José Juan Novás: “Betting on ICT in the Islands is not going against tourism, it is guaranteeing its survival”

PalmaFew professionals know the gears of technology and public management in the Balearic Islands with the perspective provided by four decades of experience. José Juan Novás –Pepe Novás, in innovation circles– has constantly crossed the border between senior management of private tech companies and institutional modernization. Now, from the coordination of the Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of the Cercle d'Economia de Mallorca, he has become one of the most authoritative voices when it comes to addressing the great challenge facing the Islands: how to transform our productive model through digitalization, sustainability and knowledge.

Is tourism success blinding us to a structural crisis?

— Resoundingly, yes. But the issue is not how much we invoice, but what value we are capable of generating per employee, what salaries we can pay, what opportunities we offer our young people, and how we improve the well-being of residents without continuously increasing the pressure on the territory. Tourism success does not in itself guarantee our future prosperity. We need to increase productivity, incorporate technology, improve the quality of our activities, and develop new business opportunities also linked to other sectors. The problem is not that tourism works, but that we do not take enough advantage of its success to build an economy that is more productive, diversified, and capable of generating more added value.

Why is the bridge between university and business broken?

— I believe we must analyze this from three perspectives: knowledge transfer, the absorption capacity of our companies, and the governance and execution of public innovation policies. We need to improve the mechanisms that transfer the knowledge generated by universities and research centers into productive activity, as well as reinforce the connection structures between the knowledge system and companies: technology centers, transfer offices, clusters, and business organizations.

And how can this be done?

— We must identify business needs, connect available knowledge, mobilize resources, and evaluate results, adapting instruments to a technological reality in constant evolution. But we need to go further: move towards shared governance models, with effective participation from companies and knowledge agents, and professional structures capable of connecting priorities, resources, and capabilities, while initiatives are promoted and projects are supported until they are executed. The challenge is not only to generate and transfer knowledge, but to convert it into business innovation.

Is betting on technological industries going against tourism?

— In no case is it about going against tourism, but rather about guaranteeing its survival. It means leveraging capabilities to transform the economy and generate new business opportunities. We must not see technology only as a tool that we buy to improve our businesses. We must develop our own technological industry in the Balearic Islands, capable of providing knowledge, products, and solutions to our economic sectors.

Which technology are you thinking about?

— We talk about electronics, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, sensors, communications, software, and data management. Technologies that allow for improving a hotel, designing smart buildings, managing water and energy, optimizing waste, modernizing nautical activity, and improving healthcare and assistance services.

In what real position of digitalization are the Balearic Islands with respect to other territories?

— If we look at conventional research and development indicators, we are clearly lagging behind. But we also find positive signs. The Cotec Gazelle Company Observatory points out that the Balearic Islands are the autonomous community with the highest proportion of gazelle companies in Spain and that Palma occupies the third position in terms of the number of these companies.

We have some outstanding innovative companies…

— Yes, companies like Robot, WDNA, and Open Cosmos illustrate the potential of our technological capabilities, along with other initiatives in biomedicine and information technology. What is concerning is that we do not always know how to identify, recognize, and sufficiently support these companies. Our opportunity is to develop our own model, adapted to an economy in which services, tourism, and the particularities of an island territory can act as engines of innovation.

Is there excessive risk aversion in Balearic companies?

— When a business model works for years, it is easy to think that it is not worth changing. The problem is that the competitive environment evolves and what was an advantage yesterday may cease to be one tomorrow. If we want to improve productivity and diversify our economy, we need companies willing to experiment, incorporate technology, develop their own products, and explore new markets. Therefore, we must reduce the cost and uncertainty of innovating and facilitate shared projects, access to technology centers, testing environments, and specialized advice. We must also provide special support to micro-enterprises. We need an environment in which experimenting is more accessible, less costly, and easier to share.