Challenges and Solutions
To guide R&D&i towards sectors with high added value and help companies solve their challenges and needs, the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI) prioritizes in its calls for aid in competitive competition those projects that are aligned with the conclusions of the Strategic Innovation Committee (CEI) and its
specialized equipment. Composed of representatives of the scientific community, technology centers and the business community, this advisory body contributes to defining priority challenges and innovation opportunities to address the great challenges of the productive system.
Click on each button to see the challenges of each CEIE/CI:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN AGRI-FOOD
Production of healthier foods. Includes:
- Production of healthier foods. Includes:
- Availability and marketing of foods targeted at groups with allergies or intolerances.
- Identification and obtaining of compounds as alternatives to sugars, fats, and salt.
- Development of functional foods.
Flexibility and safety in agri-food production. Includes:
- Automation and robotization of manufacturing processes.
- Development of classification and inspection systems.
- Development of sensors and biosensors for online detection of pathogens and contaminants.
Precision agriculture through production prediction and control technologies. Includes:
- Optimization in the application of phytosanitary treatments and the use of eco-compatible products in the detection and control of diseases and pests, promoting zero residue.
- Planning for harvesting and detection of internal quality.
- Optimal use of water and irrigation strategies
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN NUTRITION AND HOSPITAL DIET
Redefinition and development of diets tailored to age and clinical situation, considering the 5S of food: healthy, safe, satisfying, sustainable, and social. Includes:
- Development and application of new preparation processes or commercial formats to guarantee the optimal organoleptic qualities of food for a longer period.
- Development and application of sustainable systems to offer certain foods in single-dose format.
Assessment of the patient's nutritional status and enhancement of hospital nutrition as a tool for nutritional education and as a relevant part of the person's functional state. This includes:
- The development and implementation of user-friendly intelligent systems to simplify the characterization of patients' nutritional status and integrate it into hospital information systems.
- The development and implementation of computer applications that allow patients to learn about the nutritional properties of the prescribed hospital diet and provide recommendations for following a healthy diet after discharge.
Optimization of information management and traceability, especially important in the case of allergies and/or intolerances. This includes:
- The development and application of artificial intelligence systems to create specific prescribed diets for patients based on, among other things, the information provided by their menu choices.
- The development and application of sensorized verification systems to ensure maximum traceability of information.
- The development and application of alert systems to quickly identify at-risk patients or those not eating properly.
Even healthier and more efficient kitchen services. This includes:
- The development and application of new cooking systems and/or equipment.
- The development and application of on-site food regeneration systems or systems for transporting food in optimal conditions.
Minimization of food and plastic waste generation and its treatment. This includes:
- The development and application of intelligent systems for quantifying waste and for waste sorting and recycling.
- The development and implementation of computer applications that facilitate communication between the plant and the kitchen.
Creation of more 'friendly' environments to reduce loss of appetite resulting from the illness. This includes:
- The development and application of materials and/or elements, such as furniture and tableware, with improved technical, design, usability, and ergonomic properties.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Optimization of the vehicle's thermal management systems. This includes:
- Development of new materials to reduce weight, improve thermal insulation, and minimize noise.
- Reuse of heat from exhaust gases.
Optimization of electric vehicle charging. This includes:
- Improvement in charging station communications to enable energy bidirectionality.
- Enhancement of battery life cycle sustainability by optimizing recycling and/or developing second-life alternatives.
Improvement of onboard vehicle communication platform. This includes:
- Development of personalized and/or inclusive design interiors.
- Development of systems that enhance the concept of the vehicle as a sensor.
Improvement in urban and interurban mobility management as a service, integrating existing systems.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN DECARBONIZATION
Replacement of fossil fuels in energy production and use. This includes
- Development and implementation of more efficient electrification technologies.
- Development of technologies for the generation and use of green hydrogen.
- Development of systems to improve the integration and management of renewable energies in the energy system.
- Increase in efficiency per unit area of renewable generation technologies (especially photovoltaic and wind), favoring distributed generation.
Improvement of energy efficiency in production processes and mobility. This includes:
- Intensification and redesign of processes and/or equipment for greater energy savings, especially in combustion, electrical, residual heat recovery, and cooling systems.
- Development of air conditioning and thermal insulation systems in diffuse sectors.
- Development of data management and control systems for consumption, energy balance, and energy efficiency of production processes and transportation infrastructures.
