has to be for everyone, not just a few. “It is crucial that citizens see the benefits in terms of better quality of life, employment and sustainable economic growth,” he concluded. Follow all the information on Economy and Business on Facebook and Twitter. Xor in our weekly newsletter