Redit Summit promotes Valencian technological institutes as "strategic assets"

The Redit Summit held its fifth edition this Thursday in Valencia, emphasizing an international situation marked by the shift in technological and economic leadership from the West to Asia and the United States' reluctance to lose its primacy. This situation makes Valencian technological institutes even more important "as a strategic asset for our country."

With these words, Redit's president, Fernando Saludes, defined the 11 Valencian centers that make up the network, also emphasizing that it is " a clear success story of public-private collaboration " envied in other regions. The network's top executive noted that in the last year, the institutes have worked with 14,500 companies on 1,500 projects and that, thanks to them, the Valencian Community has managed to raise €161 million from national and European projects.

The Regional Minister of Innovation, Industry, Trade, and Tourism, Marián Cano, also emphasized this strategic role in a context of increasing technological competitiveness. "We are living in times of constant transformation, where competitiveness is no longer measured solely by productive efficiency, but by the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Strategic autonomy, secure supply chains, and technological sovereignty are key factors today in ensuring economic and social development."

Saludes also highlighted the multiplier effect on both the companies that work with them and the regional economy, as they generate an impact "quantified at €775.5 million in revenue contributed to the regional GDP ." In his speech, he also emphasized the importance of public financial stability: "Competing at the European level means competing with the best, and we need strong support." He also noted that the centers "make innovation accessible; we want to enable any SME to innovate."

During the day, several companies explained how their joint projects with the centers have allowed them to develop innovative processes or products, such as the Castellón-based Simetría group , which includes the construction company Becsa and the security firm Casva, and the ceramic packaging manufacturer Cermer .

Companies such as PhotonicSENS, Plásticos Ferrando, Sanifruit, Rapife, Epigram Technologies, Cromogenia-Units, V2C, PICDA, and the Valencia Conference Center also participated in the two roundtable discussions, explaining how collaboration with technology centers has been key to some of their innovation projects.

To analyze the international context, the Redit Summit also featured a presentation by José María Pardo de Santayana, Vice President of the Royal University Institute of European Studies and Associate Professor at the Higher Center for National Defense Studies (CESEDEN).

Valencian María Marced, a manager specializing in microelectronics , with a proven track record worldwide in the main companies in this industry such as TSMC, explained to those present the opportunity that the European Union's Chips Act 2 program represents to strengthen the semiconductor industry and where Valencia has positioned itself as a key epicenter in this strategy.

The latest innovations in space exploration, and specifically those related to the moon, were also discussed by Javier Ventura-Traveset, Lunar Navigation & Science Manager of the European Space Agency (ESA). Writer José Soto-Chica, for his part, discussed the importance of innovation in the socioeconomic development of any society from a historical perspective.