Initiatives to boost technological innovation for companies
21 October 2026 | 13:10h to 13.50h
Innovation is a key factor in maintaining business competitiveness. This session will present three initiatives that provide SMEs, start-ups and companies with access to infrastructures, funding opportunities and innovation ecosystems to accelerate their roadmaps, offering a practical overview of the instruments available to foster R&D&I projects, with digital technologies serving as a driver of innovation and competitiveness.
Participants:
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Estel Blay, Program manager, IEEC (Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya)
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Eudald Lerga Felip, BSC AI Factory Data Services Manager, BSC
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Víctor Rotellar Aleta, Xarxa RDI-IA coordinator, The Catalan AI Innovation Hub, Centre de Visió per Computador
Presenter
BARBARA EISELE
AI community manager, DCA (Digital Catalonia Alliance, Fundació i2CAT)
Speakers
ESTEL BLAY
Program Manager, IEEC (Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya)
Estel Blay holds a PhD in Aerospace Science and Technology, specializing in Earth Observation. She has a solid international track record in project management and business development, having led initiatives at the Satellite Applications Catapult and GlobalTrust (UK). Currently, she is the Program Manager of the ESA Phi-LabNET Spain at the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), driving the commercialization of space technologies to combat climate change. An analog astronaut, she participated in the Hypatia II mission (Utah) and is the designated commander for the Hypatia III Arctic mission, while also advocating for female talent in STEAM.
ESA Phi-Lab Spain: AI & Space Innovation for the Commercialization of Technologies that Improve Climate Resilience
This session explores how ESA Phi-LabNET Spain is driving innovation for the commercialization of cutting-edge space technologies and AI-powered research to tackle the climate crisis. Bringing scientific innovation closer to market-ready solutions, the program bridges everything from upstream space capabilities to downstream applications. The session will cover how combining advanced space solutions, research mentoring, and commercial scaling accelerates scalable solutions for both climate mitigation and adaptation. Ultimately, it highlights how transforming breakthrough space science into viable commercial tools enhances global climate resilience and transforms our capacity to predict and respond to extreme weather events.
EUDALD LERGA FELIP
BSC AI Factory Data Services Manager, BSC
Eudald Lerga leads the Data Innovation Group at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), where he manages data infrastructure, governance, and services supporting AI research at supercomputing scale. He serves as Data Services Manager for the BSC AI Factory, designing secure data environments and governance frameworks aligned with GDPR and the EU AI Act. With two decades of experience across research computing and enterprise IT in Europe and the United States, he specializes in making large-scale data infrastructure accessible to diverse research communities and institutional partners.
BSC AI Factory Data Services for SMEs: Infrastructure and Governance
This talk presents the data services developed by the BSC AI Factory to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaging with AI. It covers the practical infrastructure and governance frameworks that enable SMEs to access high-performance computing resources and work with data in a secure, compliant environment. Drawing on the BSC AI Factory’s operational experience, the presentation outlines how standardized data services lower the technical barriers for SMEs, facilitating responsible AI adoption aligned with European regulatory requirements and open science principles.
VÍCTOR ROTELLAR ALETA
Xarxa RDI-IA coordinator, The Catalan AI Innovation Hub, Centre de Visió per Computador
Víctor works in the Innovation Unit at the Computer Vision Center (CVC), where he coordinates the RDI-IA Network. He holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from IQS (Ramon Llull University) and has training in sales from ESADE, entrepreneurship from ISDI, and artificial intelligence technologies from the UAB.
His interest in innovation, artificial intelligence, and the development of Deep Tech projects led him to steer his professional career toward an institution such as the CVC.
