The University of La Laguna celebrated today, October 3rd Diginnova Inspires, A day dedicated to connecting professionals in key areas such as digital transformation, innovation, and sustainability. This event marked the closing of the second edition of the program, which offers free, specialized training in subjects related to digital transformation, sustainability, and innovation, as well as paid, non-work placements in various organizations in the Canary Islands.
Those who spoke at this event included Eduardo Manrique de Lara, manager of the University Foundation of Las Palmas; Julio Brito, manager of the General Foundation of the University of La Laguna; Javier Franco Hormiga, director of the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society; and Antonio Aparicio, vice-rector of Research and Transfer of the University of La Laguna.
Manrique de Lara emphasized the cooperation between university foundations to promote training projects and boost employability, highlighting that a high percentage of program participants have successfully entered the job market. Brito, for his part, noted that the purpose of this meeting is "to continue emphasizing innovation, digital transformation, and sustainability," key elements for the archipelago's economic development.
Javier Franco emphasized his pride in promoting initiatives born with a clear vocation: "To transform the present and future of the Canary Islands through knowledge, technology and sustainability," while Aparicio focused on the importance of strengthening knowledge transfer mechanisms to the business sector, with special attention to the creation of spin-offs and startups.
From AI to sustainability
After the institutional speeches, it was the turn of Pedro Mujica, an expert in artificial intelligence, who gave the lecture “Without AI there is no future: keys to remain relevant”, focusing his speech on the concept of “superhumans”, which consists of empowering oneself through artificial intelligence and the metaverse.
Mujica emphasized that “technology is neither good nor bad; it is a tool, but its impact on humanity will depend on how we use it.” The expert took the opportunity to address a common concern regarding AI and jobs: “Artificial intelligence has failed as a replacement; this tool is meant to complement us because it lacks human strengths.”.
Odile Rodríguez de la Fuente, a biologist and science communicator, was the next speaker, with a talk entitled 'Climate of change', where she explained the consequences of climate change and the possible actions to face this emergency through innovation and creativity.
Rodríguez de la Fuente stressed that “humanity is part of the Earth’s living system and should put its extraordinary capacity for reflection at the service of life” and presented systematic and biomimetic solutions in various sectors, such as information and energy, that benefit the planet and the quality of life of citizens.
Diginnova is a program of the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society, funded by the Ministry of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, and the European Social Fund Plus, managed by the University Foundation of Las Palmas in collaboration with the University of La Laguna.
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