Navarra and Pamplona drive their future with the TwIN project, digital twins at the service of innovation and entrepreneurship
The regional government and the Pamplona / Iruña City Council today presented the TwIN project, an initiative that drives innovation through the use of territorial digital twin technology in Navarra. The event, held at the IRIS Navarra Hub in the capital, also served to announce new opportunities and participation calls aimed at startups, SMEs and technology companies.
Funded by the European Union through Next Generation recovery funds, the TwIN project is part of a consortium made up of Galicia, La Rioja, Navarra, Extremadura and Castilla‑La Mancha, under the name of the RETECH initiative: “Acceleration of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems based on Digital Twins.” In Navarra, TwIN is promoted by the regional government and the Pamplona City Council, and coordinated by the public company Tracasa Instrumental. It also has the support of other entities such as the IRIS Hub, CEIN and Nasertic, among others.
The project represents a total investment of 5,029,333 euros, of which 75% is funded by European funds, while the Government of Navarra contributes 609,833 euros and the Pamplona City Council, 650,000 euros, following the signing last June of a collaboration agreement between both institutions.
The aim of the project is to develop an innovative ecosystem in which startups, SMEs and companies can create, develop and test services or products based on artificial intelligence technologies and territorial digital twins, thereby contributing to the benefit of citizens.
During the presentation, the Minister of University, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Juan Luis García, highlighted that “today we officially present TwIN in our community, a joint strategic commitment by the Government of Navarra and the Pamplona City Council to place us at the forefront of innovation and digital transformation.” García also recalled that “digitalization is not an option, it is a necessity,” and stressed that projects like TwIN “represent a turning point, a catalyst to make us stronger, more innovative and more competitive across Navarra.”
For her part, the Government Delegate in Navarra, Alicia Echeverría, highlighted the central government’s commitment to digitalization through the Spain Digital Agenda, which includes the promotion of regional projects aimed at digital transformation and specialization, such as the TwIN project. Echeverría noted that this is an “ambitious strategy to fully harness new technologies and achieve more robust and sustained economic growth, rich in quality employment, with greater productivity and that contributes to social and territorial cohesion, bringing prosperity and well‑being to all people across the territory.” She thanked the Government of Navarra and the Pamplona City Council for their commitment to this project “which places us at the forefront of digitalization.”
The work model includes the creation of a Local Digital Twin and the design of use cases or practical applications of this technology. A territorial digital twin replicates a specific environment—such as a city, a region or a territory—based on the integration of georeferenced data, information on infrastructures and systems, as well as socioeconomic data. This representation allows different scenarios to be simulated and analyzed, manage resources more efficiently and support data‑driven decisions-making. Practical applications connect technology with citizen services, making them more efficient and intelligent.
“When we talk about TwIN, we are talking about a pioneering project aimed at transforming Navarra through innovation with new technologies, strengthening the local ICT ecosystem as solution providers,” said Pablo Echamendi, Director of Territorial Information Systems at Tracasa Instrumental, a public company of the Government of Navarra belonging to the Navarra Public Business Corporation (CPEN).
“The Pamplona City Council has been working for years on defining what the city of the future should be like and on providing all the means to make it a reality. Projects such as Pamplona’s Urban Agenda 2030 or the Smart Iruña Lab program are proof of this. Without a doubt, in this great challenge, the Administration must act as a facilitator and be capable of creating the conditions to drive digitalization and promote public services based on new technologies. TwIN is a great opportunity to join forces and work together on the Pamplona of the future,” explained Garbiñe Bueno, First Deputy Mayor of Pamplona City Council. “We are committed to a Pamplona that promotes the circular economy and environmental sustainability. A city that is accessible, energy‑efficient, works toward sustainable mobility and social equity, and is committed to crucial areas such as health, education and the environment.”
TwIN GovTech: Pilots to Test Solutions
During the event, calls and opportunities were also announced for startups, SMEs and entrepreneurs to participate and invest in this technology through two key programs of the project: TwIN GovTech and TwIN Lab.
TwIN GovTech is a unique open innovation program designed to foster dynamic public‑private collaboration that enables the development of smart solutions for real needs. Teams from the Pamplona City Council, along with companies and entities from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, have defined eight key challenges for the Navarrese capital in four areas of direct impact: energy, air quality, mobility and safety, and urban planning.
The eight challenges have been published in a call for companies interested in submitting proposals. Selected initiatives will have the opportunity to be eligible for contracts of up to 60,000 euros for the development of pilot projects that test their solutions. Details of each challenge and application options are available on the official TwIN website in Navarra.
Four of the challenges were defined by technical teams from the Pamplona City Council, while the other four emerged through a collaborative process with the Navarrese ecosystem, taking into account both the city’s challenges from the user perspective and citizens’ needs, as well as leveraging the opportunities offered by digital infrastructure and digital twin data.
TwIN Lab: Training and Experimentation Opportunities
In addition, the opening of the TwIN Lab was announced, a collaborative space aimed at training, experimentation and the development of innovative solutions based on Territorial Digital Twins (TDT), targeted at SMEs, startups, entrepreneurs and training providers. Interested companies can submit their applications to participate in the TwIN Lab through the project website, and those wishing to participate as trainers may be approved through the Dynamic Purchasing System published on the Navarra Procurement Portal.
This laboratory will offer practical training and specialized mentoring in Territorial Digital Twins (TDT), adapted to different levels of digital maturity, from initial exploration to commercialization. It will also provide participants with an experimentation environment based on open technologies and European standards, as well as access to a digital twin platform at no cost. This way, startups, SMEs and entrepreneurs will be able to learn about digital twins, develop, test and implement products and services based on this technology, with guidance from sector professionals.
TwIN Lab will offer different training options and programs for all levels. An introductory program will assist those who wish to explore and familiarize themselves with territorial digital twins and enabling technologies, acquiring knowledge without the need for a specific development idea. An emerging innovation program is aimed at those who want to develop and guide initial projects, moving from conceptualization to validation in test environments. And a third advanced development program is designed for those seeking access to technological resources and data to create minimum viable products that can scale, develop their own infrastructures, optimize processes and generate new business models, leveraging collaboration opportunities and advanced resources available.
Throughout June, companies will be able to register for the laboratory. All information is available on the project’s official website.
Building the Navarra of the Future: Intelligent and Sustainable
In addition to open innovation programs and the promotion of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, the TwIN project includes the development of a Digital Twin Platform that will cover the metropolitan area of Pamplona, integrating three cutting‑edge technologies: a 3D digital replica (layers of geolocated information on mapping), a connected city (real‑time data feeds and measurements on regional transport, air quality, CCTV, noise, etc.) and algorithmic models (model and simulator systems integrating AI, Big Data and simulations).
Source: navarra.es
