The Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), attached to the Ministry of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, held this Wednesday, July 1, the III Intercommunity Meeting of the RIS3 CAN Communities, an online conference that brought together nearly a hundred participants and registered more than 130 registrations.
the expanded RIS3 is the regional government's strategy to guide innovation policies and the use of European funds.
The meeting allowed for an analysis of the main developments that will mark the next cycle of European and state policies for research and innovation, while also serving to advance the identification of new shared challenges aligned with the expanded RIS3 of the Canary Islands.
The conference brought together representatives from the five established RIS3 CAN Communities: Digital and Sustainable Tourism; Health and Well-being; Blue Economy; Emerging Industries–CanaryChip; and Astrophysics, Space and Aeronautics. All of them work as spaces for collaboration between public administrations, the knowledge system, the business sector, and other agents of the innovative ecosystem to promote strategic projects with an impact on the Archipelago.
Europe sets the next cycle of innovation
The director of ACIISI, Javier Franco, inaugurated the meeting, highlighting the importance of continuing to strengthen collaboration between public administrations, the knowledge system, and the business sector to build a more innovative, competitive Canary Islands connected with the major European priorities.
He also pointed out that the innovation strategy of the Canary Islands is built on talent, alliances, and the development of transformative projects capable of generating new opportunities in areas such as the energy transition, the blue economy, space, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies.
After the institutional welcome, the general director of Plan B Group, Alberto Santana, moderated the first block of the conference, focused on the main developments that will mark the future of R&D&I planning and funding.
Melany Sosa, from the Science & Innovation Link Office (SILO), presented the keys to the European paradigm shift for the future Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 of the European Union. Next, Jesús Conde, from ACIISI, presented the novelties of the national framework, with special attention to the Spanish Deep Tech Strategy 2026-2030 and the process of developing the future State Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2028-2034.
The conference also addressed the role of private investment in R&D&I with the participation of Roberto Morell, from ACM Business Consultants; Leopoldo Machado, from Kanara Labs; and Raquel Bezares, from the Society for the Economic Development of the Canary Islands (SODECAN), who analyzed the current situation, shared experiences, and presented different financial instruments to promote the development of innovative projects.
The RIS3 Communities advance in new collaborative projects
One of the main focuses of the meeting was the work developed by the five RIS3 CAN Communities in simultaneous sessions coordinated by the Expanded RIS3 Management Team (ACIISI, ITC, and Plan B Group).
Each community reviewed the previously prioritized projects, analyzed new challenges that had arisen in their respective areas, and worked on identifying possible lines of collaboration to promote joint initiatives capable of generating impact in the Canary Islands.
This work will make it possible to continue defining shared priorities, foster cooperation between public and private agents, and advance in the design of projects aimed at strengthening the competitiveness, economic diversification, and innovative capacity of the Archipelago.
The identified ideas will continue to be developed in the coming months with the aim of transforming them into more mature initiatives that facilitate their joint design and execution.
The new STEP line focuses the specialized technical session on financing for strategic technologies
The meeting concluded with a specialized technical presentation of the new line of grants for business projects in STEP sectors, by the head of the Area of Coordination and Interrelation of Research, Innovation, and Information Society of ACIISI, Rafael Ferrando Carrasco.
During the session, the main characteristics of this call were presented, aimed at promoting projects linked to critical technologies and strategic sectors, as well as the financing opportunities it offers to strengthen the innovative capacity of the Canarian business fabric.
With this last block, ACIISI reinforced the practical nature of the meeting, bringing to companies and entities the strategic priorities of the Canary Islands and the support instruments available to turn innovation into new projects.
The III Intercommunity Meeting reinforces the work of the RIS3 CAN Communities as spaces for collaboration of the quadruple helix — public administrations, companies, knowledge system, and society — to identify opportunities, generate alliances, and promote projects capable of responding to the great challenges of the Canary Islands through research, innovation, and knowledge transfer.