Collado
Antonio
Validated Lead Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
I have a degree in Industrial Engineering with a focus on Sustainable Development and two master programmes, one in Business Administration and one in Management of Technology. Industrial engineering is actually a far-ranging profession that focuses on optimizing complex processes or systems by reducing wastefulness in production. It focuses on systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, and materials and may address mathematical, physical and social science concerns.
Sustainable development has been defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. However, sustainable urban development implies a process by which sustainability can be attained, emphasising improvement, progress and positive change, incorporating both environmental and social dimensions.
Not only the education I received also my professional background has also a lot to do with integrated and sustainable urban development as I have 25 years of experience working at urban, regional and transnational levels dealing with innovation and technology as drivers of change and sustainable development in cities and local environments, while taking into account all dimensions as environmental and social factors.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
I have been working in international domains for almost 25 years now. I have a lot of experience in exchanging and learning processes at transnational level. I have been involved in more than 100 international projects so far, most of them including mechanisms for exchanging experiences and cross learning. I have participated in several EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation. In fact, since 1996 I have been involved in transnational projects under the scope of FP4, FP5, FP6, FP7 and now Horizon2020. I have experience in other ERDF and ESF programmes all around Europe. I am presently involved in several transnational networks and exchange mechanisms such as Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), Watify Experts Programme, Fiware iHub Community, Digital Innovation Hub Catalogue, etc.
B.3. Proficiency in English:
I have a C2 level in English. Level C2 corresponds to proficient users of the language, i.e. those able to perform complex tasks related to work and study. In fact I usually work in English as my job is fully related to transnational activities both oral and written. I communicate fluently in English. I am frequent speaker in English in international seminars and conferences.
Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Summary Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Since I started working in transnational cooperation contexts in 1996, meaning 23 years of experience now, I was involved in defining and implementing activities aimed at peer learning and transnational exchange. All the while I was involved in over 100 transnational projects. To name just a few (selecting those with the highest value in terms of tools and methods) I would select: FIMAC Future Internet Macaronesian Platform for Business Acceleration in Cities, where all partners contributed to peer learning in the technology domain of Future Internet –Canary Islands, Madeira and Azores- (www.fiwaremac.org/en). CLOUDFLOW Cloud Computing infrastructure based on existing technology and standards that allows SMEs to offer current and future customers new cloud services (www.eu-cloudflow.eu). My role in these projects, and in many other, were related to the design and implementation of mechanisms facilitating exchange and learning processes together with the management and coordination of some initiatives related to best practices and success stories. Other examples are: Protoatlantic, Digitourism, Digiedupol, Automa, Fabulous, Interport, Gita, Innovation Factory, Ovent, Robomatic, Watify, Diatec, Fitman, Innomonitoring, SME Performance Review, Attract and retain human resources, etc.
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Local Governance
Summary Thematic expertise:
Good governance is particularly important at local level, where governments interact with citizens and communities on a daily basis. Thus, improving local governance is a vital tool to boost economic development, maximize administrative efficiency, and ensure social inclusion and environmental sustainability. I have over 15 years of experience in local governance actively working together with municipalities and regional and national governments. I worked in different projects defining the organization, functions, duties and responsibilities of public authorities in different areas (research and development, citizen participation, sustainability…). I have a degree in Industrial Engineering with a focus on Sustainable Development and two master programmes, one in Business Administration and one in Management of Technology. Such high education together with my professional background provide me with the right tools to support public institutions in defining methods for controlling public administration as well as the rights and duties of officials. As concrete experience in this topic I usually give training in Public Innovation Governance (both online and classroom learning) for regional governments (Andalucia, Canary Islands, Madrid…). Additionally, I was involved in the definition of Public Policies and Public Governance for Smart Tourism (project Digitourism). I participated in the definition of the regional Smart Specialisation Strategy in the Canary Islands. And more...
Theme / Policy:
Research, Innovation and Knowledge Economy
Summary Thematic expertise:
I have 25 years of experience in Research, Innovation and Knowledge Economy. These three factors are strongly interlinked. In fact, knowledge economy can be defined as an economy that is able to grow through innovation or, in other words, by increasing total factor productivity. A knowledge economy is also characterised by technological dynamism and supported by continuous research. To thrive, the knowledge economy (and the related factors of research and innovation) relies on an adequate institutional framework, good education, strong communications infrastructure and a supportive financing environment. Besides my professional experience, I have a degree in Industrial Engineering with a focus on Sustainable Development and two master programmes, one in Business Administration and one in Management of Technology. Such high education together with my professional background provide me with the right tools to support public administration in boosting research, innovation and knowledge economy. As concrete experience in this topic I usually give specialized training at the universities (La Laguna, Uned…) and in online programmes (Watify, Cloudflow…). I provide also expert support to all kind of public institutions such as international bodies (United Nations, European Commission…), national governments (Spain, UK…), regional administrations and cities around the World. Some specific activities I have been involved in are: Ovent, Watify, User Factor, Remuneration of researchers..
