From 9 to 12 June, Prof. Michał Banaszak, AMU Vice-Rector for Digitization and Business Cooperation, participated in a study visit to the Basque Country (Spain). The trip aimed to improve the knowledge, competencies and skills of participants in the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EIP) - members of the Working Groups and the Greater Poland Smart Specialisations (IS) Forum. The visit focused on the IS areas of “ICT-based development”, “Industry of tomorrow”, “Specialised logistics processes” and “Modern medical technologies”.
The delegation from Greater Poland included representatives of the following entities: IDFS Sp. z o.o., MiCo Scientific Sp. z o.o., Polish Chamber of Commerce
of Importers, Exporters and Cooperation, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poznań University of Medical Sciences and YouNick Mint Sp. z o.o.
The Basque Country, located in northern Spain, with a population of around 2,250,000, is an autonomous community within the Kingdom of Spain. Historically, the region was one of the centres of the industrial revolution, centred around the mining, steel and shipbuilding sectors. Since the mid-1980s, the economic transformation of the region has occurred. Today's regional economy is based on modernised industry (manufacturing, aeronautics, logistics, energy) and developed services, along with knowledge and technology transfer. A significant number of enterprises are engaged in innovative and international activities. It translates into the Basque Country's high position in economic indicators and rankings, including the innovation of EU regions: the region is classified as a “strong innovator”, the highest of all Spanish regions.
The visit agenda included meetings in Bilbao and Zamudio/Derio:
- at the headquarters of the SPRI Group, a business development agency, presenting the framework of the Autonomous Government's regional innovation policy; the BDIH digital innovation centre initiative to facilitate access to advanced digital and manufacturing technologies for companies; and the public-private accelerator programme BIND 4. 0, connecting start-ups from all over the world with leading industrial companies from the region to develop pilot projects;
- The GAIA cluster organisation brings together entities from the ICT, engineering, electronics and consulting sectors, promoting cross-sector collaboration and supporting SMEs in their digital transformation.
- The Parke Technology Park, the first such entity in Spain and one of the largest in Europe.
- The BIC BIZKAIA business and innovation centre, offering space and services for start-ups, with the delegation visiting two local technology companies.
- Tecnalia, the largest private centre for applied research and technology development in Spain and one of the leading organisations of its kind in Europe; and
- The Innobasque agency, a public-private organisation promoting and coordinating innovation activities in the Basque Country.
Participants in the delegation from Greater Poland had the opportunity to present to their hosts the activity profile of the represented entities in the scope of development, research and innovation. The visit was also an occasion to exchange experiences and talk to Basque partners about possible cooperation in the project's implementation.
The mission was organised in cooperation with the Basque Trade & Investment regional government agency.
The activity was conducted within the project “Wielkopolskie Inteligentne Specjalizacje – Ekosystem na rzecz neutralności klimatycznej (WIS-E NET ZERO)”. The project is implemented and financed by the Programu Fundusze Europejskie dla Wielkopolski na lata 2021-2027 w ramach Priorytetu 1 Fundusze Europejskie dla Wielkopolskiej Gospodarki; Działanie 1.7 Wzmocnienie procesu przedsiębiorczego odkrywania i promocja gospodarki w regionie.
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Source: https://www.umww.pl/wizyta-studyjna-w-kraju-baskow-hiszpania
