The initiative Cleantech for Iberia was launched on July 5, 2023 in Madrid to great fanfare. Since then, Director Bianca Dragomir has been hard at work, and much progress has been made. The launch featured an opening keynote from Nadia Calviño, Spain’s then Deputy Prime Minister, the event presented research-backed findings establishing the Spanish and Portuguese as Europe’s next cleantech manufacturing hub. While Nadia Calviño was recently tapped to lead the European Investment Bank, Bianca has continued her work to strengthen the region’s cleantech movement by assembling a powerful coalition of key stakeholders in the space.
On November 15, Cleantech for Iberia unveiled its coalition of 19 Portuguese and Spanish cleantech investors, innovators as well as university partners at the WebSummit in Lisbon, Europe’s premiere tech conference. There, Bianca shared the stage with Iberian cleantech leaders at a well-attended panel discussion, conducted a media briefing on the coalition’s plans, and spoke at local non-profit association Startup Lisboa’s event on cleantech entrepreneurship.
Prior to starting Cleantech for Iberia, Bianca built the first cleantech accelerator in Spain. She was awarded as European Cluster Manager of the Year by European Commission and she’s provided input as a direct advisor to several European Commissioners on Europe’s industrial strategy, tackling issues such as innovation clusters, skills and smart cities. Over more than a decade she has convened ecosystem players for the Cleantech Cluster Valencia Region, where she’s based. We sat down with Bianca to discuss Cleantech for Iberia’s progress, and future plans.
What are your highlights from Cleantech for Iberia’s coalition launch at WebSummit?
In the face of intense political developments in both Spain and Portugal—and WebSummit generating some controversy—there was a huge, undeniable, appetite for cleantech! The event generated a good deal of media attention. We even had journalists following along from the press briefing to the panel discussion at a separate stage, covering both. At the end of the day, over a dozen media outlets covered the news in English, Spanish and Portuguese, from Huffington Post to Valencia Plaza.
Why is this a significant milestone for the Iberian cleantech community
“We’ve brought together a breakthrough ecosystem to ramp up cleantech investment and innovation in the region– the first of its kind in Iberia. Our collaboration will facilitate the further development and deployment of cleantech at speed and scale in Iberia. To affect rapid change, we link problem owners with solution-providers: Innovators own problems linked to blockages on their scaleup journey, and given political will, government holds the keys to the solutions.
Reciprocally, government owns the political responsibility – the ‘problem’ if you will, of having to combat climate change, and ensure industrial competitiveness. If Government delivers fit for purpose policies, innovations flourish and private capital is unlocked fast. To such issues, cleantech can serve as a solution. Cleantech for Iberia works laser-focused to build bridges between policy, capital, technology and shape the cleantech transition into action.”
What would need to change politically to supercharge Iberian cleantech?
“While we see policy movement at the EU level, we need this to translate to national, regional and local strategies for cleantech scaleup. The Net Zero Industry Act is being negotiated by the European Institutions, and we need similar policy measures at the Iberian level. We need to translate European policymaking to local bold commitments and organise our economy in a way that empowers and de-risks cleantech innovation.
I see 5 pillars for Cleantech for Iberia’s coalition strategy to address:
"The hurdles to cleantech deployment range across a list of issues, and it’s key that regions such as Iberia take a tailored approach on how to address the shortcomings, of the region specifically.”
"Cleantech for Iberia works laser-focused to build bridges between policy, capital, technology and shape the cleantech transition into action."
- Bianca Dragomir, Director, Cleantech for Iberia
Christmas and the New Year is just around the corner – what’s in store for 2024?
“A core part of our work plan is to rely on our backbone: the coalition. We will convene regularly to identify policy opportunities – the political landscape is in flux right now, and it’s vital that the cleantech community is heard. Cleantech scale-up exists at the intersection of policy, capital and technology – our mission is to bridge the gaps between the different spaces, across all possible verticals. I am delighted that European Climate Foundation has recently joined us in this mission and I am expecting a number of new powerful alliances for Iberia’s green reindustrialization in the new year.
I also look very much forward to seeing how the 1 billion euro combined fund size brought together by our investor coalition members will be leveraged on scaling up net zero solutions in the Iberian territory over the next months. We will continue to foster cleantech co-investment opportunities and expand deal flow as part of our core activities.”
It’s clear that Cleantech for Iberia, while having attracted a lot of attention already, is only revving up further. Next year will be a crucial year for European cleantech competitiveness, with landmark legislation moving through the EU’s institutional landscape. For such initiatives to be successfully implemented, we need innovators and investors to work alongside policymakers to forge regionally fit-for-purpose cleantech scaleup strategies. Congratulations again on your successful launch, Bianca! We look forward to working with you!
