Presentation of the INTEC 2024 report "A roadmap for the technological transformation of Spain".
Helena Herrero, Javier García, Carlos Matilla, José Capmany, Daniel Perez Grande and Natalia Rodríguez.
The Rafael del Pino Foundation organised, on 8 April 2025, the presentation of the conclusions of the INTEC 2024 report of its Chair in Science and Society, entitled "The time of the brave, from ideas to innovation. A roadmap for the technological transformation of Spain". in which the following participated Helena Herrero, Javier García, Carlos Matilla, José Capmany, Daniel Perez Grande and Natalia Rodríguez.
The event took place according to the following programme:
19:00h Welcome
Initial interventions by Helena HerreroPresident of HP for Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa and Javier GarcíaPresident of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and Director of the Rafael del Pino Chair in Science and Society
19:30h Round table "A roadmap for Spain's technological transformation".
The time of the brave: innovation as the driving force for Spain's transformation
Presentation of the Rafael del Pino Foundation's INTEC 2024 Report
On 8 April 2025, the Rafael del Pino Foundation held the presentation of the INTEC 2024 Report of its Chair in Science and Society, a document which, entitled "The time of the brave. From ideas to innovation".The report outlines a roadmap for boosting Spain's technological transformation.
In a context of enormous global uncertainty, the report argues for the need to put innovation at the heart of a country's strategy, and stresses that the real lever for change is not just technology, but courageous people willing to invest in it.
The session was attended by Helena Herrero, president of HP for Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Javier García, president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and director of the Science and Society Chair of the Rafael del Pino Foundation.
Both agreed that Spain has the opportunity to lead this technological transformation if it is able to create an environment that favours talent, entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer.
"Innovation is not just about having ideas. It is about turning them into real solutions. And that takes time, trust and enabling environments that allow people to develop their full potential".said Helena Herrero.
For his part, Javier García stressed that innovation is, at this time, a country's best defence against a world that tends to close in on itself and erect new barriers: "Competing means anticipating, creating solutions before others and making yourself indispensable in a fast-changing world".
The presentation of the report was completed with a round table discussion that brought together several leading figures from the Spanish entrepreneurial and technological ecosystem: Carlos Matilla, CEO of Fuvex; Daniel Pérez Grande, CEO of IENAI Space; José Capmany, researcher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and founder of iPronics; and Natalia Rodríguez, winner of the National Innovation Award 2023.
All of them shared their experiences in leading innovative projects and agreed on the difficulties that still exist in Spain to take an idea from the laboratory to the market.
"In Spain it is relatively easy to have a prototype that works, to make a demo, to appear in the press... but the real challenge starts later: to turn that prototype into a marketable product".explained Carlos Matilla.
This idea was shared by Daniel Pérez Grande, who proposed the creation of an "entrepreneurial doctorate" that would allow researchers to dedicate specific time, with public support, to transform their scientific developments into viable business projects.
José Capmany, for his part, focused on the need to work from the base, in the education system, to promote a culture of risk and entrepreneurship from an early age. "Our young people are very well prepared technically. The challenge is to make it part of their education to lose the fear of failure".
Natalia Rodríguez completed the debate by reminding the audience that innovation is not only a question of individual courage, but also of the ecosystem: "It takes collaboration, support and an environment that allows ideas to go far.
The event concluded with a very clear message: Spain has the talent, the technology and the ideas needed to lead its own transformation. What it needs, more than ever, is to create the conditions for courageous people who are willing to take risks to find an environment where they can do so.
"The future is not inherited. The future is built. This is how Javier García summed it up. And that, in essence, is the INTEC 2024 report's great call to action.
The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for the comments, opinions or statements made by the people who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their sole responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference are the result of the debates held at the meeting held for this purpose at the Foundation and are the responsibility of their authors.
The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for any comments, opinions or statements made by third parties. In this respect, the FRP is not obliged to monitor the views expressed by such third parties who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their own responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference are the result of the discussions that took place during the conference organised for this purpose at the Foundation and are the sole responsibility of its authors.
