Visit to the Global Omnium installations in Valencia

- Finnova with the support of Diplomatic World Institute presents to the delegation, headed by Jordi Gallardo, the main actors of the Valencian entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as GoHub and Startup Valencia, among others.

- The European Life Ecodigestion 2.0 project, in which Finnova participates, has been explained as a successful case.

- Andorra promotes women entrepreneurship, for what Finnova Foundation explained the Womenfortech project led by the foundation.

Valencia, 13th July 2022 - The Andorran Minister of the Presidency, Economy and Enterprise, Jordi Gallardo, and his Secretary of State, Éric Bartolomé Levos, carried out an institutional visit to Valencia in order to get to know some projects eligible for being implemented in Andorra. The visit has been co-organised by the Spanish-Belgian Finnova Foundation, that supports Andorra as a United Nations Biosphere Reserve for its commitment to sustainability.

Finnova, which has actively participated in the innovation meeting Startup Andorra Business Market 2022, has presented to the Andorran delegation an innovation methodology that facilitates access to European subsidies to startups through the Startup Europe Accelerator. The last one is a second-level accelerator of the Foundation, whose aims is providing internationalisation tools and resources from the European Union for entrepreneurs with a technology-based project in areas such as ICTs, tourism, renewable energies, water, health or the environment.

During the visit to Startup Valencia, the director, Nacho Mas, has taken stock of the entrepreneurial and innovative growth in the city. Moreover, at Go Hub, the delegation got to know from Global Omnium (social leader of Life Ecodigestion 2.0 project), projects such as living lab, an open innovation ecosystem in real-life environments, as well as the Life Ecodigestion 2.0 project, in which Finnova Foundation participates. Life Ecodigestion 2.0 promotes the maximisation of biogas production and the increase of the energy self- sufficiency at wastewater treatment plants and is subsidised by the European Union with five million euros through LIFE programme.

Juanma Revuelta, Finnova's CEO, explained "Andorra is a unique territory due to its administrative agility for pilot projects in the field of waters and circular economy, as with this European project that optimises existing infrastructures for waste treatment and converts them into bioenergy". "Life Ecodigestion 2.0 would allow Andorra to generate green oxygen and reach one of the SDGs", stated Gallardo, who remarked the need to "increase renewable energy in Andorra".

Andorra is 80% dependent on imported energy and exports its waste for treatment to other countries, with the logistical costs this entails. Revuelta has encouraged to participate in the Life project, which deadline ends next 4th October, with the aim of generating more sustainability.

Finally, the delegation went to Marina de Valencia, where they could get to know different entrepreneurial initiatives such as Dcycle, Juan José Mestre's Company, that combines innovation, digitalisation and sustainability.