- The research will analyse how to facilitate the transfer of knowledge in Artificial Intelligence, AI´s social impact and how to promote its implementation in the city´s business sector.
- Both institutions understand that collaboration is essential for the adoption of technologies with high transformative potential such as AI that allow the city to face the challenges of the future.
On March 17 th , 2025, the School of Engineering of the University of Navarra in San Sebastián, Tecnun, and Fomento San Sebastián signed a four-year collaboration agreement aimed at promoting research on the use of Applied Artificial Intelligence with social impact. Raúl Antón, Director of Tecnun, and Ane Oyarbide, Councilor for Economy and Local Employment, sealed the agreement.
The agreement includes the creation of a chair to support the development of a doctoral thesis on this important topic. One of the key areas of focus will be transferring knowledge to knowledge-intensive companies (KICs), which already represent over 30% of employment and contribute more than 49% of the GDP in San Sebastián. Additionally, the agreement will involve researching the factors that contribute to the development of KICs in the city, their technological needs, and their impact on sustainability.
These analyses are expected to provide Fomento de San Sebastián with valuable insights and tools to enhance the technological capabilities of the current business landscape, while also promoting the growth of new KICs in the city.
In addition to supporting doctoral theses, the chair will also assist in developing AI-related Final Degree Projects and Master´s Theses, as well as organizing various outreach and training activities focused on Artificial Intelligence research. The chair will also enable the hosting of competitions, such as the MIT Lincoln Laboratory satellite emulator challenge for high school students, with a special emphasis on encouraging female participation.
Due to Fomento de San Sebastián´s commitment to a science and innovation-based city model, this initiative represents another milestone in its goal to position the city as a benchmark for science and innovation with social impact.
Aligned with the work developed by Fomento San Sebastián in the European Interreg Europe ENAIBLER project, which focuses on leading AI-driven policies that support the digital transformation of local territories, this agreement highlights the importance of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence in strengthening the growth of the local business ecosystem. It also emphasizes the vital role of the public sector in empowering the use of AI through close collaboration with local stakeholders such as Tecnun.