Promote a network to strengthen the connection between innovation agents in Tarragona

Tarragona is moving to build a network that makes local innovation shine. The lack of connection between leading agents has allowed opportunities to slip by that are now sought to be captured with a living and cooperative system.

The project, led by the Chair of University and Knowledge Region at the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), is supported by the Tarragona Provincial Council and the Association for the Metropolitan Impulse of the Camp de Tarragona.

The metropolitan innovation system: what it is and who participates

A network to connect talents and resources

The Metropolitan Innovation System (SIM) does not aim to reinvent the wheel but to pool the resources already existing in the Camp de Tarragona. According to Jordi Duch, director of the chair, the SIM is a tool to strengthen collaboration between universities, companies, administrations, and research centers.

It is a “living and cooperative” network that drives the economic and social development of the territory through the intelligent use of knowledge and innovation already present.

Key agents and established trajectories

In Tarragona, the SIM brings together agents with a long and specialized trajectory in innovation. The challenge was to achieve coordination among all these efforts, so far dispersed, to make a qualitative leap in competitiveness.

Besides the URV, the Tarragona Provincial Council and the Metropolitan Impulse Association are essential pillars that ensure public and private involvement.

The online platform: engine for exchange and opportunity detection

A digital system to not miss opportunities

The SIM’s first major action is the creation of an online platform that will allow exchanging information among innovation agents. This digital tool will be key to detecting collaboration opportunities and analyzing the talent needs of the territory.

Without this connection, many companies and institutions operate alone, and projects requiring consortia and diverse participants—often demanded by European calls—are lost.

Joint brand and appeal for talent and investment

The platform will also serve to create a common brand that projects the Camp de Tarragona as an innovative and attractive region. This not only enhances the image but plays a fundamental role in attracting investments and quality professionals.

A technical office within the Chair of University and Knowledge Region will be dedicated to energizing this ecosystem, ensuring the network is operational and grows with new agents.

Future and expansion of the innovation system

Incorporation of more agents with an innovative DNA

The idea is that as the platform works, other actors in the territory interested in innovating will be added, such as research centers, technology transfer, and leading innovation companies.

This growth will multiply synergies and better foster interaction between municipalities and administrations, especially in the context of boosting the Tarragona metropolitan area.

An impulse that will change the way of collaborating

Until now, the lack of connection has hindered collaborative dynamics between municipalities and agents in the Camp de Tarragona. With the SIM and the new network, this scenario is set to change.

The challenge is for innovation to stop being the concern of just a few and become a shared engine that helps transform the territory.

With this movement, Tarragona is not only preparing to compete but to lead an ecosystem that has long been asking to move from potential to reality.

At least now they can no longer say they don’t know each other.

Source of the article: Rovira i Virgili University