Improvement in energy storage and management. This includes:
- Development of technologies associated with the transport, storage, and use of hydrogen, including aspects related to the safety of these processes.
- Development of storage technologies such as electric batteries and supercapacitors; hybridization of technologies and integration of fuel storage systems, electrical energy, and heat.
- Development of solutions for energy management in energy infrastructures that allow the integration of new types of consumers such as energy communities and electric vehicles.
Promotion of alternative raw materials and circular economy for the reduction and capture of CO2 emissions. This includes:
- Use of decarbonized raw materials or those with a lower carbon footprint.
- Valorization of waste for fuel production, energy generation, reduction of CO2 emissions, and manufacturing new products and materials, such as biopolymers.
- Generation and use of carbon-neutral fuels.
- Development of alternative food raw materials to reduce emissions in the livestock/agri-food sector.
- Sustainable energy crops for the production of fuels and chemicals (e.g., SAF – Sustainable Aviation Fuel).
- Development of specific CO2 capture and storage systems (e.g., liquid absorption, adsorption, cryogenic separation, membranes or development of ad hoc hybrid systems).
- Development of green systems as natural carbon sinks.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN INTELLIGENT TOURIST DESTINATIONS
More efficient measurement and dissemination/awareness of factors related to climate change (carbon footprint). This includes:
- The development and implementation of measurement systems that provide real-time data and improvement recommendations and/or positioning regarding these variables.
Improvement of interaction with different tourist segments. This includes:
- The development and implementation of non-intrusive emotion analysis systems in the different phases of the tourist process for any tourist, including specific groups.
- The development and implementation of scalable personalized offer systems based, among others, on aggregated information from various sources, interconnected with destination CMS and users themselves.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN CIRCULAR ECONOMY
More sustainable consumer goods. It includes:
- The development of a collaborative software platform in ecodesign, aimed at product families with design freedom, such as urban furniture, but extendable to others.
- The development of new materials and technologies that allow for the extension of the service life of equipment, especially parts exposed to high thermal or mechanical stresses.
- The development and application in high added value products: more sustainable packaging through the simplification of multilayer structured packaging; new rapidly degradable polymers; processes that accelerate the degradation of plastic materials and/or compostable plastics.
More efficient valorization of waste and expansion in the use of reclaimed water in urban and agricultural environments. It includes:
- The development of intelligent systems for sorting and collecting solid waste, preferably urban.
- The development of tertiary recycling techniques for agricultural waste, sewage sludge, and metal-containing waste.
- The development of more efficient purification treatments that optimize the use-quality-technology relationship of reclaimed water.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN EMERGENCIES
Improvement of communication channels with citizens, including early warning and self-protection and response systems. It includes:
- Development of emergency apps compliant with the current European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) regulations, applicable in covered areas.
- Development and implementation of geolocation and alert features on smartphones at a lower cost than current solutions, applicable in uncovered areas or during natural disasters.
Optimization of real-time information capture and analysis for, among others, crowd and traffic flow control. It includes:
- Development and integration of information capture systems, such as physical and/or logical sensors in existing media.
- Development of intelligent platforms to adapt information from various sources, capable of modeling, merging, and analyzing data for emergency management centers and primary care facilities in a manner compatible with their decision-making systems and favoring interoperability among relevant agencies.
Improvement in protection against cyberattacks exploiting vulnerabilities in emergency protection systems, including critical infrastructures. It includes:
- Development and adaptation of threat monitoring and evaluation systems for emergency infrastructures.
- Development and adaptation of control and protection mechanisms for emergency infrastructure information systems and cyber-physical systems of critical infrastructures.
Improvement in the properties of personal protective equipment (PPE) used by emergency teams beyond regulatory requirements in terms of lightweight, ergonomics, maintenance, comfort, and functionality. It includes:
- Development of enhanced PPE incorporating new materials, technologies, and manufacturing processes.
- Development of enhanced PPE incorporating automated maintenance state detection and correct equipment usage through alerts or locks in case of improper use or lack of use.
- Development of enhanced PPE incorporating anthropometric requirements for integral adjustment to specific user needs.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN SUSTAINABLE HABITAT
Optimization of the real behavior of buildings and homes to improve their performance and maintenance, interoperability, and/or adaptability. It includes:
- Development and integration of sensor systems, monitoring, analysis, and data management in parameters such as energy and water consumption, air quality, and comfort.
