The Asociación Canaria de Startups, Empresas de Base Tecnológica e Inversores Ángeles (EMERGE) inaugurates the Innovate Canarias pilot program to support Open Innovation in Canary Islands companies. This initiative is funded by the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment of the Canary Islands Government through the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), with the collaboration of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of La Laguna.

This program aims to support Open Innovation processes through specialized training offered by EIT Hub Israel and scouting activities of technology startups that can solve the challenges posed by the selected companies.

Innovate Canarias is a commitment to strengthen private investment in R&D&I and to boost the innovative entrepreneurship ecosystem from an international perspective, connecting the knowledge and know-how of emerging technology companies with the needs of the regional productive fabric. It also aims to stimulate technological development and research transfer from universities and R&D&I centers in the archipelago.

Companies interested in this pilot project have until September 30, 2022 to submit their application and participate in the training that begins at the end of October. This training aims to improve the innovation capabilities of Canary Islands companies and prepare them for external R&D&I collaborations with local, national and international public and private actors.

EMERGE organized last July at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands the conference “Emerging technology companies as a driver of innovation: Transforming collaboration between industry and knowledge agents” to explore the growing role that technology startups are playing in the process of knowledge transfer to industry and how companies, technology centers and universities are facilitating this strategy.