Salamanca: An international center of excellence in innovation and digital production

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The film has proven to be one of the best animated films of the year, in fact, it was among the candidates for the nominations for the Goya Awards of the Spanish Film Academy along with major productions of Spanish animation. Specifically, it was nominated for Best Film, New Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song, Cinematography, Editing, Art Direction and Sound. A reflection of the value of a film "made in" Salamanca.

The Salamanca-based production company Big Bang Box is the patron of the AIR Institute, a technology center for the promotion and development of scientific research in the field of computer science and artificial intelligence. As an extension of the BISITE research group, the AIR Institute is leading the University of Salamanca in the creation of a technological ecosystem of Castilla y León, focused on excellence in the field of digital technology, a booming area in the town. Precisely, the AIR Institute, in collaboration with the Junta de Castilla y León, will launch an International HUB in the Community in 2024 with activities and services aimed at strengthening the technology industry related to digitization, as well as promoting training and professional development in this sector, which is becoming increasingly valuable in the town.

A good example of this is the Arsoft company, a company based in the Science Park of the University of Salamanca that specializes in virtual and augmented reality, recently recognized in the Innovators Awards of the newspaper "El Mundo" for its NextMed platform, a solution designed for the study of medical images using technologies related to virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. In addition, Renfe, the railway operator, has selected Arsoft, within the Virtual Reality Training challenge of the V TrenLab Call, for the development of the pilot of its project in the acceleration program for 'startups'.

In addition, the University of Salamanca has the University Institute for Research in Art and Animation Technology, a multidisciplinary initiative that aims to promote the work of the University's research groups in the field of digital creation, which includes some thirty researchers from the academic institution.

Aware of the growth of this sector and of the need for professionals, the BISITE Research Group offers the Master in Digital Animation, an online or blended learning program that has two editions (October and February) and offers the possibility of specializing in areas such as film post-production, video game development or metaverse. In addition, it provides internships and employment opportunities so that students have direct contact with the labor market.

Salamanca has, therefore, all the elements to consolidate itself as a center of innovation in the development of technology and digital content, a space for the meeting and work of professionals from different areas and experts in technological development and specialized content.