The Diputación de Granada and the IFMIF-DONES España Consortium have signed a general protocol of action that seeks to take advantage of the historic opportunity provided by IFMIF-DONES’s location in Granada to promote the economic and social development of the province in numerous and wide-ranging areas.

Both institutions have identified several priority lines of work in their collaboration. One of these is the promotion and development of actions aimed at improving the competitiveness of companies in Granada, with the opportunity to collaborate with a significant scientific infrastructure.

Both parties agree that boosting the growth and international expansion of local companies is essential to strengthen the business fabric of the province. The aim is also to promote the creation of new companies in Granada, facilitating a favourable environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in the scientific and technological fields. Another crucial objective is to invigorate the capacity to attract new companies to the province, which will contribute to diversifying and strengthening the local economy.

The President of the Diputación de Granada, Francis Rodrı́guez, has indicated that “the location of IFMIF-DONES in our province represents a unique opportunity to attract wealth and development. This agreement will strengthen our economy and will also position Granada as a benchmark in the field of fusion energy, among others, with benefits that will extend to various sectors of society”. He also highlighted the importance of the collaboration between the public and private sectors in this project, pointing out that “this strategic alliance will benefit the companies and citizens of our province and will contribute to global scientific and technological progress.

For his part, the director of the IFMIF-DONES España Consortium, Ángel Ibarra, indicated that “it is essential that an international infrastructure such as IFMIF-DONES has the support of the local agents that have competences in the region, and, in this sense, the commitment of the Diputación de Granada is firm, and the signing of a protocol such as this is proof of this”.

Furthermore, Ibarra stressed that “together we must ensure that the impact of the scientific infrastructure in the region is optimal, knowing, from our experience and looking at equivalent scientific infrastructures that have been built in other countries, that the coordinated work of national and local institutions is essential to maximise the positive impact on the territory”.

The protocol also focuses on promoting projects and initiatives that pursue the generation of an industrial ecosystem in the province, especially in sectors associated with large scientific facilities such as IFMIF-DONES. Promoting talent and scientific and business knowledge will be a key part of this effort, encouraging innovation, research, and industrial development in Granada. The dissemination of sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is important in this collaboration.

The signatory entities are committed to promoting actions to improve infrastructures and complementary services, mobility, and sustainable transport, especially between the city of Granada and the surroundings of the IFMIF-DONES facility.

Along with the signing of the protocol, the next plenary session of the Diputación de Granada will approve a first grant of 20,000 euros to the IFMIF-DONES Consortium to disseminate the positive effects that can be derived for the entire province of the infrastructure located in Escúzar. This financial contribution will be used for actions to promote and disseminate the sustainability pursued by fusion energy. With the signing of this protocol, the Diputación de Granada and the Consorcio IFMIF-DONES España are committed to collaborating closely to maximise the benefits of this scientific infrastructure, promoting the province’s economic, social and sustainable development.

Source: Diputación de Granada