Spain's best-known “hacker” and the mastermind behind PlayStation's success in southern Europe to appear at Salamanca Tech Summit
The Salamanca Tech Summit, the event dedicated to new technologies that will take place from 26 to 28 June in the city will feature internationally renowned speakers who will showcase the latest developments in artificial intelligence, animation, video games, biotechnology, cybersecurity and blockchain. The conference is organised by the Salamanca City Council, the University of Salamanca and the AIR Institute.
Within the animation and video games sector, the event will feature Jorge Huguet, Corporate President of DUX, a leading club in sports innovation. Hughet has been CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment and is one of the main people responsible for the success of the PlayStation brand in southern Europe. Fernando Alcaraz, co-founder of the production company Big Bang Box and one of the fathers of 'Momonster', a successful animated film made in Salamanca, will also share his vision of the sector. The prestigious illustrator Tomás Hijo and the professor and videogame specialist Marcos Antón are some of the other key speakers.
The biotechnology sector will also have a place at the Salamanca Tech Summit with speakers such as the co-founder of Neurofix, Miguel Ángel Ávila, a company that led to the successful completion of the phase IIA clinical trial of a drug against neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury. Also present will be Sara Cuadrado, a Mount Sinai researcher and pioneer in the use of viruses to eradicate tumours, and Amr Metwally, Executive Director of the Itqan Clinical Simulation and Innovation Center in Qatar.
The conference will likewise showcase leading blockchain specialists. This technology provides a huge database that collects and stores information securely through a shared and decentralised approach. Julio Merelo, CIO of Alastria, one of the largest public-permissioned, multi-sector blockchain platforms in the world, is to take part. Francisco Luis Benítez, Director of Innovation at FIDESOL, a technology centre focused on innovation in information and communication technologies, will also give a talk, among several other speakers.
Cybersecurity will play a special role at the Salamanca Tech Summit with the presence of Chema Alonso, Spain's most famous "hacker", a member of the executive committee of Teléfonica and a celebrity on social networks for his publications. José Ignacio Castillo, from CSA and an expert lawyer in new technologies and cybersecurity, and the Director of Cybersecurity at Tecnalia, Óscar Lage, are other names appearing on the programme.
Furthermore, the conference will bring together experts in artificial intelligence such as Andy Jaffke, from Teradata Iberia, one of the most prestigious companies in database and big data analysis software, and Agustín Santamaría, Director of Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft Iberia.
Outstanding university professors related to new technologies will also participate in the Salamanca Tech Summit, such as Tania Di Mascio, from the University of L'Aquila in Italy; Dalila Durães, from the University of Minho in Portugal and Chee Kit, from the Hong Kong University of Education in China.
Finally, the congress will put entrepreneurs in contact with funding sources represented by entities and institutions such as the Institute for Business Competitiveness of Castilla y León, the Qatar Research and Development Innovation Council (QRDI), the Science Foundation Ireland and the Chinese Embassy, among others.