IdeVa, a driving force for urban sustainability in Valladolid
The Valladolid Innovation and Economic Development Agency (IDEVA) demonstrates to Indian leaders its firm commitment to climate neutrality, innovation, and public-private partnerships | VIII edition activity summary
IDEVA, Valladolid's Innovation and Economic Development Agency, has established itself as a key player in the city's transformation toward a smarter, more sustainable, and more competitive model. Since its creation in 2011, this municipal entity has promoted entrepreneurship, digitalization, the ecological transition, and public-private cooperation, aligning itself with major global challenges and European strategies.
With pioneering projects in electric mobility, the circular economy, and urban renaturalization, IDEVA represents Valladolid's commitment to urban progress and responsible innovation.
During their stay in the Castilian capital, the Indian Leaders visited IDEVA's facilities and learned how the agency works. They were welcomed by Ángela Rivada Rodríguez, Coordinator of Economic Promotion and European Programs. Ángela Rivada is responsible for Valladolid's participation in the European mission "100 Smart and Climate-Neutral Cities by 2030."
“We have numerous local strategies and policies within the framework of the mission, due to this important and ambitious goal. Probably one of the most important strategies is the 2030 urban agenda,” he noted.
As one of the cities selected for this program, Valladolid must demonstrate a greater commitment to the European Commission: “They told us we had to implement a climate contract, which consists of three parts. One of them is the action plan. Another is the climate investment plan. And finally, the governance plan, which brings together all the institutions, all our innovation ecosystems, that must help us and collaborate to achieve such important achievements.”
The climate action plan includes some of the most important initiatives to achieve Valladolid's climate neutrality. Among them, a district heating network by 2030. “Thanks to the collaboration with the regional government, we will deploy a 100-kilometer network of hot water pipes to heat our buildings.”
IDEVA, Valladolid's Innovation and Economic Development Agency, has established itself as a key player in the city's transformation toward a smarter, more sustainable, and more competitive model. Since its creation in 2011, this municipal entity has promoted entrepreneurship, digitalization, the ecological transition, and public-private cooperation, aligning itself with major global challenges and European strategies.
With pioneering projects in electric mobility, the circular economy, and urban renaturalization, IDEVA represents Valladolid's commitment to urban progress and responsible innovation.
During their stay in the Castilian capital, the Indian Leaders visited IDEVA's facilities and learned how the agency works. They were welcomed by Ángela Rivada Rodríguez, Coordinator of Economic Promotion and European Programs. Ángela Rivada is responsible for Valladolid's participation in the European mission "100 Smart and Climate-Neutral Cities by 2030."
“We have numerous local strategies and policies within the framework of the mission, due to this important and ambitious goal. Probably one of the most important strategies is the 2030 urban agenda,” he noted.
As one of the cities selected for this program, Valladolid must demonstrate a greater commitment to the European Commission: “They told us we had to implement a climate contract, which consists of three parts. One of them is the action plan. Another is the climate investment plan. And finally, the governance plan, which brings together all the institutions, all our innovation ecosystems, who must help us and collaborate to achieve such important achievements.”
The climate action plan includes some of the most important initiatives to achieve Valladolid's climate neutrality. Among them, a district heating network by 2030. “Thanks to the collaboration with the regional government, we will deploy a 100-kilometer network of hot water pipes to heat our buildings.”
Sustainable mobility is also essential to reducing CO2 emissions. “We now have low-emission zones that allow access to the city only to the most sustainable vehicles,” explained Ángela Rivada. “In addition, we are promoting public transportation, the use of bicycles, and buses. Therefore, there are numerous initiatives in the field of sustainable mobility.”
Furthermore, with the goal of offsetting CO2 emissions, “we primarily plant trees, but we also implement natural solutions in the city to reduce the risk of heat islands.”
To achieve this ambitious goal, the cooperation of the innovation ecosystem and civil society is essential. “Right now, we have 180 entities collaborating on this goal of achieving climate neutrality.”
IDEVA not only offers technical support but also financial incentives. This aspect was explained by David Lorenzo, CEO of Daloar Studios. This is a video game development studio that is part of the innovation ecosystem promoted by IDEVA. He noted that “one of the advantages of being here is that when the public and private ecosystems come together, good things happen. I presented to the City Council the possibility of having a building to promote video game studios. In Spain, finding funding for a video game studio is almost impossible. The main objective of this project is to help new studios, people with good ideas, with the commercial aspect of the project.”
To support this sector, IDEVA provides “a 700-square-meter building with cutting-edge technology. With a photogrammetry system that allows scanning the pores of human skin. We will also have a virtual production set to record films or short films with the latest technology. We will have a large animation room with motion capture. And, of course, a large number of computers with the most modern graphics cards.”
Regarding collaboration between companies and institutions, Ángela Rivada emphasized that "we collaborate a lot with other entities because we firmly believe in public-private partnerships. We also collaborate with the University of Valladolid to promote artificial intelligence... We firmly believe in sharing and collaborating with others, both public and private."
