Boost your innovative SME: know your financing, investment and growth options [7-10-2026]
Boost your innovative SME: know your financing, investment and growth options
We invite you to participate in a face-to-face conference of the European project SustainX, organized by the Santa Cruz Sustainable Foundation, to know in a practical way the different funding, investment and support opportunities corporate available for the Innovative SMEs in the Canary Islands and connect directly with entities and companies in the Canarian innovation ecosystem.
What will you find on this day?
1. Direct public funding opportunities: SODECAN (Society for the Economic Development of the Canary Islands) and CDTI (Centre for Technological Development and Innovation) will offer a brief and practical overview of some of the main direct public funding channels available to Canarian companies. The objective is to help identify what type of projects can fit in each entity, when it may make sense to approach them and what should be taken into account before taking the step.
2. Companies in Action: Get to know first-hand several projects developed by companies participating in SustainX and the challenges they are addressing in their growth and development processes.
3. Orientation tables: Share your project, needs and challenges with different entities of the ecosystem and know the options they can offer you in different areas:
- Public funding: SODECAN y CDTI.
- Private investment: RECABA (Canary Association of Business Angels).
- Business support and access to opportunities: ITC (Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias), through initiatives such as EEN (Enterprise Europe Network) and CIDIHUB (Canary Islands Digital Innovation Hub).
- Business support: Cluster of Technological Excellence of the Canary Islands (CIDE network - Canarian Network of Innovation and Business Development Centres ).
- Internationalisation: ICEX (Spain Export and Investment), Santa Cruz de Tenerife Chamber of Commerce y PROEXCA (External Promotion of the Canary Islands).
- Tax incentives for companies in the Canary Islands: ZEC (Canary Islands Special Zone).
In addition, you will be able to listen to the experiences and needs of other SME attendees, identify common interests and generate new opportunities for collaboration and alliance.
☕ Coffee and Networking: Expand your network, exchange experiences with other companies and entities and discover new opportunities for collaboration.
- Date: 7 October
- Timetable: 9:00 to 12:00 h (Accreditations from 8:30 h)
- Location: Hotel Escuela Santa Cruz (Hecansa) - Avda. San Sebastian, 152 - Santa Cruz de Tenerife
To attend the event, it is you need to register through this form.
INNTERCONECTA 2026: Key funding to lead the technology sector [16-10-2026]
Conference promoted by the CIDE Network and the PIDI Network to prepare companies and researchers for the next call Innterconecta STEP 2026 of the CDTI: consortium R&D projects, from €1 to €4 million, in digital technologies, clean technologies and biotechnology.
Aimed at innovative SMEs, startups, tractor industries and researchers. It includes the keys of the call (CDTI), the perspective of the evaluator (Zabala Innovation), real cases of companies, networking and bilateral meetings with the CDTI.
Collaborate: Universidad de La Laguna, CDTI, INTech (Scientific and Technological Park of Tenerife), Emerge Startups Innovation, FEMETE, Canarias Excelencia Tecnológica, Mentor Day, CEOE Tenerife, ASINCA and Fundación Santa Cruz Sostenible.
Timetable
Agenda Day of the day 16/10/2026
10:00 Institutional opening
Javier Franco Hormiga, Director of the ACIISI (pending)
Antonio Aparicio Juan, Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer of the University of La Laguna
10:20 INNTERCONECTA 2026: call keys
Emilio Iglesias Cadarso, Head of the Department of Institutional Promotion and Territorial Cooperation, CDTI
10:40 The look of the evaluator
Jaume Teruel, Deputy Director of National Area, Zabala Innovation Spain
11:00 From idea to project: a real experience
Arquimea Research Center, Hiades and Biotech Tricopharming Research (tbc)
11:20 Coffee networking
12:00 Bilateral meetings with CDTI (on request, pre-registration)
Congress of the European Pact for the Ocean in the Canary Islands | 24 and 25 September. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The 1st Congress of the European Pact for the Ocean in the Canary Islands will take place on 24 and 25 September in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (CICCA Cultural Centre. Alameda de Colón, 1).
