The Councillor of the City of Tremp, Maria Pilar Cases, and territorial delegate of the Government in the High Pyrenees and Aran, Rosa Amorós, have welcomed those attending the meeting organized by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Cybersecurity and Digital Society. Representatives of organizations as diverse as PireneLab, Pyrenees Research Lab and the Institute for Development and Promotion of High Pyrenees and Aran, among others, have joined the meeting which was also attended by representatives of centers of Vocational Training, the Council of Lleida, some municipalities and county councils in the Pyrenees. The telecentres of the Punt TIC Network Telecentre de Tremp, Telecentre del Pallars Sobirà i Telecentre Alta Ribargorça did not want to miss a call whose main focus is digital social innovation.
To involve the entire economic and social fabric of Catalonia in innovation processes is one of the most important milestones this program arises. The application of the quadruple helix in this context involves the entire economic and social fabric of the country in innovation processes.
The emergence of ICT and in particular Internet is creating a "democratization of innovation" and leads to an opening of its work cycles (open innovation). Linear models of innovation are being overtaken by systemic models that allow users to incorporate from the beginning of the innovation process, making more effective the impact of investment in R & D.
According to CatLabs:
We are starting to talk about social innovation systems and to the tradicional digital innovation system (universities and companies) are joining certain stakeholders such as schools, or telecentres, areas of innovation economic development from councils, that before were not part of it. We are definig new forms of interaction between agents of the quadruple helix: governments, businesses, academia and citizens. Having the eyes of the Pyrenees and Aran as a potential generator of a "lab" ecosystem can be more than interesting.
According to Ricard Faura, Head of Digital Inclusion and Training of the Ministry of Telecommunications, Cybersecurity and Digital Society, the program foresees the creation of new social structures to make good technological innovations that help transform traditional structures at regional level. Through this system, the CatLabs network construction will promote the search for innovative solutions to the problems of each area. All agents who are interested have the opportunity to apply for inclusion on the network through this form.
CatLabs also plans to participate in international projects and networks. More information about the program on the website of the Generalita de Catalunya or in the next meeting to be held in Girona, February 22, at the Territorial Services of the Generalitat.