Navarra’s Territorial Innovation Center Exchanges Experiences with Catalonia to Tackle Depopulation
A delegation from the Territorial Innovation Center (CIT) of Navarra, led by the Director General of Local Administration and Depopulation, Jesús María Rodríguez, has visited HÉPIC, its counterpart in the Val d’Aran, to learn about the projects it is promoting, as well as its operating model as an innovation hub specialized in the rural environment and supporting the diversification of the local economic model. Both centers are part of the Network of Territorial Innovation Centers (Red CIT), promoted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Rodríguez, who was accompanied by Leire Martínez, Public Administration technician, and Micaela García, Sustainable Territorial Development project technician at the public company NASUVINSA-Lursarea, stated that “innovation in the rural environment represents a new driver to address current challenges, such as talent drain, depopulation or the loss of local economic activity, by driving concrete projects that diversify economic activity and generate new opportunities.”
The visit to HÉPIC lasted two days, during which the CIT delegation had the opportunity to learn about the technology company Arantec, supported by HÉPIC and dedicated to the design, development and production of cloud solutions for the measurement and monitoring of environmental phenomena. In addition, the programme featured an institutional welcome by the Catalan Minister of Innovation, Oriol Sala.
During this meeting, the CIT Navarra delegation held a working session with HÉPIC managers to exchange experiences regarding the functioning and organization of both centers, addressing issues such as funding, coordination with other public entities, and the promotion of innovative and replicable projects, among other matters.
Afterwards, they visited the Innovative Business Center of the Val d’Aran and two other companies with projects supported by HÉPIC. First, the company Pirineos Drone Aviation, specialized in drone operations in rural environments; and later, Maladeta Estudio, a company that develops custom software to address challenges in rural settings.
A Firm Commitment Against Depopulation
The CIT of Navarra is a project promoted by the Government of Navarra as part of its firm commitment to fight depopulation and strengthen territorial cohesion in the areas of Estella-Lizarra and Sangüesa / Zangoza. It is managed by the public companies NASERTIC and NASUVINSA-Lursarea. The CIT is conceived as a joint workspace bringing together key actors from the business sector, innovation and technological development organizations, local entities and the regional government to propose and develop innovative collaborative projects that improve the competitiveness of the socioeconomic fabric in municipalities at high risk of depopulation. It will also serve as an access point to innovative technologies and processes, as well as training and advisory services in social and technological innovation.
Recently, the Government of Navarra and the Sangüesa City Council agreed to sign an agreement for the transfer and refurbishment of the town’s former slaughterhouse, which will become the headquarters of the CIT of Navarra in the area.
At the end of March, the Department of Territorial Cohesion of the Government of Navarra and the General Secretariat for the Demographic Challenge announced that the Tierra Estella region will host the second headquarters of CIT Navarra.
Both the CIT of Sangüesa and that of Tierra Estella join the initiatives deployed by the regional government in its fight against depopulation, framed within nearly 150 measures included in the Multiannual Strategy Against Depopulation. In this regard, the Government of Navarra has allocated 171 million euros to depopulation-related policies and is currently drafting the Foral Law on Depopulation and Rural Development.
Source: navarra.es
