This November, the scientific-technical community pays tribute to the innovation born in our country. Also, to all the human teams that work tirelessly to contribute, from development and research, to social progress within and beyond our borders. Thus, Aitiip Technology Center will represent Spain in the international edition of the
Quality Innovation Awards (QIA 2024), after winning in the national phase for its developments in
bio-based materials and enzymatic recycling technologies for the separation of complex plastics, in the category of "Innovation in Circular Economy and Zero Carbon Footprint".
Aitiip-Winner of the QIA 2023 innovation award
The
National Association of Centers for the Promotion of Excellence (CEX), made up of public and private organizations from twelve autonomous communities, presented the awards to the eight Spanish innovations that were selected after an evaluation process of hundreds of applications. The celebration, which was held at the CSIC headquarters in Madrid, brought together representatives of all the winning projects in a solemn gala that aimed to publicly recognize the best 2023 developments in the different categories.
In the words of the president of CEX, Fernando Sierra, the world coexists daily with "uncertainty" and this is the reason why, with increasing urgency, "it is urgent to understand what can happen in the near future". The commitment to innovation is nothing more than the differentiating engine and the driver of change necessary to continue advancing in time, distilling the best of competitiveness. Therefore, he said, "we cannot be satisfied with one-off innovation", but companies, and society itself, must integrate it into their strategies in the short, medium and long term. Spain has a very strong international presence in these awards, being the second country that presents the most initiatives. This is undoubtedly a symptom of "our innovative spirit and expertise".
A vision also shared by the CSIC spokesperson, Ana Castro, who acknowledged that, today, companies are inevitably aimed at "solving great challenges" and, for this reason, awards such as the QIA are vital for the scientific research council: "Our motivation is to generate DNA of excellence and promote high-value projects that permeate society". Alliances and the creation of links between one and the other is essential for evolution itself. Diego Méndez, representative of ANECA, the agency that evaluates the awards, recalled that "this is how it has worked throughout the history of humanity". Social development arises thanks to "people like you", who, with your work and effort, "contribute to making the world a more prosperous place", he concluded.
Aitiip's research director, Berta Gonzalvo, went to the House of Science to collect the award on behalf of the entire team of the Technology Center, which is already a benchmark in multiple lines of research at European level. In his speech, Gonzalvo dedicated the award to this human capital. Because, he said, the ability to unite multidisciplinary teams and branches of knowledge is the key to making progress effective. In the case of Aitiip, he concluded, "the development of new materials and advanced industrial processes has become one of our pillars, as our ambition is to offer the best sustainable solutions for the treatment of plastics" to present and future societies.
