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
Vam triar venir a Andorra arran de la pandèmia de la Covid i veure que per al nostre projecte podíem muntar un estudi de producció audiovisual i de doblatge al país i treballar internacionalment. A més viure a Andorra és una meravella per als nostres fills per l’entorn i per la gran seguretat.
Andorra té diversos avantatges que vam valorar molt en el moment de decidir establir-hi l’empresa, com són la seguretat, la legislació i l’estabilitat política. I després d’establir-nos al país, m’ha sorprès com a la gent li encanta viure a Andorra. Hi ha una gran qualitat de vida.
Vam venir a Andorra perquè ens encantava la muntanya, perquè teníem Espanya i França a prop, i sobretot pel marc de seguretat excepcional que ofereix el Principat. Estem molt contents de seguir comptant amb el suport d’Andorra Business, ja que gràcies a ells hem pogut establir molts vincles comercials amb empreses internacionals.
Andorra és un lloc ideal on treballar i establir una empresa. És un país encantador i familiar, amb un entorn natural espectacular i una gran calma, en el que sorgeixen moltes oportunitats de negoci i on, a més, és molt fàcil solucionar totes les problemàtiques que van apareixent.
Vam decidir obrir la clínica a Andorra perquè molts dels pilots de Moto GP i Superbike que assessorem viuen aquí com Fabio Quartararo i Pol Espargaró. També perquè hi ha força esportistes d’elit. Andorra Business ens va ajudar a l’hora d’implantar el negoci facilitant-nos la informació de com muntar l’empresa al Principat.
Andorra és un lloc perfecte per a desenvolupar i testar totes les nostres innovacions, fer pilots integrals de país i per generar aliances empresarials. L’enclavament en l’àmbit esportiu és impressionant, sobretot gràcies al fet que hi viuen un gran nombre d’esportistes i a què el país considera prioritari el sector.
El marc fiscal i els impostos molt competitius del Principat ens permeten oferir preus atractius als nostres clients. A més, el Govern d’Andorra prioritza el desenvolupament del sector biotecnològic, al que nosaltres hi contribuïm com a primera empresa d’aquest tipus al país.
Vam decidir crear la empresa a Andorra per les seves característiques naturals privilegiades que el converteixen en un país emblemàtic, la seva seguretat, la seva correcta pressió fiscal, i perquè creiem que té un gran potencial per esdevenir un important hub sanitari europeu.
Andorra és un dels millors llocs del món per a muntar la part de disseny, màrqueting, concepció i enginyeria d’una empresa. Andorra Business ens ajuda a internacionalitzar la nostra empresa amb les seves connexions/contactes per a entrar en mercats on és més complicat instal·lar-se.
Tenir el negoci a Andorra no només té beneficis a nivell fiscal. També és més fàcil la burocràcia i projectar-te a nivell internacional. Precisament Andorra Business m’ha ajudat en aquest procés per fer conèixer els meus productes fora del Principat.
La decisió de crear una empresa a Andorra no sols es va produir per les facilitats fiscals, sinó sobretot per l’alta qualitat de vida i la presència de joves amb talent. NP Technology vol créixer al món, ampliant la seva presència en altres països, i Andorra Business ha exercit un paper fonamental ajudant-nos en el nostre procés d’internacionalització.