- Antonio Sanz announces a grant to the Innova-IRV Foundation to foster innovation, attract investments, and generate employment
El consejero de la Presidencia, Interior, Diálogo Social y Simplificación Administrativa, Antonio Sanz, ha anunciado tras una reunión mantenida con el presidente de la Fundación Innova-IRV, Ezequiel Navarro, que la Junta de Andalucía va a aprobar la Estrategia sobre Microelectrónica andaluza para cuyo desarrollo se ha otorgado una subvención de 150.000 euros a la Fundación Instituto Ricardo Valle de Innovación (Innova-IRV) y que ha confirmado el consejero que “estará lista en cuatro meses, seguro antes del verano”. La subvención concedida se enmarca en la colaboración público-privada para crear hubs tecnológicos, clústeres empresariales y fortalecer grandes grupos andaluces.
The Minister of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue, and Administrative Simplification, Antonio Sanz, announced after a meeting with the president of the Innova-IRV Foundation, Ezequiel Navarro, that the Government of Andalusia will approve the Andalusian Microelectronics Strategy. A grant of 150,000 euros has been granted to the Ricardo Valle Innovation Institute Foundation (Innova-IRV) for its development, and the minister confirmed that “it will be ready in four months, certainly before the summer.” The grant is part of public-private collaboration to create technology hubs, business clusters, and strengthen major Andalusian companies.
The Microelectronics Strategy will set the roadmap for Andalusia to become a leader in microelectronics and semiconductors in Spain and Europe, also leveraging the expert knowledge of the Foundation and its relationships with companies and institutions, as emphasized by Antonio Sanz. He also pointed out that “Innova-IRV is a key player in promoting research and development in microelectronics and as a collaborator with universities and centers internationally.”
The microelectronics sector is crucial today for sustainability, advanced technology, and reducing global dependencies, as well as generating economic opportunities in fields such as health, telecommunications, and automotive, the minister highlighted.
Antonio Sanz defended that “this strategy will also promote collaborative innovation, attracting technological investments, and generating qualified employment. It will be essential to create, develop, attract, and retain digital talent, foster employability, offer training, and help develop an ecosystem around this technology while boosting the existing industry.”
As part of the strategy, a roadmap has been created with key collaborations for the academic and innovation ecosystem, alongside specific projects in the field of microelectronics. The goal is to bring together all companies currently engaged in the development of microelectronic components to drive the growth of this sector in our region.
The President has reminded that the Junta is already collaborating in the development of the Andalusian cyber shield with Innova-IRV, the University of Málaga, and the ADA, under the leadership of the National Cryptologic Center. He also highlighted that it has been an “achievement” of the Foundation’s work in building a relationship of trust with the authorities at the University Center for Microelectronics (IMEC) in Leuven, which has chosen Málaga to open its second major center. Last Friday, the President of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, signed the agreement for the land transfer for the construction of this center.
Por su parte, el presidente de la Fundación Innova IRV, Ezequiel Navarro, ha puesto en valor la importancia de la colaboración privado-pública para avanzar en innovación, especialmente en Andalucía. “Este encuentro ha sido una oportunidad para poner en valor el trabajo conjunto y los proyectos que venimos desarrollando desde la Fundación con entidades como la Agencia Digital de Andalucía, que nos van a permitir avanzar significativamente en el desarrollo de una estrategia regional de microelectrónica, que atraiga inversiones e impulse el desarrollo de talento y nuevas empresas en el ámbito de los semiconductores”. “Desde la Fundación, reiteramos nuestra disposición para contribuir con ideas, recursos y experiencia en el diseño y la implementación de líneas estratégicas que aceleren el desarrollo tecnológico de Andalucía. Estoy convencido de que juntos podemos marcar una diferencia significativa”, ha afirmado.
For his part, the president of the Innova IRV Foundation, Ezequiel Navarro, emphasized the importance of public-private collaboration to advance innovation, especially in Andalusia. “This meeting has been an opportunity to highlight the joint work and the projects we have been developing at the Foundation with entities such as the Digital Agency of Andalusia, which will allow us to make significant progress in developing a regional microelectronics strategy that attracts investment and fosters the development of talent and new companies in the semiconductor sector.” “From the Foundation, we reiterate our commitment to contribute with ideas, resources, and experience in the design and implementation of strategic lines that accelerate the technological development of Andalusia. I am convinced that together we can make a significant difference,” he stated.
Quantum computing updates in 2025
The Minister of the Presidency also announced that a line of collaboration will be opened around the implementation of quantum computing, creating an innovation environment that allows the knowledge, development, and application of this technology to be brought closer to the economic and social fabric. This includes identifying challenges, facilitating access for companies and institutions to these technologies for experimental testing, and fostering collaboration among them.
Quantum computing has the potential to significantly accelerate and improve the capacity and performance of artificial intelligence. “That’s why the Junta is promoting an active Andalusian quantum ecosystem that brings together efforts from the scientific and academic community, technological centers, the business sector, and the public administration,” he explained.
In this regard, Antonio Sanz announced that “it is expected that during the first quarter of 2025, we will launch services to implement an innovation system in exponential technologies and remote access to quantum computers, thanks to the contract awarded in September, which is currently in the awarding phase.”
Thanks to this contract, a technological innovation center will be established and consolidated, promoting knowledge dissemination and transfer, developing tests, collaborating with other innovation centers in emerging technologies (including quantum), and implementing a governance system to track results.
A quantum emulation software will also be implemented on the Hercules supercomputer available to the Junta, which will allow for the development and testing of algorithms, and remote access to universal quantum computers will be provided, essential for the design and coding of algorithms applicable to various fields. All of this is in line with the Andalusian Cybersecurity Strategy 2022-2025 and the Andalusian Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2030.
To boost the quantum ecosystem, the Andalusian Administration will develop four lines of action, ranging from research and development of algorithms to the creation and retention of talent that attracts this new specialized sector; facilitating access to quantum computing capabilities that act as a catalyst; and promoting local economic development through the creation of an industrial fabric adapted to a global network, driving a new economy based on quantum computing.