The MESVAL Chair holds a dialogue on digitalisation and biotechnology. Digitalisation and biotechnology as drivers of innovation in Valencia were the main topics of the Webinar “Challenges of innovation in Valencia”, held on 17 November.

Javier Mateo, General Director of Entrepreneurship - Deputy Director of València Activa; Sabrina Femenía, Director of Biohub VLC; and Francesc de Paula Pons, Project Manager at INNSOMNIA, took part in this new dialogue moderated by Isidre March, Director of the University Master's Degree in Creation and Management of Innovative Companies (Master EI).

Javier Mateo, Deputy Director of València Activa, emphasised the progress made by València in recent years in terms of innovation. In this sense, Mateo invited the attending students, most of them from the EI Master, to get to know and get involved in the ground-breaking ecosystem of our city, characterised by its dynamism and openness. In addition, Javier wanted to value the actions promoted from València Activa, which are a vital support to make our city more competitive through digitalisation and sustainability.

For his part, Francesc de Paula, remarked that València has become a hub of globalisation and technology. With a strong commitment to the Open Innovation approach, Innsomnia promotes the co-creation of technological solutions linked to the field of digitalisation by a wide network of start-ups in response to challenges launched by “corporate” companies. In this way, synergies are generated that mutually benefit start-ups and consolidated companies and contribute to rising the innovative potential of the Valencian entrepreneurial ecosystem.

To end, Sabrina Femenía, Director of Biohub VLC, explained that activities and expectations surrounding this project, which is scheduled to open in the first half of 2021. Located in the surroundings of the Marina of Valencia, it has a long-term time horizon and is born with the vocation of contributing to consolidate the innovation and biotech cluster in the region. In addition, Femenía stressed that one of the main purposes of Biohub VLC is “to become an essential and indispensable part of the value chain”. The Biohub will act as a linking agent and promoter of synergies and its action will be primarily aimed at the segment of bio companies in the growth phase or “scale up”.