The meeting will bring together institutional representatives, specialists from the scientific community, companies and agents of the sector to analyze the challenges and opportunities of the blue economy in the sustainable development of island territories.
A strategic space to promote dialogue and connect key actors around a common goal: marine sustainability and boosting the blue economy under the European Commission’s European Ocean Pact and UNESCO’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
The Congress is organized by the Ministry of Economy, Industry, Commerce and Self-employed of the Government of the Canary Islands, the Maritime Cluster of the Canary Islands, the ECEAdvance2 program and the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands. As collaborating entities, the meeting has A3MAtlantic, the Blue Supply Chain project, FEDEPORT, Isla Bonita and the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN).
More information and registration on the official website: https://pacto-oceano-canarias.es/
A more detailed analysis of the gap in AI adoption between women and men - WEBINAR
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more widespread in work environments, issues related to its equitable adoption among different groups of workers are receiving increasing attention. This goes beyond a simple matter of justice: uneven adoption of AI has implications for productivity, professional development and the risk that AI tools will be designed and perfected without adequately representing the entire workforce.
However, research shows that women are less likely than men to use AI at work, and this lower adoption is often attributed to higher fear-based risk aversion or lower self-confidence. However, risk aversion alone can be an incomplete explanation. Other factors are also involved, such as the fact that women face a higher occupational risk from AI due to the jobs they hold, have different skills than men and have a lower participation in AI development processes. Therefore, the question is not only whether women are more reluctant to take the risks associated with AI, but what structural, employment and social factors condition their relationship with this technology.
This webinar is part of the series Skills and the Future of Work (Skills and the Future of Work Webinar Series) and brings together leading experts in artificial intelligence and equality to analyse the gap in AI adoption between women and men, understand its causes and reflect on how the way in which this phenomenon is posed influences public policy responses.
We invite you to participate in a round table that will be followed by a short question and answer session. Please note that you receive this email because you are subscribed to the distribution list of Skills and the Future of Work (Skills and the Future of Work). You can withdraw your consent or unsubscribe at any time by writing to ELSSkills1@oecd.org or by replying to this email.
Speakers include:
- Mara Bolis, researcher (Fellow) of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society of the Harvard University and founder of First Prompt, a laboratory dedicated to promoting equitable adoption of artificial intelligence.
- Anam Parvez Butt, technical specialist in gender equality and non-discrimination International Labour Organization (ILO).
- Claudia Flores Saviaga, researcher specialising in human-centred artificial intelligence (Human-Centred AI) and human-computer interaction (Human-Computer Interaction) in the Northeastern University.
The debate will be moderated by Elif Bahar, labour market economist in the OECD.
This project has been generously funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany.
WEBINAR FPDUAL “SMEs and Dual FP: the Talent Alliance”
Do you want to discover how Dual FP can become a strategic advantage for your company?
We invite you to an online conference specially designed for SMEs that seek to attract, train and retain professionals aligned with their real needs.
In this webinar you will discover how Dual FP can help you boost the growth of your business, in addition to knowing the advances of the IMPULSA FP Dual project and the keys to implementing it effectively.
🎯 What will you take away from this day?
✅ Boosts Dual FP: Results and Next Steps
We will analyze the main milestones of the project, the new lines of work and the guidelines to promote dual Professional Certificates.
✅ FP Dual and SMEs: a strategic opportunity
Discover how this model can help you incorporate qualified talent, adapted from the beginning, to the reality of your company.
✅Business success story: Laundry El Romeral
Get inspired by the real experience of a local company that is already applying Dual FP and know first-hand its benefits and learnings.
🚀 Take the next step in talent management and discover how Dual FP can make a difference in your company.
We are waiting for you!
[Feb|Mar 2026] Retreat StartUp Madeira
Retreat StartUp Madeira is a program that offers a unique opportunity to test, develop and scale your business in a dynamic and innovative ecosystem. The seventh edition will take place from 9 February to 20 March 2026 on the island of Madeira. Program of the event.
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