The new Data Research Center “will make La Rioja a national leader in the digital economy and industry”

Alfonso Domínguez emphasizes that the development of this technology hub in collaboration with AERTIC is “one of the major milestones” for La Rioja’s economy and “will foster, attract, and retain talent in technology and research.”

Ignacio Gurría states that this center “was created as a strategic response to an increasingly digitized economic environment” and “with a multisectoral approach, without geographical boundaries: from La Rioja, to the world.”

The new Data Research Center, “one of the major milestones” for the regional economy, “will make La Rioja a national leader in the digital economy and industry.” This facility will be “essential to the autonomous community’s innovation ecosystem,” will help “promote, attract, and retain technological and research talent,” and the government supports its development “with great satisfaction,” in partnership with AERTIC, the cluster that brings together most of the region’s technology companies.

This was highlighted today, the 24th, by Regional Minister Alfonso Domínguez, at a press conference he held alongside Ignacio Gurría, president of AERTIC—the Innovative Business Association for Technology, Digitalization, and the Digital Economy of La Rioja—after signing the collaboration agreement, and before chairing the first meeting of the agreement’s monitoring committee.

Alfonso Domínguez explained that the Government of La Rioja “has major projects in the field of digitalization” and “is committed to cooperating with the technology sector to support the growth of our companies.” One of these is this Data Research Center, “a project developed by AERTIC itself,” which represents “a major step forward for its development and integration into the autonomous community’s cluster network.”

The purpose of the agreement, which is funded with 600,000 euros annually, “twice the amount of funding provided for in the agreement previously in force,” is to facilitate collaboration between the Autonomous Community and AERTIC so that this cluster can develop a technology center known as the Data Research Center, and to fund its operational activities, thereby promoting society’s integration into the digital world through research into digital technologies.

Among the objectives being pursued, the councilor highlighted “positioning the technology center as a leader in digital technology research, strengthening the current digital industry by fostering the development of new initiatives, and developing digital products and applying digital technologies across multiple sectors.” Other goals include “promoting, attracting, and retaining digital and research talent, and positioning the region as a leader in the digital economy.”

For his part, AERTIC President Ignacio Gurría highlighted “the support we have received from the Government of La Rioja from the very beginning.” He also explained that, “after years of leading innovation and business collaboration projects, this new center was created as a strategic response to an increasingly digitized economic environment” and “with a multisectoral approach, without geographical boundaries.” “From La Rioja, to the world,” he emphasized.

“Innovation applied to all sectors of the economy”

The goal is to join the Network of State Technology Centers as a Technology Center, and “AERTIC’s solid track record speaks for itself: between 2019 and 2024, it managed 79 R&D&I projects, involving 42 companies and securing 19.9 million euros in funding, compared to the 1.8 million achieved through 2018.” The center focuses on data-driven technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing. These tools “will enable the development of advanced digital solutions and position La Rioja as a leader in innovation applied to all sectors of the economy.” The center is also a clear example of “public-private collaboration” and “will operate in a truly cross-cutting manner to benefit other economic sectors.”

Despite its transnational focus, the Data Research Center “will always be located in La Rioja,” Ignacio Gurría has assured. It is currently part of the La Rioja Business Federation (FER), of which AERTIC is a member, and a person has been hired to drive its development. However, the natural trend is for it to eventually be physically located in Albelda de Iregua, within the framework of TECHRioja, depending on the innovation and research projects it generates and the stability and self-financing capacity it achieves.

Finally, the president of AERTIC highlighted the three key areas on which the organization will focus its efforts:

• Establishment of the Research Center: establishing the center and forming new teams, obtaining accreditation as a center, technology monitoring, and seeking partnerships.
• Economy and Digital Industry: R&D&I projects, Digital Transformation (DT) Ecosystem, and working groups.
• Digital Society: Activities to Promote and Disseminate Technology.