Barcelona will continue to host leading international events. This is the case of Puzzle X , a new world congress focused on the development of the so-called materials of the future that was announced this Wednesday during the Mobile World Congress (MWC).
This new event aims to turn the Catalan capital into a meeting point that brings together the scientific community, companies, start-ups and venture capital funds that seek to invest in innovative projects to transform these materials into solutions for a more sustainable future . Zina Jarrahi Cinker , general director of AMPT (Advanced Material Future Preparedness Taskforce) and promoter of the project, has ensured that the intention of Puzzle X is to bring together 500 people during its first edition to continue growing.
The launch of this new world congress will be held from November 16 to 18 within the framework of the Smart City Expo World Congress . For three days, Puzzle X will have exhibitions, talks, debates and competitions to connect the different industrial sectors that can benefit from the development of these materials and promote the technological ecosystem of the city.
“It will use the methodology of The Collider ( Mobile World Capital Barcelona innovation program ) to promote new start-ups and put Catalonia at the center of the technological world”, explained David Ferrer , secretary of Digital Policies of the Generalitat de Catalunya .
“A new Mobile”
“We want it to become another Mobile, but it did not get up in a day,” said John Hoffman , executive director of GSMA , organizer of the world technology congress that Barcelona and l’Hospitalet are hosting these days. “There is no such thing in the whole world.”
“It will focus on the materials that will help to respond to great problems of humanity”, has assured Pau Relat , president of the Consell d’Administració de Fira de Barcelona. “We want a new global hub to flourish.”
What are the materials of the future
The so-called materials of the future are little known, but their importance is vital. These are substances such as graphene, carbon nanostructures, semiconductors or polymeric compounds that are used every day in products such as water filters or waterproof clothing.
“The most transformative potential will be for those uses that we do not yet know,” said Jarrahi Cinker. And it is that experts believe that these materials will revolutionize different industrial sectors by allowing the construction of lighter airplanes, faster computers or more efficient desalination plants.
Last year, Mobile had the intention of dedicating part of its programming to talking about materials such as graphene. However, the emergence of pandemic of the coronavirus forced suspension of the congress. It was then that Hoffman and Jarrahi Cinker began to devise a new event format that will explore the potential of these materials to solve increasingly pressing problems such as sustainability.
Collaboration with the authorities
The promoters of this new congress have applauded the support of the authorities to give birth to Puzzle X. “I have never seen a commitment so fast,” said Jarrahi Cinker. “This public-private alliance has allowed us to launch this project in a few months,” added Hoffman, who is participating in a personal capacity in the launch of this event while waiting for the GSMA to join it.
“This support is another sign of our ambition to be pioneers in projects to change the future,” said Laia Bonet , Tinenta d’Alcaldia d’Agenda 2030, Transició Digital, Esports, Coordinació Territorial i Metropolitana i Benestar Animal. This new congress has the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Hall, the Spanish Government, Fira de Barcelona and Mobile World Capital.
Thus, Puzzle X sets itself the ambitious goal of lighting a new event that brings together talent and visionaries from around the world to develop new applications of these materials of the future.
