The ITACA Institute at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) took part in Valencia Digital Summit (VDS) 2026 on 21 and 22 October at the City of Arts and Sciences. The event brought together more than 10,000 participants from across the innovation ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, start-ups, universities, investors and businesses.
José Dahoui and Merce Poveda, technical officers in the ITACA Forward unit, presented the institute’s technological capabilities and research findings at the UPV Innovation exhibition space on stand 47.
The space hosted B2B meetings and presentations of the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, facilitating contact with businesses and potential collaborators.
“ITACA’s presence reflects its commitment to knowledge transfer and to connecting research with industry, particularly through the networking opportunities available in our region”, says Merce Poveda.
Drone technologies and airspace challenges
Juan Vicente Balbastre, head of the SNA-ITACA group, participed in the panel discussion ‘Shaping tomorrow’s airspace: Drone technologies emerging from UPV’, which explored advances in drone technologies and unmanned aerial systems, as well as the main challenges related to regulation, safety, and integration into airspace.
The session provided an opportunity to share perspectives on the development of these technologies and the conditions needed to support their wider application.
Artificial intelligence to forecast air pollution
Victoria Lerma Arce and Helena van den Berg, researchers in ITACA’s ICT vs CC group, presented PREDATICS, a project exploring how artificial intelligence can help predict air pollution and anticipate its potential health effects.
During the event, visitors to the exhibition space learnt about the project’s applications and explored its interactive viewer, which provides access to its results.
Taking part in VDS enabled ITACA to share its work, exchange knowledge, and establish contacts with other members of the innovation ecosystem.
“For ITACA, taking part is an opportunity to strengthen relationships and explore new collaborations that help bring research findings to society”, concludes José Dahoui.