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The event, which brought together more than 400 people from the field of innovation, research and the ICT sector, was also attended by the Secretary of Telecommunications and Digital Transformation, Marc Realp, the Secretary of Digital Policies, Gina Tost, the fourth lieutenant the mayor of Barcelona City Council, Jordi Valls, and the rector of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Daniel Crespo, among other authorities. The event has served to review the most notable milestones of these twenty years, such as the creation of the Teleictus network, the 'The doctor at home' initiative or the deployment of the first 4K broadcast of an opera at the Liceu.
During the event, the Secretary of Telecommunications and Digital Transformation, Marc Realp, announced the objectives of the digital transformation of the Generalitat of Catalonia with i2CAT. The Generalitat will allocate 12.7 million euros for the period 2024-2027 to the Foundation in accordance with the European 2030 Digital Compass strategy. For the first time, the Department of Research and Universities has joined the i2CAT Program Contract.
In his speech, the General Director of Research, Mr. Joan Gómez-Pallarès, explained the positioning of i2CAT within the research ecosystem of Catalonia. Catalonia is currently the fifth most digitalized region in Europe, according to the DESI Catalunya 2022 index, with 63.96%, almost 12 points higher than the European Union average and 1.6 points above 2021. However, the Digitization of the rural world is still a challenge. For this reason, the contract program is committed to reducing the urban-rural digital divide.
Next, the new director of i2CAT, recently appointed, Dr. Sergi Figuerola, has presented the center's new strategic plan, whose main objective is to consolidate i2CAT as the digital research center of Catalonia and maximize the impact of its research. in the productive sectors, in the administration and in the citizens.
In this sense, the center proposes to address the depopulation of rural areas with the deployment of digital infrastructures that allow teleworking from any point, creating remote patient assistance and monitoring systems in the face of the aging population or the application of artificial intelligence. (AI) for the efficient management of natural resources. The automation of processes in industries, the digital transformation of administration or the development of immersive technologies are other objectives of i2CAT.
During the event, recognitions were given to the two former directors of the center Sebastià Sallent (2003-2014) and Josep Paradells (2014-2024) for their contribution to the growth and positioning of i2CAT since its inception. Dr. Artur Serra, current deputy director of the center, has also been recognized, and a posthumous tribute has been paid to Mr. Carles Salvadó, former president of the puntCAT Foundation, member and secretary of the Board of Trustees and vice president of the Delegate Commission, who died of prematurely recently.
The event ended with the speech of the vice president of the Government, Laura Vilagrà Pons, also president of the i2CAT Board of Trustees. During her intervention, she highlighted the crucial role of the center in the digital transformation of Catalonia, achieving notable milestones such as having placed Catalonia in fifth place in the ranking as the most digitally advanced country within the EU.
Likewise, it has reaffirmed the Government's commitment to giving new impetus to research and digital innovation. To this end, they will allocate €12.7M in the period 2024-2027 through the program contract to the i2CAT Foundation to continue transforming the country in accordance with the European 2030 Digital Compass strategy.
Since 2006, the center has participated in a hundred research projects at European level and has managed to raise more than 36 million euros in funds from the European Commission. Currently, i2CAT is the third entity in Catalonia that attracts the most funds from the Commission in ICT calls within the H2020 and Horizon Europe research and innovation programs.
This good positioning in the European research ecosystem has recently been reinforced thanks to the participation of the i2CAT Foundation in the European 6G Smart Networks and Services (SNS) Joint Undertaking (JU) program, financed with Horizon Europe funds and aimed at designing technologies for the next generation of 6G mobile networks. In addition, for a year now, i2CAT has held one of the 16 seats on the Governing Board of the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA), an association that brings together the main telecommunications companies, research centers and universities from all over Europe to promote research and development of 5G, advanced 5G and 6G.
At the state level, the technological research capacity in 5G and 6G was recognized in 2021 with the granting of almost 17 million in NextGenerationEU financing to develop 19 research projects within the UNICO I D 6G program, promoted by the Government of Spain within its Plan of Recovery, Transformation and Resilience.
Five laboratories for research in 5G and 6G.
Throughout 2024, the center plans to open five laboratories for research into 5G and 6G technologies that will be financed with 10 million euros from the UNICO Infrastructure program also promoted by the Government of Spain within its Plan of Recovery, Transformation and Resilience with NextGenerationEU funds.
These laboratories will be spread throughout the Catalan territory, including the UPC North Campus in Barcelona, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Vilanova i la Geltrú and Móra la Nova, and will allow experimentation in various areas of advanced 5G and 6G technologies, such as architectures and enabling technologies for 6G, open radio access networks, autonomous and connected mobility, non-terrestrial networks and quantum cryptography. i2CAT works on other pioneering projects to advance telecommunications systems based on the use of nanosatellites, technological solutions aimed at industry 4.0 or the deployment of new services based on Extended Reality systems.
On the other hand, the center will continue working this year, hand in hand with the Generalitat of Catalonia, in the 'Cicle DonaTIC', an initiative that seeks to generate a network of professional women in the ICT field to give greater visibility to their role in this sector.
About the i2CAT Foundation.
The i2CAT Foundation is a CERCA non-profit technological research center that promotes R&D activities around advanced digital technologies and their architecture, applications and services. The 20 years of experience in the field of international research and innovation guarantee the center's expertise in the fields of 5G, IoT, VR and immersive technologies, cybersecurity, blockchain, artificial intelligence, Space Communications and digital social technologies. The mission of the i2CAT Foundation is to contribute to the definition and structuring of a universal digital innovation system to convert Catalonia into an advanced digital society.
Contact:.
Miriam Castillo | miriam.castillo@i2cat.net.
Marcos Doespiritusanto | marcos.doespiritusanto@i2cat.net | 605 69 64 26.
C/ Gran Capità 2-4, Nexus I Building, 2nd floor 08034 Barcelona.
