The innovative effort has a prize. The question is where one could go if the resources required by an innovative country were allocated.
But, in addition, how many companies would make up the country’s productive fabric to end up leading entire sectors of economic activity if that effort to launch investment in research and development that everyone talks about were real?
How many business unicorns would inhabit the corporate forest if the university and the company exploited their synergies with stimulating regulations and sufficient funding?
It remains one of the great challenges for Spain, according to the director of CincoDías, José Antonio Vega, during the presentation, this Tuesday at the CaixaForum in Madrid, of the thirteenth edition of the Business Innovation Awards,
Among more than 50 nominations, the jury chose as winning projects those presented by CHM, Obras e Infraestructuras, Applus +, Quirónsalud, Snippet and María Río, vice president and general director of Gilead Spain as the most innovative director.
The award for the most innovative business project in the field of new technologies has gone to CHM, Obras e Infraestructuras, for the Repara 2.0 project, focused on the development of new techniques and information systems for the sustainable rehabilitation of pavements and roads, which allows cooling of surfaces and, at the same time, of ambient temperature.
The jury highlighted that it is an “original, different and timely project that not only reduces emissions and energy expenditure, but also provides safety for pedestrians and drivers.”
Because “sustainability helps build the future of this country, and innovation can be combined with technology in a sector with construction”, acknowledged the director of companies of the construction company, Vicente Meseguer,
The most innovative business project in corporate social responsibility has been for Applus +, for its initiative Without Limits, which effectively incorporates the principles of integrity, transparency, impartiality, independence and responsibility into the company’s culture and in which its members already participate. more than 23,000 employees in more than 70 countries.
The jury highlighted this initiative “the true involvement of the business, which incorporates its employees into a CSR project” and stressed that it is “a real impact on real people.”
Carolina de Velasco, head of cultural talent and diversity at Applus +, received the award, who pointed out that “diversity is a competitive advantage in a complex, conscious and demanding society, since a company that bets on different abilities bets on talent” .
The award for the most innovative business action linked to the university was in this edition for Quirónsalud by Talent Beats, a nursing school, in collaboration with the Francisco de Vitoria University, which seeks to design and implement an innovative internship experience adapted to the current needs of hospitals, which affects practical training, adequate training and the commitment of students.
The jury considered that it is a program that “offers advantages for students, the university and the hospital.” He also stressed that it helps to value “health professionals whose work, beyond the current circumstances, must be recognized and perceived as important and necessary.”
As explained by Esther Estepa, corporate director of talent and experience of the Quirónsalud employee,
In this new edition, two new categories have also been recognized: the award for the most innovative startup and the most innovative manager. In the first case, the award went to Snippet, which works with the aim of creating unique and personalized experiences through technology.
The jury highlighted the ability to individualize videos in real time that the company offers: “It is a truly innovative project, of great technical complexity and great potential. It is original, attractive and it is helping to change the reality of the companies they work with ”.
The award was collected by Carlos Sánchez, president and founder of Snippet, and Laura de la Fuente, CEO of the company, who highlighted that the pandemic has put people at the center. “We want to reach the emotions and change communication so that it is as unique as people,” said De la Fuente.
Finally, the award for the most innovative manager has gone to María Río, vice president of Gilead Spain, a pharmaceutical research company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative drugs in areas of unmet medical needs.
The jury highlighted her “leadership and commitment to development, which coincides with a time when they are more necessary than ever.” Río, graduated in Pharmacy from the University of Santiago de Compostela, has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
The jury added that the award is also “a recognition of science in business management.” The winner assured on stage that “to innovate is to make possible what was previously impossible, not what else can be done but if it can be done better.”
It is also important “to dare to do something different when it seems that there are no alternatives,” said Rio, who winked at the current situation so that “innovation reaches everyone, especially those who need it most.”
The jury was made up of Fuencisla Clemares; CEO of Google in Spain and Portugal; Helena Herrero, president and CEO of HP in Spain and Portugal; Jorge Rivera, PRISA Communication Director; Carina Szpilka, president of the Spanish Association of the Digital Economy (Adigital); and José Antonio Vega, director of CincoDías.