Theme / Policy:
Entrepreneurship and competitive SMEs
Summary Thematic expertise:
I have 25 years of experience in improving the competitiveness of SMEs and over 15 years of experience in supporting entrepreneurship. Competition is the trigger force of any market economies. Under modern contemporary conditions, competition is determinative for the business development, while competitiveness is the most important condition for overall business prosperity. In this respect, public policies must take into account the challenges and opportunities that new technologies and globalisation raise for small firms. Besides my deep professional experience, I have a degree in Industrial Engineering with a focus on Sustainable Development and two master programmes, one in Business Administration and one in Management of Technology. Such high education together with my professional background provide me with the right tools to support public administration in supporting SMEs and entrepreneurs as key components of local economy growth. As concrete experience in this topic I usually give specialized training at universities and research institutions (ULPGC, Edinburgh…). I provide also expert support to all kind of public institutions such as international bodies (European Commission, World Bank…), national governments (Bulgaria, Spain, Georgia…), regional administrations and cities around the World. Some specific experiences in this domain include: SME Performance Review, FIMAC, Ovent, Fabulous and many more.
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
Digitourism is a clear example of the importance of participatory methods for co-producing and implementing local policies, as well as for the proper definition of required local governance. I was involved in this project and I was in charge of creating a Local Stakeholder Group (LSG) in the Spanish region of Canary Islands, in order to co-analyse, co-design and co-produce the regional innovation policies focused on the RIS3 strategy. Later we continue with the LSG in order to monitor the implementation of the policies. My role in the LSG was to coordinate the meetings, to guarantee the outcomes of the meetings and to provide tools and methods for the common working processes. I used Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats theory, Design Thinking techniques, etc.
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
I have participated in designing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating sustainable urban strategies in different cities. One example where I was specifically in charge of designing and applying monitoring tools was in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a Spanish city. First of all I defined the city strategy for the incubation of start-ups. It was a deep and long study. After the study I produced the Incubation Monitoring Strategy Handbook, where I designed a set of monitoring tools to support and supervise the quality of the services provided by the incubation network in the city. The monitoring tool designed and used was a set of indicators with initial values and goals together with a working plan with objectives and milestones.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
I have been working with sustainable urban development at EU and national level for decades now. In this respect it is my day-to-day work to keep up to date about policies, trends and funds. The main EU funding opportunities are:
The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs). The ESIFs include the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund for development and structural adjustments of regional economies, economic change, enhanced competitiveness as well as territorial cooperation, European Social Fund for employment, social inclusion and education, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development for competitiveness of agriculture, sustainable management of natural resources and territorial development of rural communities, and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for sustainable fishing and coastal communities.
European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). The EFSI is one of the 3 pillars of the Investment Plan for Europe and aims to overcome current investment gaps in the EU by mobilising private financing for strategic investments
European Investment Project Portal
Urban Innovative Actions
URBACT. It is a European exchange and learning programme that promotes sustainable urban development and helps cities work together to develop pragmatic solutions to urban challenges
Horizon 2020. It is the biggest EU research and innovation programme
LIFE. It supports environmental, nature conservation and climate action projects
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
All projects must allow for understanding specificities and local realities, and of course adapting tools and contents to such local context in order to guarantee the designing and delivering of the right policies at local level. In this respect I would say that almost all urban projects in which I took part considered such understanding. From my personal perspective, it is a must. One example was CIDIHUB. The objective of the project was the adaptation of the Digital Innovation Hub concept to the local context of the island of Tenerife. We hardly worked with the local government and the main local stakeholders in order to identify and detail the main challenges in the city. We analysed the concept, technologies, processes, resources and trends of Digital Innovation Hubs in Europe. And finally we adapted the tools and content of the Digital Innovation Hub to Tenerife under the umbrella of CIDIHUB.
Summary Expertise:
I have long experience in supporting local authorities and other stakeholders in designing and delivering integrated and participatory policies. As concrete examples I participated in Digitourism. It is a clear example of the importance of participatory methods for co-producing and implementing local policies, as well as for the proper definition of required local governance. I have also participated in designing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating sustainable urban strategies in different cities. One example where I was specifically in charge of designing and applying monitoring tools was in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a Spanish city. First of all I defined the city strategy for the incubation of start-ups. It was a deep and long study. After the study I produced the Incubation Monitoring Strategy Handbook, where I designed a set of monitoring tools to support and supervise the quality of the services provided by the incubation network in the city. The monitoring tool designed and used was a set of indicators with initial values and goals together with a working plan with objectives and milestones.
Additionally, I have been working with sustainable urban development at EU and national level for decades now. In this respect it is my day-to-day work to keep up to date about policies, trends and funds.
CIDIHUB was another nice experience. The objective of the project was the adaptation of the Digital Innovation Hub concept to the local context of the island of Tenerife.
Informations
Residence location:
Spain
Languages:
Spanish - Mother tongue
Foreign languages:
Email:
acollado@innovalia.org