What balance do you make of Red.es from its start-up to the present?
Red.es is an entity attached to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation through the Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, which has been working for nearly 20 years to promote the process of digital transformation in Spain, with the aim of contribute to improving people's lives.
The covid has had a catalytic effect on the digitization process that has become an essential element in economic activity and in our lives in general. It is a key piece in territorial structuring, social cohesion, and economic development. But it is essential to bet on a humanist digitization, where people are at the center.
At Red.es, we carry out programs to promote the digital economy, innovation, entrepreneurship, training for young people and professionals, and support for SMEs by promoting efficient and intensive use of Information and Communication Technologies. Communication.
Red, for example, assumes the participation of the Spanish Pavilion in MWC, a magnificent showcase for the international projection of our technological SMEs.
We also deploy programs for the implementation of technology in the public services of the Administration, especially in Health and Education, and we work for the development of Smart Cities and Territories.
At this time, framed in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, I would like to highlight the launch of the Digital Kit Program for the digital transformation of our small businesses and freelancers. It is an ambitious program that has a budget of 3,067 million euros, financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, whose objective is to reach one million SMEs in our country.
Red.es is a reference entity, both in digital transformation processes and in the management of European Funds.
What is the Digital Kit program?
It is a program of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, framed in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, which seeks to accompany SMEs and the self-employed in their digital transformation process. It was born with the aim of making it easier for companies that do not exceed 50 employees, that is, small companies, micro-companies and the self-employed, to adopt digital solutions that increase their level of digital maturity. It does so with financial aid that allows access to a catalog of digital solutions and digitizing agents that offer these services.
On December 30, the order of bases was published and, since January 11, the process of joining digitizing agents has begun. I would encourage companies to access www.acelerapyme.es so that they can get to know the Program in detail and I would invite them to register on the platform. In addition to learning about the Digital Kit in detail, companies can sign up and find out their level of digital maturity through the test they have available.
Grants are expected to range from 2,000 to 12,000 euros. Three segments are established: companies with 10 to 49 employees will be able to access aid of 12,000 euros; companies with 3 to 9 employees the aid is situated at 6,000 euros; and the self-employed and companies with two employees the figure will be 2,000 euros. The beneficiaries who obtain the aid will be able to choose the digital solutions that best suit the needs of their company from a catalog that includes categories such as cybersecurity, electronic commerce, web, electronic invoicing, customer management, etc.
The grants may be requested as the calls for each of the segments are published. The first call will correspond to companies with 10 to 49 employees.
What is the role of digitizing agents and how can they join the Kit Digital program?
Entities interested in being identified as a digitizing agent can join the Red.es electronic headquarters (https://sede.red.gob.es) and thus form part of the 'digitizer catalogue' that can be consulted on the official website www.acelerapyme.es.
They will be the only ones authorized to sign Agreements for the provision of digitization solutions, with the beneficiary companies of the aid of the Digital Kit program and holders of the digital voucher.
In this way, they will be able to accompany them in their digital transformation processes and provide digitization solutions that allow them to advance in their level of digital maturity, in key areas of business digitization.
What does Accelerate SMEs consist of?
The Accelerate SME Program is an initiative aimed at building the reference ecosystem for the digital transformation of SMEs. It is part of the 2021-2025 SME Digitization Plan, which has a budget of more than 4,000 million euros.
The Acelerapyme program was promoted by Red.es to support SMEs and the self-employed in their adaptation to the new situation generated after the state of alarm was decreed and to help them continue their activities by making a wide range of services available to them. of digital solutions.
This first idea, which was launched in record time, and which was in fact recognized by the European Union as an example of good practice, gave rise to the current platform that the program has become and which is the meeting point for SMEs and the agents involved in their digital transformation from which the ecosystem will be invigorated. The platform has global services aimed at SMEs with multi-sector content and specific services according to different sectors of activity.
This program also contemplates the creation of a network of Acelera SME Offices (“OAPs”) throughout Spain, based on the signing of an agreement with the Chamber of Spain and other agents.
