Southern Mediterranean Alliance. This is the name of the new entity that was presented this morning at the Digital District headquarters of the port of Alicante, where the signing of a protocol of intentions between the University of Alicante, the Miguel Hernández University, the Port Authority, the Provincial Council, the Alicante City Council, the association of digital and technological companies Alicantec and the Generalitat Valenciana.
Except for the Valencian government, which promotes this alliance from the Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Commerce and Tourism, the scope of all the signatories is limited to Alicante, which for some years has sought to diversify its economic fabric - very focused on services - to basis of modernizing its industry and attracting and generating innovative projects, especially those related to the digital economy.
This is how the Digital District was born, at the initiative of the Consell chaired by Ximo Puig, while the Luis Barcala City Council created Alicante Futura and the Provincial Council led by Carlos Mazón launched the CENID (Digital Intelligence Center), in collaboration with the universities, putting former UA rector Manuel Palomar is in charge of the project.
From the private initiative, grouped in the AlicanTEC project, founded by another former rector, Andrés Pedreño, who is today chaired by Antonio Sánchez Zaplana, it was repeatedly requested that these projects, leaving aside political differences, be coordinated. That is the spirit with which the organization that is created today is launched, which has turned out to be possible, in all probability, because the three public administrations involved are in the hands of the same party, the PP.
During his speech, Carlos Mazón pointed out that this alliance represents "the end of the beginning" for the Valencian Community to be a leader and reference in technological production" and explained that the initiative seeks, on the one hand, "coordination, avoiding individualism" and, on the other, having a joint framework” to carry it out.
Mazón recalled that we are in a technological world in which “Europe and Spain are far behind”, - a thesis supported and documented by Professor Andrés Pedreño, present at the event; As an example, Mazón has pointed out that "60% of the chips manufactured in the world are exported from Taiwan." In his opinion, it is essential to move forward in a coordinated manner to be able to compete and “not lose opportunities.”
The president has opted to leave behind the concept of "structuring" of the Community, so in vogue during the previous PP governments, to bet on the idea of the "carpet" in which an "intelligent sum" is produced. coordinated and multiplier of resources” in which “Valencia Silicon cluster cannot live separately without Alicante and without Castellón”.
Regarding the protocol, in principle it does not foresee legal and economic commitments beyond the establishment of a collaboration between universities, Administrations and the business sector "to create synergies that generate a significant impact on the regional economy and reinforce Alicante's position as a center of innovation and development in the Mediterranean". This alliance will carry out, among other activities, forums, studies and joint missions to promote the Southern Mediterranean area.
Nuria Montes explained that, from now on, the entity known as the Digital District will focus on the development of the Ciudad de la Luz audiovisual project, and that the new alliance responds to the interest that innovation policies "stop being just policies and become realities, especially groundable realities. In her opinion, "we come from years in which much of this innovation policy remained only in the scientific field, in the theoretical field and hardly reached the business community, and this is one of the actions that we carry out ".
In the signed document it is stated that "the Spanish Southern Mediterranean Alliance is made up of Eastern Andalusia, Murcia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the autonomous city of Ceuta, it is a space with great potential to become a competitive economic ecosystem global level. Covering the area that represents 16.2% of the national territory, it is home to a quarter of the Spanish population and contributes 20.91% of the country's GDP.
The document distinguishes "four common challenges that these regions face: the fight against climate change in the regions, with great impact on the environmental sector (water, energy, waste) and tourism; the need to increase labor productivity, the development of an industrial, technological and advanced tertiary services sector competitive at European level and the integration of multiculturalism associated with the history of the regions".
Therefore, even though it is a protocol signed by entities exclusively in Alicante, with the exception of the Generalitat itself, and it is in this environment where the aim is to "stimulate cooperation between the different economic sectors, research and development and innovation" , the alliance is open to the participation of other entities with an interest in achieving the common objectives of the region.
