- The Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE) and several of its member parks participated from October 1 to 3 in the 18th Iberian Meeting of Science and Technology Parks, held in Évora (Portugal) under the theme “Novos Mundos Imersivos” (“New Immersive Worlds”)
The official opening featured interventions by Soumodip Sarkar (Executive President of PACT), Felipe Romera (President of APTE), Nuno Augusto (President of TECPARQUES), and Tiago Teotónio Pereira (Executive Member of the Managing Committee of the Programa Regional Alentejo 2030 in the CCDR-A).
The program included keynote speeches, round tables, and discussion sessions in which APTE and its member parks played a key role. Among the most notable contributions:
- Federico de Peralta (Solute – the Health Technology Park of Granada) and Sonia Palomo (Málaga TechPark) took part in a round table on the impact of AI on SMEs, alongside Portuguese representatives from KPMG and Coalex.ai.
- Francisco Benítez (Director of Innovation at Fidesol, PTS Granada) presented collaborative innovation experiences in Web3 and joined a panel on decentralization and autonomy, moderated by Soledad Díaz (APTE Managing Director). The panel also featured Virgilio Díaz (Deputy Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Support Service at Science Park of the University Carlos III) and representatives from Dengun and Yacooba Labs.
APTE has strong expertise in these technologies as it holds the technical secretariat of the Spanish Technology Platform for Disruptive Technologies (Disruptive), co-funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the State Research Agency.
- Javier López (University of Málaga) and Delfina Moreira (Biocant Park) addressed the challenges for parks in innovation policy and value creation.
Pitches by science and technology parks included José Luis Canito Lobo (Director General, Extremadura Science and Technology Park), Jéssica Costa (Executive Director, Algarve STP), Javier Taibo (CEO, Parque Tecnolóxico de Galicia – Tecnópole), and Pedro Rebordão (Promotion and Innovation Manager, LISPOLIS).
Several Spanish and Portuguese startups also presented immersive world projects, including 2FREEDOM and Change Vision (from the IRIA accelerator at the Extremadura Science and Technology Park), as well as Ubora Solar and SBPdata (Málaga TechPark). Portuguese participants included ImmerCity, MindTherapy, and Monarch: The Tainted Kingdom (XBOOST – PACT accelerator).
The final day opened with a keynote by Nelson Silva (University Austria) on digital twins, followed by a round table on the integration of academia and industry through gamification and storytelling, featuring Javier González (Vice Rector for Economics and CEO of the Science Park of University of Salamanca), Alejandro Cristo (CTO, Himalaya – PCT Extremadura), Hernâni Oliveira (University of Évora) and Artur Romão (Dectech).
The closing session, chaired by Nuno Augusto, Felipe Romera, Teresa Riesgo (Secretary General for Innovation of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities), Hermínia Vilar (Rector of the University of Évora), Helena Canhão (Secretary of State for Science and Innovation of Portugal), and Cláudia Boesch (Consul General of Portugal in Andalusia), culminated in the signing of the Évora Manifesto.
This roadmap sets out the shared vision of Spanish and Portuguese science and technology parks: to work together in building future-oriented, innovative, green, smart, human-centered, and open parks, positioning them as essential tools to strengthen national innovation ecosystems on a global scale.
It was also announced that the 19th Iberian Meeting of Science and Technology Parks will be organized in Spain by the Parque Tecnolóxico de Galicia – Tecnópole.
The 18th Iberian Meeting in Évora once again reinforced the cooperation between Spanish and Portuguese science and technology parks, consolidating this forum as a key platform to share experiences, drive joint projects, and explore new opportunities in the field of disruptive technologies.