The city of Palencia has become the epicentre of innovation and technological development with the first edition of Innovaday, a key event for promoting digitisation and technological transformation in the province. More than 100 professionals from the business and technology sectors gathered today at the Teatro Principal in Palencia to share knowledge, experiences and explore new opportunities for collaboration.
Organised by the Association for Progress in Management (Asociación para el Progreso de la Dirección or APD) and Palencia City Council, with the sponsorship of PONS IP and Banco Santander, Innovaday offered a variety of conference lectures and round tables addressing the main challenges and opportunities in the technological environment, with a special emphasis on how companies in the region can take advantage of the latest innovations to improve their competitiveness.
During the opening ceremony, Carlos Moro, president of APD in Castile and León, highlighted the importance of initiatives such as Innovaday in consolidating Palencia as a benchmark for digital innovation within the community. “Palencia has enormous potential to lead the digital transformation in rural and industrial areas. This event highlights the talent and commitment of local companies to embrace innovation and build a more competitive and sustainable future,” he said.
In turn, the mayor of Palencia, Miriam Andrés Prieto, stressed the importance of public-private collaboration and the need for meetings such as this to highlight the potential of Palencia’s companies.
Attendees heard about success stories from companies such as Zunder, Icon Multimedia and Roams, which are already implementing advanced technological solutions. These examples were shared in a round table discussion focused on the technological future of SMEs, where the role of artificial intelligence and other key tools was debated.
The second round table addressed the use of disruptive technologies in strategic sectors such as agribusiness, which is fundamental to the Palencia economy. Our general manager, Nuria Marcos, participated in this round table alongside representatives from Banco Santander and Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, with whom she analysed how these innovations are transforming the sector’s productivity and sustainability.
Nuria Marcos emphasised that “intellectual property is not an end in itself, but rather a strategic tool for organising, protecting and transferring the knowledge generated in the innovation ecosystem. In a global context where countries such as China and the United States are rapidly advancing from research to industrial application, Europe, and particularly regions such as Castile and León, must commit to a broad vision of intellectual property that includes patents, trademarks, trade secrets and contracts. Only with a comprehensive strategy and effective public-private collaboration will we be able to transform science into value and innovation into competitiveness.”
The event culminated with the presentation of the Innovaday Palencia 2025 Award, which was awarded to IDForest, a technology-based agroforestry engineering company specialising in biotechnological solutions using fungi and other microorganisms. Its work stands out for transferring scientific knowledge to the productive network, offering innovative solutions to key sectors such as agriculture, food, health, construction and bioremediation.
With this first edition, Innovaday has established itself as an essential event for technological development in the region, paving the way for future editions which, according to the organisers, seek to position Palencia as a magnet for investment in technology and innovation.
APD Castile and León was established in April 2014, making it one of the last Autonomous Communities to join the APD Spain family. It was founded by some of the most prestigious entrepreneurs in the region, with Carlos Moro, president of Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, as its president.
It has now established itself as a leading forum for executives and entrepreneurs and has 150 members in the region, with the aim of continuing to grow in the Community.