Implementation of more sustainable construction materials and systems. It includes:
- Development and implementation of energetically efficient, reusable, biodegradable, sustainable, and safe materials in constructions.
- Development and implementation of construction systems that allow for the industrialization of construction, such as modular housing, prefabricated elements, and industrialized assemblies.
Nearly zero-energy buildings. It includes:
- Development and implementation of customized systems for the use of renewable energy sources, both at an individual and collective level.
- Development and introduction of passive conditioning systems integrated into buildings.
Improvement in integrating the changing demands and needs of building and housing users. It includes:
- Development and integration of flexible and multifunctional systems for adapting interior spaces to users' needs over time.
- Development and implementation of shared and collaborative living systems.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN MOBILITY, TRANSPORTATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Detection of infrastructure conditions and maintenance needs to improve safety, both in general and critical situations, allowing short and medium-term actions. Includes:
- Development and application of infrastructure monitoring methodologies and techniques using remote or non-invasive techniques.
- Development and application of technologies related to prediction systems, early warning, and artificial intelligence.
- Development and integration of innovative tools and processes for the work, monitoring, and training of personnel dedicated to detection and maintenance.
Design, construction, and operation of resilient infrastructures to help mitigate the effects of climate change and the impact of its consequences. Includes:
- Development and application of nature-based technological solutions.
- Development and application of multifunctional or high-performance materials
Reduction of CO2 emissions in the life cycle of infrastructure and transportation services. Includes:
- Development and application of low ecological footprint waste or materials.
- Development and application of processes for reducing energy demand, energy reuse, and generation through clean energies.
- Development and application of new forms of energy or more efficient propulsion modes in public transport vehicles.
Improvement of service, experience, and safety for public transport users. Includes:
- Development and application of technological solutions that facilitate the automation of information flows.
- Development and application of intelligent management systems for transportation services, focusing on multimodality.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN HEALTH
Control and/or prevention of frailty-chronicity through the use of Artificial Intelligence and/or Big Data tools applied to electronic medical records data. Includes:
- Development of new non-invasive monitoring systems for metabolic, cardiovascular, neurological, psychiatric, and musculoskeletal pathologies.
Optimization of surgical processes to be less invasive and with fewer associated side effects. Includes:
- Development of new surgical instruments, robotic systems, detection systems, and surgery assistance simulators.
Prevention of nosocomial infections. Includes:
- Development of new resources/materials with bacteriostatic and/or fungistatic or bactericidal and/or fungicidal capacity.
- Development of new coatings with bacteriostatic and/or fungistatic capacity for use in furniture already employed in the healthcare system.
- Development of early detection systems for colonizations.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN UNDESIRED SOLITUDE IN VULNERABLE GROUPS
Motivation of individuals belonging to vulnerable groups in their search for support and access to existing resources. Includes:
- The development and application of personalized recommendation and reinforcement systems through, among others, artificial intelligence and/or argumentation and persuasion technologies.
Prioritization of cases with a higher risk of social isolation. Includes:
- The development and application of new and/or improved processes in the collection and processing of information related to the profiles of affected individuals and the extent of the problem.
- The development and application of tools for semantic and emotional analysis in the detection and prediction of risk.
Promotion of empowerment, training, a sense of usefulness, and the social value of individuals belonging to vulnerable groups. Includes:
- The development and application of technologies that promote social connections (networks) among groups through, among others, mentoring or capitalizing on the value of these individuals.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
Optimization of operations in companies through the incorporation of digitalization technologies. It includes:
- Adaptation, improvement, and dissemination of available guidelines for IoT system development standards and best practices.
- Integration of systems and communications for the industry.
- Improvement and implementation of IoT devices and systems.
- Monitoring and modeling of processes.
- Designing a reference model for a cyber-physical system with high energy and computing autonomy and specific applications capable of communicating their function (self-description of components), self-configurable, modular, and capable of supporting different IoT computing solutions.
- Developing platforms, services, and advanced analytics models and data visualization to aid decision-making (Business Intelligence).
More robust artificial vision technologies through the development of algorithms, preferably based on Deep Learning. It includes the development of demonstrator prototypes.
Efficiency in the generation, storage, and management of renewable energies. It includes:
- Improving the energy efficiency of power generation systems, storage, and backup, preferably by developing components for these systems based on new materials.
- Real-time data processing for active network management.
For more information on challenges and solutions, click the button below: