Enagás actively participated in South Summit Madrid 2024, the largest annual entrepreneurship and innovation event in southern Europe. Held from 5 to 7 June, this edition brought together more than 17,000 people from 125 countries, including more than 500 international specialists, large corporations, startups and investors. This year’s theme, “Connecting people, transforming futures”, reflects the collaborative spirit and vision of the event.

A team of Enagás professionals from the Corporate Venture and Diversification Division attended meetings and encounters with various start-ups and organisations from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The topics of greatest interest were renewable gases, new transport fuels, sustainability and digitalisation. This forum was an opportunity to share experiences, best practices and learn about the latest technological trends from disruptive startups.

Emilio Martínez Gavira, Manager of Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation at Enagás, played a leading role in two round tables. In “Thinking Outside the Box: Open Innovation”, moderated by Marta Nogueras from Lanzadera and accompanied by representatives from Enel Group, Cinfa and Petrobras, Martínez Gavira underlined the crucial role of open innovation in business growth and in achieving Enagás’ decarbonisation and security of supply objectives. “We do not invest in startups, but in entrepreneurs; we do not accelerate projects, but the people behind them,” he said, highlighting his humanistic approach.

At the round table “All4Zero: Powering Change Through Collaboration”, moderated by Maria Irurozki from VALHALLA and with representatives from Iberia and Repsol, Martínez Gavira explained why Enagás has been committed to All4Zero since its inception and the fundamental role of industrial companies in bringing science to the market. “Collaboration is essential for the energy transition, and our infrastructures are vital for startups to test their technologies,” he said.

Martínez Gavira also welcomed the opportunity to connect with numerous key players in the ecosystem, exploring opportunities and updating knowledge. He highlighted the importance of events such as South Summit in driving the energy transition through entrepreneurship and innovation. “Being carbon neutral by 2050 is a huge challenge; 50-70% of the technologies needed to make it possible are still in universities or research centres. To achieve this, proper collaboration between all stakeholders (scientists, entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, public sector) will be essential. The energy transition is either collaborative or it won’t be”, he stressed.

Since 2016, Enagás has promoted open innovation through its Corporate Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation Programme, Enagás Emprende. This programme transforms innovative ideas into real projects, accelerating the energy transition and diversifying Enagás’ business model with disruptive technologies and sustainable energies such as hydrogen and biogas.

Enagás’ participation in South Summit 2024 reaffirms its commitment to innovation and cross-sector collaboration for a sustainable future. Let’s keep moving forward together!