DigitalES, the Spanish Digital Economic Association, and ESADE have signed a partnership agreement that will allow them to promote and cooperate on various initiatives to disseminate knowledge and research on digital transformation. The driving force behind the agreement is the two institutions’ shared interest in promoting real digital transformation in Spanish society, companies and government agencies and making Spain a global leader in innovation and technology.

Under this new agreement, DigitalES and ESADE have agreed to pool their available resources to identify initiatives, information campaigns and training programmes that boost the digital transformation of the economy. They will also work together to disseminate knowledge, research, social debate and training about the digital economy and increase its visibility.

Innovation and digital transformation

As one of the initiatives provided for under the agreement, ESADE will collaborate, as an academic partner, on DigitalES’s main activities and host some of these sessions on its Barcelona or Madrid campuses. Likewise, DigitalES will collaborate with ESADE on the proposal of activities and may also encourage the participation of its member companies.  

The agreement was signed by Alicia Richart, general director of DigitalES, and Julio Villalobos, corporate director of ESADE. Villalobos stressed, ‘This partnership agreement reflects ESADE’s commitment to helping lead the new paradigm shift resulting from the impact of technology and 360º digitisation by spreading knowledge. Digitisation entails the emergence of new learning models, such as lifelong learning, real-time training and even how this training is achieved. Although digital transformation is conditioning the business models of all sectors, it does not refer only to the digitisation of processes, but also to the need to reinvent how we do business. Technology is a tool, but the key is talent and how we manage it.’ According to Richart, ‘It is essential to promote technology and STEM studies, especially amongst young people, and also professional retraining through appropriate education that responds to the considerable shortage of talent and profiles that our sector is demanding.’