King Felipe VI inaugurates the sixth edition of Foro Transfiere, which transforms Malaga into a meeting point for innovation and international business.

Portugal is the guest country

King Felipe VI, honorary president of the organizing committee of Foro Transfer since 2013, has highlighted the work of the forum as one of the main events that have “innovation, science and technology” as their main axes.

El Palace of Fairs and Congresses of Malaga (Fycma) has hosted the inauguration of Transfer, European Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation, an event that has been chaired by the King Philip VI.

Additionally, the highest institutional representatives of the organizing entities were present, such as the president of the Junta of Andalusia, Susana Díaz; the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo; the secretary of State of Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, and the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre. Transfer brings together representatives from more than twenty countries, with Portugal like invited.

Transfer, 6th European Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation, has been inaugurated in Malaga by King Philip VI, which has described the meeting as “the greatest expression of public-private collaboration” in pursuit of the transfer of knowledge. Also present at the event were the president of Andalusia, Susana Díaz; the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo; the secretary of State of Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, and the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre. Furthermore, he has intervened, on behalf of the scientific-research community, María de los Ángeles Martín Prats. Transfer Forum Is celebrated in the Palace of Fairs and Congresses of Malaga (Fycma) during today and tomorrow.

El King Philip VI, honorary president of the organizing committee of Foro Transfer since 2013, has highlighted the work of the forum as one of the main events whose main axes are “innovation, science and technology”, elements that in his opinion “permeate and condition our future”, “vital for societies and strategic for a country and its economy”. He has dedicated special mention to Malaga, of which he pointed out that "in addition to all its attractions and cultural qualities, it has made dynamism its flag and has opted for innovation in many areas." The King has alluded to the “key role” that the educational system plays in the transformation of the current productive model, and has recalled the importance of respecting and supporting to a greater extent the work of researchers, scientists and educators, without forgetting the international cooperation, necessary to achieve “universality” and “competitiveness”. "Society must be aware of the importance of research," he stressed, "so that no effort or project is lost due to lack of support."

For its part, Susana Díaz has put into value Transfer Forum, based on “three fundamental elements: education, knowledge transfer and collaboration between companies.” He has encouraged all institutional representatives and companies to “bet on talent.” “Education has to prepare young people to function in a new productive model,” based “both on traditional sectors and on new spaces of opportunity.” “Andalucía"To make your way, you must bet on innovation," added the Andalusian president, who mentioned Innovative Public Procurement, one of the main themes in Forum Transfers 2017 and that he considers “crucial”. “Events like Transfer Forum – he added, they get our universities to speak the same language as our companies.”

Mayor Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, who thanked the King Philip VI the support and support provided to Transfer Forum with his presence at the opening ceremony. The councilor has recognized this day as “historic”, since it translates into the “confirmation of Foro Transfer” as a collaborative network that brings together all the agents involved in the I+D+i and in innovation, and as an event “that responds to the new knowledge society.” “It transfers a space for coexistence, for cooperation between administrations and countries,” said De la Torre, who made special mention of the guest country, Portugal, which will present its innovation system and success stories over two days. He recalled that innovation is a “fundamental value inherent to all sectors” and that forums like this “place the researcher at the center of transfer.”

There are more than 1.300 companies and institutions, 2.265 technological projects, 49 universities, 275 research groups, 39 technological platforms and a total of 54 entities in the exhibition area.

La Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen VelaDuring his speech, he thanked the efforts of all those agents who have fostered the consolidation of Foro Transfer and those who support innovation and the transfer of knowledge. “We must be aware that our future, and already our present, passes through science and research.” After five editions, Vela has emphasized the development and enrichment of this forum”, which has led to Malaga being recognized as a “city of science and innovation”. In his own words, Transfer has managed to bring together scientific talent and the most important representation of companies at the national level over the course of a few years.

The researcher María de los Ángeles Martín Prats, as spokesperson for the scientific community, has encouraged his colleagues to be “brave, ambitious, proactive and responsible” in their daily work. She has extolled the importance of Transfer Forum by highlighting the purposes of the Science Law and by being an “instrument and meeting point” available to the scientific-research community. “Only by betting on innovation is progress possible,” he stated. Martin Prats, since it promotes “rapprochement between peoples” and leads us to a “new and necessary productive model.” Along with this, it has requested the support and collaboration of administrations and companies to preserve and export national talent and to meet the demand for new professions.

This edition of Transfer, which will analyze Portugal's innovation system as a guest country, will bring together representatives from more than twenty countries between today and tomorrow, in case of Argentina, Belgium, Belarus, Brazil, China, Colombia, Denmark, United States, Estonia, Ghana, Hungary, Iran, Morocco, Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Senegal and Switzerland, included Spain. There are more than 1.300 companies and institutions, 2.265 technological projects, 49 universities, 275 research groups, 39 technological platforms and a total of 54 entities in the exhibition area.

Public Purchase of Innovation, the program Eureka, public and private financing (venture capital), innovation cooperation between Europe and Brazil, technology transfer contract models, taxation, open innovation, and innovation indicators are just some of the topics that are addressed during these two days in the more than 30 panels scheduled, along with priority technological initiatives in the Spanish energy sector; the circular economy based on the bioeconomy; industry 4.0 and big data. Along with this, success stories of companies and projects will be announced and for the second year the elevator pitch, an innovative entrepreneurship space sponsored by Telefónica. In total there will be more than 170 experts who will contribute their ideas and points of view.

Presentation of the II 'Foro Transfer' Journalism Award

As a prelude to the inauguration, yesterday the winners of the second edition of the 'Foro Transfers' Journalism Award, which was born last year with the aim of distinguishing the best contributions from the journalistic field to the dissemination of science, technology and innovation. The awards have gone, in the audiovisual category, to the program of RTVE 'The brain hunter', directed by the biochemist, writer and scientific disseminator Pere Estupinyà, an RTVE production in collaboration with MINIFILMS, SL.', and in the written category, they shared the award Adeline Marcos and Jesús Méndez, SINC AGENCY, for their works 'The women who tamed the fog to quench the thirst of the Berbers' and 'Fats may hold the key against metastasis', respectively. The finalists in this last category were Luis Alberto Álvarez, for his work 'Personalization as a new medical paradigm', published in Expansión; and Jorge Benitez, from the newspaper El Mundo, with 'The Spanish genius pursued by NASA'. In the audiovisual category, the work 'Málaga Futura', by Jose Manuel Atencia, journalist for Cadena Ser Malaga.

Transfer Forum is organized by the Palace of Fairs and Congresses of Malaga together with the , the Ministry of Economy and Knowledge – dependent on the Junta de Andalucía – and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. The main sponsor of the forum is the Andalusian Knowledge Agency, an organization dependent on the Board of Andalucía. It also has Santander, Telefónica and University of Malaga as goldenpartners and with the School of Industrial Organization (EOI), Provincial Council of Malaga, municipal companies LIMASA and EMASA and the State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus like silverpartners. They act as promoters Association of Scientific and Technological Parks of Spain (APTE), el Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), Cotec- Foundation for Technological Innovation, CRUE Spanish Universities, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), General CSIC Foundation, Andalusian Technology Corporation and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM).