“We have a key role in the economic reactivation of Cantabria”
Interview with D. Pablo Gómez.
President of the ICT cluster of Cantabria and executive director of the AMBAR Group.
–You were one of the promoters of Cluster TERA, how was the process of origin of Cluster Tera?
–The idea of promoting an ICT Cluster in Cantabria had been working for a long time. We thought that beyond the representative needs of the sector, technology companies should seek the mechanism to work together, sharing resources and optimizing processes. Somehow try to improve the competitiveness of the offers and, therefore, increase the volume of business. At that time there were few companies promoting this initiative, but the acceptance is being very great and today we are 26 partners.
– What are the main challenges of the Cluster?
– The Cluster has a long way to go. It should be remembered that Cantabria was born with more than 30 years of difference compared to other communities. Therefore, we have immediate challenges and others that are more far-reaching. For now, we intend to position ourselves as business ICT interlocutors before public administrations and the private sector. We also aspire to participate jointly in different competitions and collaborate in R + D + i projects.
–What is your point of view about the degree of maturity in digitization of companies and public organizations in the region?
–The official indicators for our region are discouraging. We are in the caboose in aspects such as basic digital skills and other parameters linked to technological innovation. The administration does not have a homogeneous and orderly plan and companies in general suffer from many digital deficiencies. I think it is time to bet on the modernization of the region’s public administration, the development and execution of a digitization plan aimed at SMEs and the creation of a cybersecurity center in Cantabria.
– What would be necessary to promote this matter in Cantabria?
–We are convinced of the need to create a public roadmap in digital matters. We can call it an agenda or strategy that formally indicates the priorities and budget allocation necessary for its execution. TERA wishes to play a fundamental role in the development of the three key transformations for the economic reactivation of Cantabria: Digital / Technological, Energy and Social and Health. We hope that the future Innovation HUB of Cantabria will be decisive in materializing these initiatives. From TERA we aspire to a relevant role in the HUB.
–How do you see the dialogue with the different agents in the region, Government, municipalities, Chamber of Commerce, CEOE?
–The relationship with the Administration is fluid, although the results for the moment are not as expected, given that they still do not have the sensitivity to value the potential of regional companies, and large corporations are still being sought for many public tenders. This causes the turnover of regional ICT companies to be sustained by projects outside the region. The dialogue with other agents such as the Chamber of Commerce and CEOE has much more defined and closer collaboration channels with regional companies. In our case, we have signed collaboration agreements that your results will be visible in a short period of time.
TERA, the Association of Information and Communication Technologies of Cantabriaa
The ICT sector of Cantabria constitutes a competitive advantage to accelerate the transformation of SMEs and regional public administrations. From there, the ICT Cluster was born (26 associated companies and a capital of 6 million euros in R & D & i), with the aim of bringing together all the technology, information and communication companies of Cantabria interested in promoting the business, seek synergies and be able to participate in tender documents and tenders jointly with the administration.
New digital technologies constitute the main engine of social and economic transformation, being the greatest source of competitiveness, and impacting all sectors, both public and private. Digitization implies challenges and changes, but it also brings with it great growth and business opportunities for all companies that know how to assert it.
Cantabria represents 1.12% of GDP, but its ICT sector, an area in growth and internationalization process, which generates employment, wealth, competitiveness and innovation, committed to business challenges, only generates 0.3%. There is a need to articulate the offer of the ICT sector with a view to being where the market and customers are. The Cantabrian ICT sector has a combination of mature companies and micro-companies, the former competing within the national and international market, the latter having problems competing due to the economy of scale.