40 young people to promote Manresa’s digital transformation during a city social hackathon

• The participants present different technological solutions to solve a social challenge: the bureaucratic and administrative procedures migrants must go through to obtain social and employment coverage.
• The initiative, organized by the Mobile World Capital Barcelona, ​​the Generalitat de Catalunya and the i2CAT Foundation, is part of BeFuture! Manresa’, a conference aimed at promoting the city’s technological and digital efforts.

September 15, 2022

40 young people from Manresa are taking part today in the first ‘Manresa Social Hackathon’, a coding marathon aimed at easing bureaucratic procedures for migrants such as applying for residence or work permits.

The event, promoted by Mobile World Capital Barcelona ​​​​with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the i2CAT Foundation, the Manresa City Council, the Santa Clara Convent Foundation, Huawei, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Vic City Council and Creació, is being attended by Manresa Polytechnic School of Engineering (UPC), the Joviat School and the Lacetània Institute students, as well as by recipients of ICT training scholarships by the Santa Clara Convent Foundation.

Split into teams, participants work on a theoretical proposal to be defended in an elevator pitch before a jury of experts made up of Therese Jamaa, vice president of Huawei Spain, Gabriel Prat, president of the Board of Trustees of the Santa Clara Convent Foundation and Eduard Martín, CIO and director of Intelligent Connectivity at MWCapital, among others.

A technological proposal for a more inclusive city

This initiative is part of ‘BeFuture! Manresa’, a digitization day focused on the will to improve the territory through digitization.

The conference will be attended by institutional, business and social representatives who will analyze the key role of technology in solving the challenges faced by the city. The commitment to Manresa’s digital transformation will help the city offer more inclusive and efficient citizen services, while starting the transition towards more sustainable competitiveness.

The event is part of Central Catalonia 5G Area agenda and will be opened by Marc Aloy, Mayor of Manresa, Dani Marco, General Director of Innovation and Digital Economy of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Eduard Martín, CIO and Director of Intelligent Connectivity of MWCapital, together with Sergi Figuerola, CTO and CIO of the i2CAT Foundation, and Alex Carballo, Director of Public Administrations Catalonia and Aragon of Vodafone. The hackathon will also address the future of smart cities and the role of citizens in the creation of advanced and sustainable services.

Subsequently, a round table on digitization as a social engine will be held, featuring Joana Barbany, general director of the Digital Society of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Therese Jamaa, vice president of Huawei Spain, Sister Lucía Caram, director of the Fundación Convento de Santa Clara, and Sònia Recasens, member of the advisory council of the Pere Tarrés Foundation. The session has emphasized how technology contributes to moving forward without leaving anyone behind.

Lastly, the companies attending the event had the opportunity to take part in a workshop aimed at local 4.0 industry professionals and entrepreneurs to think about how the latest technological innovations enabled by digital transformation can revolutionize their businesses. Participants worked on use cases applying the latest advances in technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality or 5G connectivity.

Manresa, second stop of the ‘Huawei Enterprise Roadshow 2022’

Until 6:00 p.m. today Thursday, Manresa citizens can visit the ‘Huawei Enterprise Roadshow 2022‘, a traveling exhibition to see first-hand innovative technological solutions applied to sectors such as retail, finance, transport, etc. Manresa is the second stop of this Huawei tour in Catalonia, which began two days earlier in Barcelona.

5G areas, a key lever to boost services in the territory

The Areas 5G project is an initiative promoted by the Generalitat de Catalunya, included in the 5G Strategy of Catalonia, and which has the support of Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the i2CAT Foundation. The 5G Area of ​​Central Catalonia aims to promote various sectors that have become strategic in this territory, such as agri-food, industry 4.0, mechanical metal or mining.

5G Areas is an initiative promoted by the Government of Catalonia, within the frame of the 5G Strategy of Catalonia and supported by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the i2CAT Foundation. The 5G Area of ​​Central Catalonia aims to promote various strategic sectors for the territory such as agri-food, industry 4.0, mechanical metal or mining. The initiative is led by the Department of the Vice Presidency and Digital Policies and Territory of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the i2CAT Foundation and Mobile World Capital Barcelona and is supported by the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Vic City Council and Creació.

MOBILE WORLD CAPITAL BARCELONA

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is an initiative that drives the digital development of society and helps improve people’s lives globally. With public and private support, MWCapital focuses its activity on four areas: accelerating innovation through digital entrepreneurship; the transformation of the industry through digital technology; the growth of digital talent among new generations and professionals; and reflection on the impact of technology on our society. As a whole, the programs positively transform the economy, education and society. MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona and is the founder of 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the business platform for the startup community present at all MWC events around the world.