These rural and urban offices constitute a network of advice and support, as well as a physical and virtual meeting point for all SMEs, freelancers and entrepreneurs in the country. Its objective is to promote the digital transformation of small and medium-sized companies (including newly created ones), freelancers and entrepreneurs. They are currently going to play a key role in disseminating the Digital Kit Program.
Imagine that I am a businessman from Extremadura, what programs would you recommend?
At this time, without a doubt, the Digital Kit Program, to accompany you in the digital transformation of your company. Having 3,000 million euros available for the digitization of SMEs in our country is a historic opportunity that we must materialize together.
SMEs cannot be left behind in this digitization process, which is unstoppable and necessary for progress. Benefits as important as the increase in productivity, internationalization, the potential growth of its competitiveness and its future profitability necessarily go through its digital transformation.
It is interesting to remember that the small business, micro-business and self-employed segment generates 51% of employment in the business sector in our country, therefore, it is essential for our economy to strengthen this productive fabric.
Now convince me as a citizen that artificial intelligence is not going to be harmful.
I sincerely believe that Artificial Intelligence is already a reality, that is why the attitude towards it should not be one of fear, but of responsibility.
From Europe we have an important role to play in achieving an ethical and humanistic AI, in which citizens have a relevant role and can exercise their rights. That will surely be our difference value.
I don't think confronting technology as harmful is a good approach. We must integrate it into our lives and put it at the service of citizens, not the other way around.
In addition, the reality is that for our business fabric it must be an opportunity to take the initiative and differentiate ourselves in a globalized market.
Look, in the last call for Artificial Intelligence that we put out from Red.es, for aid for industrial research projects and experimental development in AI and its integration into value chains, almost 1,200 applications were submitted and of these, 75% correspond to SMEs.
I believe that Artificial Intelligence is an opportunity and how we incorporate it into our system is a responsibility that must be shared between the public and private spheres.
There are studies that indicate that in the coming decades, countries that do not bet on Artificial Intelligence could see their economic growth potential reduced by 50%. I think these estimates convince anyone of the relevance of AI.
Internet is a self-employment niche. What are the keys to making this a reality?
Internet must be seen as a tool. Digitization clearly improves productivity in our companies, and the Internet must be that tool that helps us position ourselves in a highly globalized market. Today a small company can sell from Badajoz to any part of the world and become a benchmark in its sector.
Years ago that was unthinkable. Our great challenge must be to provide the tools that allow small businesses, micro-SMEs and the self-employed to be more competitive. That is part of the goal of the Digital Kit Program.
Another important challenge that we have as a country and as a society is everything that corresponds to the digital skills of our population. From basic skills, so as not to leave anyone behind, to the need to train technological profiles that are increasingly in demand. We have excellent universities to train our professionals, and we must retain them so that they contribute to generating value in our country.
What does the information society need to come of age?
Although we certainly have important steps to take, we are on the right track. According to the DESI 2021 index, Spain occupies a prominent position in Europe, mainly in connectivity, since we are the third European country with the best connectivity, we also stand out in the digitization of the Public Administration. It is in aspects related to digital training and digitization of SMEs where we must keep moving forward
For you, what would be a feasible utopia through Red.es?
It is important that we collectively aspire to that social utopia, described by Plato or Thomas More, probably unattainable, but it should show us a direction where we should go.
At this moment we have a historic opportunity, the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the "Marshall Plan" of the 21st century, where Spain has been assigned a figure of 140,000 million euros to materialize investments that are capable of transforming and strengthening our production system. The first 70,000 million correspond to subsidies, which will have a very positive effect on our economy. Four essential axes: ecological transition, digital transformation, gender equality and social and territorial cohesion.
I have no doubt that we must all row in the same direction to materialize these goals and make a better world. From Red.es we are going to put our grain of sand to this ambitious collective goal of transforming our country and our economy, in terms of digital transformation.