2023-09-21 09:56:31
Iberia
ArcelorMittal, Holcim, Iberia and Repsol have joined forces to launch All4Zeroa unique industrial technological innovation hub in Spain, whose objective is to accelerate the development of disruptive technologies in the field of decarbonization and the circular economy.
The project, of a private, multi-sector and non-profit nature, is born from the sum of the experience and technological capacity in the industrial sector of its four partners, who share common strategic objectives related to the decarbonization of their activity and the achievement of the net zero emissions in 2050.
The hub was presented at an event held in Madrid, in which the CEO of Holcim Spain, Carmen Díaz Canabal, participated; Iberia, Fernando Candela; and Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz; as well as the global general director of ArcelorMittal R&D Centers, Nicolás de Abajo. During the event, the differential value of this initiative was explained, which lies in its clear industrial orientation and its purpose of promoting the innovation ecosystem in Spain.
The partners will work to accelerate the development of technologies that favor the transformation of key industrial sectors, such as mobility, energy, construction or steel. To do this, they will make their industrial facilities, technology centers and laboratories available to the hub, with the aim of accelerating the scaling and implementation of disruptive technologies in a more agile way. Among the areas of work, projects related to renewable fuels, circular materials, renewable hydrogen, or the capture and conversion of CO2 into value-added products will be prioritized.
All4Zero will focus on the early detection of technologies that are born in companies, universities, research centers, SMEs, startups and entrepreneurs and will allow them to validate and scale their technological developments in real industrial environments, thus bridging the gap between ideation and implementation in the processes of economic activity.
The innovative ecosystem will be able to participate in technological conferences, as well as in solving challenges or carrying out concept tests in the facilities provided by the four promoting partners.
In fact, ArcelorMittal has committed to the hub its Gas Lab, Water Technologies Lab, Air Technologies Laboratory and Circularity Laboratory, all of them located in Asturias, as well as the expert knowledge of the company’s other 11 R&D Centers located in Europe and America. Holcim gives up its Central Cement Quality Laboratory and its Villaluenga de la Sagra Factory (Toledo), the Center for Research and Development of New Concretes and Mortars (Alcobendas, Madrid), the Holcim Innovation Center (Lyon, France) and its Plant of Industrial Waste Treatment (Albox, Almería), as well as all its industrial facilities for concrete and mortar lines. Iberia, for its part, provides its Aeronautical Maintenance Hangars, the Engine Workshop and the Test Bench, all of them in Madrid. Finally, Repsol has made its Repsol Technology Lab innovation center (Móstoles, Madrid) and its industrial complexes in A Coruña, Puertollano, Tarragona, Cartagena, Sines (Portugal) and Petronor’s in Muskiz (Vizcaya) available to the project. In this way, All4Zero is presented as an unprecedented project due to its potential and its tangible reality, since it will stimulate the research ecosystem to turn Spain into a benchmark for industrial innovation.
In addition to the founding partners, All4Zero will have a structure of associates with different levels of involvement, being open to adding other companies and entities to the project that also pursue the objective of decarbonization, such as Enagás, Tecnalia, Navantia and IMDEA. Energy, who will provide experience in relevant sectors, such as renewable energies, gas or digital transformation and sustainable mobility, to which new entities are expected to join in the coming months.
Spain, a benchmark for industrial innovation
“Alliances like this are essential to solve the challenge of net zero emissions in 2050. The sum of the experience, technological strength and synergies of corporations with common objectives will guarantee rapid and safe progress towards decarbonization,” said the general director. world of ArcelorMittal R&D Centers, Nicolás de Abajo, for whom the commitment signed between the four founding companies of All4Zero “represents a very important advance to promote disruptive technological solutions generated in a unique innovative technological ecosystem and that allow us to advance towards a sustainable future, creating opportunities for progress for entrepreneurs and SMEs.
For her part, the CEO of Holcim Spain, Carmen Díaz Canabal, pointed out that “we have embarked on a journey towards net-zero in which we are aware of the relevance of technological solutions for decarbonization, opening up a space for new challenges and opportunities. With the launch of this open innovation ecosystem, we will continue to promote technological development that will allow us to achieve the global and common objective of decarbonization. “All4Zero is an alliance between companies from strategic sectors for the progress of our country, key to the future of the economy and the generation of quality employment.”
