The Science Park of the University of Alicante hosted this Monday the closing of Foro Alia, an event that has reached its sixth edition and has established itself as a pragmatic example of knowledge transfer between research and business. Under the theme "From Models to Solutions," the forum has had Alicante and Valencia as its main stages, highlighting its great potential for generating artificial intelligence (AI) applications that address real problems.
Manuel Palomar, director of CENID (Alicante Digital Intelligence Center) and scientific head of the forum, emphasized the success of the initiative's focus on becoming more than just a meeting point. Palomar stressed that "forums are a vehicle in which we develop proposals and also where we show how we make these knowledge transfers," valuing the quality of the research presented and the use cases developed jointly with technology consultancies. In this way, the project maintains its aim of serving as a meeting point between the innovative ecosystem and the productive sector, with a focus on technological transfer and the real-world application of AI models.
In this regard, David Ivorra, CEO of Lynx View, highlighted the "shared vision of technology" with CENID and the University of Alicante, which led to their collaboration in sponsoring Foro Alia. Ivorra advocated for "artificial intelligence developed with purpose," aimed at "helping people," and confirmed that "there is talent and real solutions" thanks to the existing ecosystem.
For his part, José Vicente Andreu, vice president of CEV Alicante and president of Asaja Alicante, stated that the forum "will not only serve as models, but as solutions," as pragmatic examples help mitigate the noise surrounding AI. Andreu emphasized the importance of such spaces for "separating expectations from reality" and learning about successful experiences. He noted that AI is ceasing to be a technology exclusive to large companies and is becoming an opportunity for SMEs, which constitute the majority of the Valencian business fabric.
Andreu indicated that the Valencian Community shows great dynamism in AI adoption, exceeding the national and European average. Currently, over 20% of companies with more than 10 employees already use AI daily, a figure that practically doubles that of the previous year. Furthermore, nearly 40% of Spanish companies plan to increase their investment in this area in the coming years. However, he stressed the need for talent, trust, and investment, as well as collaboration between universities, research centers, public administrations, technology companies, and the business sector to leave no one behind and strengthen the Alicante ecosystem.
