Inno4Sports reveals the need to incorporate technology and data into sport in the Valencian Community
- The final results of this European project have been presented at the Digital District facilities in Alicante.
- Inno4Sports is a pioneering European project in sports innovation to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.
- The transformation of the sports model in the Valencian Community is an example of innovation for Europe.
The project is aimed at leading the process of digital transformation of sport through innovative solutions that promote an active and healthy lifestyle. Five European regions have worked on this for four years with the Inno4Sports project, developed within the framework of the INTERREG Europe cooperation program of the European Union.
The experts participating in Inno4Sports have delved into the study of different regional ecosystems and the potential to replicate good practices in other regions, as well as the interest in influencing local policies to improve the well-being of the population.
The need for technological innovation in the industry linked to the sport sector of the Valencian Community, as well as its current desire to digitalize, are the main conclusions of this initiative. Along these lines, Giuseppe Caprara, manager of innovation and director of the I4S project at the IBV, highlighted that the sports ecosystem is “a constantly changing environment and companies adapt to change with solutions that are increasingly original as well as profitable. The technology applied to sport will have a significant presence in future models, as the conclusions of the work sessions show”.
The consortium has presented the final results of this project to improve the performance and efficiency of development programs in the sports field at the facilities of the Valencian Digital District innovation ecosystem in the City of Light in Alicante. The final event of the project has had the collaboration of the Thematic Projects Society of the Valencian Community and with more than 60 registered from all over Europe.
The director of the IBV, Javier Sánchez; the head of External Relations of IVACE, Jordi Sebastià i Talavera; the Digital District representative, Myla Sicheva; and the Officer of the INTERREG Europe program, Ilaria Piazza. Different European experts have also participated, such as Anita Tregner, from Meta Group; Pirkko Sivonen, from the Government of Lapland; Maciej Adamczyk, from the Municipality of Lodz, Poland; and Áron Kollár, from the Hungarian Ministry of Finance.
The people who have participated in this meeting have also had the opportunity to learn about the Digital District, a project that stands out for its ability to use the competitive advantages of the Valencian Community to create a unique environment that houses technology companies and talent. It is the headquarters of technological transformation and the digital economy, the largest innovation ecosystem in the Mediterranean.
The Digital District facilities located in Ciudad de la Luz also house the eSport HUB. The Digital District Gaming & eSports program contributes to the development of the video game industry in Spain. In this way, work is being done to boost and promote small businesses and micro-businesses through a company incubator.
Another of the examples of innovation that has stood out has been 'La Nucía, Ciudad del Deporte'. The coordinator of the DTI-DDI La Nucía project, Toni Buades, and the Councilor for Sports, Sergio Villalba, have shown their future projects and their link to technology to become a Smart Sports Destination (DDI).
After learning about these success stories, they have also discovered the example of the Hotel Cap Negret in Altea, which has reverted its business model from the classic "sun and beach" to a hotel for cyclists, both elite and amateur. The hotel has a center for cyclists, the 'Bike Point', which includes bicycle boxes with laundry, spaces for mechanical assistance and a whole range of services available to prepare for the cycling season in the Valencian Community.
In this regard, the director of operations at Cap Negret, Alicia Encinas, explained that the hotel "is now profitable 12 months a year, although this means a lot of flexibility and, of course, very intense work."
The appointment has concluded with a visit to La Bocana, a company located in the Marina de Torrevieja, which is dedicated to water activities with low environmental impact such as kayaking. As explained by the IBV innovation manager, “it is an alternative model to jet skis or recreational motor boats that are usually associated with the passage of tourists and bathers. The big difference is that it allows you to enjoy the landscape without polluting and at the same time doing healthy physical activity without harming the environment.”
Have a look to the presentation of the conference available here: https://projects2014-2020.interregeurope.eu/inno4sports/library/#folder=3394