In this regard, the president and CEO of Iberia, Fernando Candela, has stressed that “All4Zero is an alliance of industrial partners, with infrastructure and a potential for synergies that will allow us to increase our commitment to innovation and develop new projects that contribute positively to the transition towards net 0 emissions from our operations. All the companies that we have partnered with at All4Zero are leaders in their respective sectors and have a common goal: the decarbonization of our business. “All4Zero will be a pole of attraction for innovation, technology and talent to achieve this goal.”
Finally, the CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, stated that “the creation of All4Zero, together with three leading industrial companies in strategic sectors, allows us to combine strengths, share knowledge and launch a unique project in Spain, of scope industrial, which, today, is unprecedented in our country.” Furthermore, “it represents a unique opportunity to support the innovative ecosystem by supporting startups, entrepreneurs and SMEs that often have great ideas and talent, but need resources and access to an industrial environment for the demonstration and validation of their technological proposals.” .
In the coming months, we will work on incorporating new partners and collaborators, so that the hub has a broad representation of the industrial sector and the innovation ecosystem. Likewise, All4Zero’s ambition is to carry out a minimum of 10 pilots in 2024 and organize different technology conferences and innovation events.
Mapfre Foundation
At Fundación MAPFRE we support and promote research to improve the quality of life of the people who make up our society. That is why they annually convene, at an international level, the Ignacio H. de Larramendi Research Grants, with the purpose of supporting research that is related to two of their areas of action: health promotion and insurance and social security.
We want to highlight the work of researchers or research teams in the academic and professional field, who carry out their work independently or within the framework of universities, hospitals, companies or research centers to which they are attached.
Research projects that are related to health promotion will have a maximum grant of 30,000 euros and must explore one of the following topics:
Strategies and education for changing habits: prevention of obesity, promotion of physical activity and emotional well-being (including the appropriate use of new technologies). Education in emergency maneuvers for the general population. Assessment of bodily damage: evaluation of the consequences of an event (traumatic or accidental, medical negligence, aggression or illness) on the health of the individual and the impact it will have on the essential activities of ordinary life and other specific activities of personal development (moral damage, loss of quality of life) .Healthcare management: quality and clinical safety.Longevity and influence of lifestyles.
The award for aid, for research related to insurance and social security, is a maximum of 15,000 euros, for studies aimed at delving into the following topics, within the challenges posed by this 21st century:
Insurance.Risk management.New technologies in the insurance field.Social Welfare: pensions, savings, investment, asset liquefaction and Senior Economy (longevity economy).
To clarify any doubts that may arise, consult this document of frequently asked questions.
If you want to develop a research project or give a definitive boost to what you are already carrying out, do not hesitate to submit your application to us. The deadline ends on October 17.
Official Credit Institute (ICO)
The president of the Official Credit Institute (ICO), José Carlos García de Quevedo, and the executive president of CAF -development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-, Sergio Díaz-Granados, have signed a new agreement for the ICO Canal Line International worth 300 million dollars for promote sustainable and digital development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean which in turn support Spanish business activity.
The operation signed today is the ninth that both entities close as a result of their collaboration for more than 25 years. The signing took place in Madrid during the CAF Conference in Europe “European Union – Latin America and the Caribbean Relations.” A joint agenda for development”, held within the framework of the first meeting of Latin American, Caribbean and European Ministers of Economy and Finance, organized during the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU.
The president of the ICO, José Carlos García de Quevedo, highlighted that “this new Agreement with CAF supports the internationalization of Spanish companies and enhances the ICO’s financial support for sustainable projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The ICO, as one of the main national promotion banks at the European level, plays a fundamental role working in public-private collaboration to promote projects that boost the green and digital transition.”
For his part, the executive president of CAF, Sergio Díaz-Granados, said that “our alliance with the ICO is key to mobilizing more financial resources and new investments in key sectors of the development of Latin America and the Caribbean, it is part of the strategy of CAF to strengthen synergies with international actors and advance the 2030 Agenda. ICO financing translates into financial solutions with a high impact on the development and life of Latin Americans and Caribbean people.”
Promotion of sustainable projects
Since the beginning of the alliance, ICO has extended nine lines of credit to CAF for a total of USD 1.3 billion. Between 2021 and 2022, resources of approximately USD 200 million were disbursed to support projects in sectors such as water and sanitation, sustainable transportation and telecommunications in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, specifically number 3 (Health and Wellbeing), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Change).
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