IV Congreso Nacional de Científicos Emprendedores

The primary aim of a congress is not that people come to listen and learn, but to create a space of mutual learning and encounter, and provide opportunities for new ideas to be born.

The Spanish Congress of Scientific Entrepreneurs had it all. It took place on 24-25 February 2017 at the Cosmo Caixa, Barcelona, welcoming around 300 participants.

The congress was organised by the Asociación Española de Emprendedores Científicos and a local organising committee from which half of them (Mireia Bosch, Andreu Prados and Marti Jimenez) are former member of the SciDF. Current members also took part in the event as speakers, volunteers and attendees.

During round table discussions on topics such as communicating as scientific entrepreneurs, the innovation ecosystem or financing start-ups, we heard current opinions of leading players from the region. Entrepreneurs could participate in various occasions, such as at the pitch session, in which five entrepreneurs presented their start-up to the public or at the speed-dating sessions where entrepreneurs and investors met.

The afternoon of the 24th was filled with various parallel workshops on how to create your own business plan, how to make a good elevator pitch or how to shape your personal brand. Crisal Rodriguez (SciDF member) moderated the workshop on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), at which Rosina Malagrida (Living Lab Salud, RRI Tools and Xplore Health), Gema Revuelta (Director at Centro Estudios de Ciencia, Comunicación y Sociedad UPF) and Itziar de Lecuona (Researcher at Observatorio de Bioética y Derecho) presented what RRI is, tools to implement it and gave some current examples of research projects implementing the RRI concept.

The congress did of course not end in the conference hall, but continued at the congress dinner until late at night. There, we engaged in vivid conversations with new contacts and old ones, with whom we are always glad to spend some time.

We got inspired at this congress, learned a lot, got to know new entrepreneurs, made new collaborations and just can’t wait for the next one to happen.

Yoran Beldengrün

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