Against pessimism: technology with purpose
We cannot let ourselves be carried away by environmental pessimism. All around us there are many people who work, who research, who transform. Many people who think and act in the service of others. Bringing this committed talent to the surface, giving it a voice and visibility, is a duty of the media that we at ARA take seriously. Of course, we must also explain what does not work, denounce corruption and injustices, and hold those in power accountable. We do this day after day. But the talent we have here at home, in universities, in research centers, in companies, which too often remains hidden, interests us just as much or more. It is a talent that acts in many fields: science, the humanities and the arts, medicine, gastronomy, sports... And also in technology, in a very relevant and transversal way, and often affecting and dialoguing with all other fields.
This last territory, the technological one, is the one we are highlighting now at the new FAR Awards of the ARA newspaper, granted this Thursday at an event at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (Macba). Our wish is that these awards, as their name suggests, be a light to guide us, a light with which to recognize the companies that, through technological innovation, contribute to improving people's quality of life and generate a positive impact on society.
We wanted to focus on technology as a tool for transformation. And more specifically, we have paid attention to technology applied to health, education, social and community contribution, sustainability and the environment, and rural development. We have also established a Grand Jury Prize, made up of Lluís Torner, Jordi Berenguer Sau, Montse Daban, Miquel Puig, Carme Torras, and the newspaper's director, Esther Vera. Behind the selection of the chosen and winning projects, we have had the support and advice of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), the Tecnio Association, the Institute of Photonic Sciences (Icfo), and Biocat, among other bodies.
The real value of innovation is achieved when knowledge leaves the laboratory and becomes a solution to a problem. When it eliminates a barrier. When it promotes well-being. In short, when it generates a real, ethical, and sustainable impact on people's lives. Because, as we see with artificial intelligence (AI), technology can do many things, but the big question is what use we give it.
The winners of this first edition of the FAR Awards, which respond to this practical philosophy, have been The Blue Box (health), Nextus Social Learning (education), SOM Care (social cohesion), