Barakaldo has celebrated the successful completion of the winning projects from the II Edition of the "Open Innovation Challenges" contest, organized by Inguralde. After ten months of development, these ten innovative ideas, which have boosted local talent, have brought significant advancements in areas such as wind energy, plant species conservation, fashion, historical memory recovery, and the promotion of local music.
Representatives from Inguralde stated at the closing event that "those innovative ideas we saw in February are now real proposals," and that they "provide their own answers" to global challenges like environmental conservation, energy transition, circular economy, shared memory, and support for local culture.
Idoia Postigo, general director of Bilbao Metropoli 30, also present at the event, recalled that "when an institution opens its challenges to innovation, talent, and collaboration, responses and projects capable of transforming reality emerge."
In the "Innovation in Action" category, aimed at companies with scalable products or services, Roseo's project has analyzed the potential of wind energy for self-consumption. The viability of minieolic technology in Barakaldo has been rigorously evaluated, and the installation of a measurement device at the Lasesarre sports center has empirically validated the site's suitability, forecasting an annual generation of 2,964 kWh for a 5 kW turbine.
Aleovitro's "In vitro Germplasm Bank" project has safeguarded Barakaldo's natural heritage by cultivating three endangered plants: Cochlearia aestuaria, the fern Woodwardia radicans, and the cherry tree Prunus avium. Furthermore, Barakaldo's botanical garden has been promoted as a reference center through talks and visits.
In the field of sustainable fashion, the "Barakaldo Josten" contest, presented by the agency Duara, stood out. The fashion show on September 29th showcased complete garments created from waste materials from Barakaldo businesses. The winners, Catalina Cazalla Elejoste, Iruntze Antuñano González, and Shumlianska Olena, presented "Cicatriz," a piece reflecting the "consequences of loss on people and culture" caused by the war in Ukraine.
Within the "Barakaldo in Action" category, two projects emerged as winners. One is an interactive mural at the Lasesarre sports center that allows visitors to learn about Barakaldo's history. Presented by Oxana Saimu, an associate researcher from the University of Deusto, under the name "Barakaldo in 5 times," this "Virtual Walk of Community Memory" uses five digital capsules linked to the mural for historical content access.
The other winning idea was Gygtonic, by Alberto Cuadrado, a digital platform that energizes urban cultural life by directly connecting musicians, hospitality venues, and the public. The technological platform is now consolidated and optimized, with functional mobile applications that have seen a significant increase in active users and managed events.
From Inguralde, they recalled that the initial intention of the "Open Innovation Challenges" was to "find solutions to specific problems through innovative ideas," and concluded that "we are already designing the city of the future through open innovation."
