The ActuaTech Foundation (Actua Innovation) is one of the pillars of the Actua Initiative. The ActuaTech Foundation established collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2015, specifically with the Changing Places department (CP) of the Media Lab, in order to promote innovation in the country.
Within the frame of economic diversification, Andorra wants to potentiate itself as a “Living Lab“. Andorra, thanks to its specificities, its size, its recent legislation, its traffic of 8 million visitors per year… offers ideal conditions to test this technology. In fact, Kent Larson, lead investigator for Changing Places, has already announced that he will test some of his projects in Andorra.
What is required for Andorra to become a “Living Lab”?
- Access to technology. The latest technological tendencies will be available to both companies and citizens.
- Progress in regulation. We will become more agile in defining and implanting processes and regulations.
- International visibility. Research centers and/or International companies will publicize their tests and their experiences in the country.
- Gain knowledge. The collaboration of local companies with these projects could reactivate sectors of the economy and promote the creation of new products and services “Made in Andorra”.
Data Hub Andorra
Data Hub Andorra is a platform designed to store, cross, connect and process data from many sources of information, with the aim of unifying and centralizing the data generated by different suppliers such as Andorra Telecom, the Government’s Mobility Department, or FEDA, among others. The platform must provide also an inclusive environment to generate synergies between the public sector, companies and investigators.
Blockchain Lab
Andorra digitizes and registers higher education degrees with blockchain. Which makes it one of the pioneering countries in the use of this technology. It facilitates gains in security, time and economic savings.
Casa de la Muntanya
The Casa de la Muntanya aims at promoting, giving information and reserving mountain sports and tourism activities, while creating new activities to promote this sector. It also has an Educational aspect and will promote mountain companies to work together, as well as public administration and Research and Innovation entities.
Andorran Innovation Space
The Andorran Innovation Space, promoted by Actua, is located on the ground floor of the Caldea building and has a surface area of 250 square metres distributed in two rooms.
CityScope
The ActuaTech Foundation with the MIT Changing Places researchers are developing tangible and digital platforms dedicated to solving spatial design and urban planning challenges. The tools range from simulations that quantify the impact of disruptive interventions in cities to collaborative applications.
Solar resources of rooftop solar panels (OBSA)
This application was developed by the Observatori de la Sostenibilitat d’Andorra (OBSA) as part of the project “Potential for the use of solar resources from the Pyrenean buildings’ rooftops”.
Google Business View
In May 2013, Actua and Google began a project with the goal of making Andorra the first country in the world with its entire commerce offer available on Google Maps. Through Google Business View.
TerMITes
It is a set of tools and sensors (MITs and terMITes) to capture human behavior and link our habits to energy consumption. Their platform is still a prototype and requires calibration and further testing. That’s why about 80 sensors have been deployed in a school in Andorra. This allows us to gather real data and study the actual impact of the school life on the energy consumption in the building.
The project are also interested in taking an educational approach and introduced gamification to the project so that students know what sensors are and how they can interact with them, which would also help improve the user experience.
Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV)
The Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV) aims to unite the needs of daily life with efficient energy mobility. However, the technology developed by the MIT still requires to be tested and Andorra may be the ideal place for it.
The main goal is to have a first test environment experience in Andorra to both test technical aspects of the PEV, showcase the potential of Andorra as a Living Lab, and use the PEV as an educational platform.
City I/O
City I/O is a digital augmented reality platform that allows real time interactive visualization, and strategic decision making in the field of urban planning, among others.
It also takes advantage of the most advanced techniques of mobile technologies (mobile and web applications) to promote open debates between professionals, including the general public.
Related services
Andorra is a perfect place to develop and test all our innovations, to carry out comprehensive country pilots tests and to generate business alliances. The sports environment is impressive, especially because a large number of athletes live there and the country prioritizes the sector.
We chose to come to Andorra afer the Covid pandemic noting the possibility to set up an audiovisual production and dubbing studio in the country, enabling us to working internationally. In addition, living in Andorra is wonderful for our children because of the environment and the great safety.
Andorra has a variety of advantages we took into account when we decided to establish the company in the country such as security, legislation and political stability. And after having done so, I was surprised by how much people love living in Andorra. It provides a very high quality of life.
We came to Andorra because we love mountains, because Spain and France were nearby, and especially because of the exceptional security framework that the Principality offers. We are very happy to continue with the support of Andorra Business, since thanks to them we have been able to establish many commercial links with international companies.
Andorra is an ideal place to work and establish a company. It is a charming and family-friendly country, with spectacular natural surroundings and great tranquility, where many business opportunities arise and where, moreover, it is very easy to solve all the problems that arise.
We decided to open the clinic in Andorra because many of the Moto GP and Superbike riders that we advise live here, such as Fabio Quartararo and Pol Espargaró. Also because there are quite a few elite athletes living in the country. Andorra Business helped us for the launching of the business by providing us information on how to set up the company in the Principality.
We have chosen to establish our company in Andorra due to its privileged natural characteristics that make it an emblematic country, its security, the moderate tax pressure it offers, and our belief in its strong potential to become a European healthcare hub.
The decision to create a company in Andorra came not only because of the tax facilities, but above all because of the high quality of life and the presence of talented young people. NP Technology wants to grow in the world, expanding its presence in other countries, and Andorra Business has played a key role helping us in our internationalization process.
The Principality’s highly competitive tax framework allow us to offer attractive prices to our clients. Additionally, the Government of Andorra prioritizes the development of the biotechnology sector, to which we contribute as the first company of this type in the country.
Having a business in Andorra does not only mean having tax benefits. It is also easier on a bureaucratic level and to project yourself internationally. Andorra Business helped me in precisely this process, making my products known outside the Principality.
Andorra is one of the best places in the world to set up the design, marketing, conception and engineering part of a company. Andorra Business helps us to internationalize our company with its connections/contacts to enter markets where it is more complicated to settle.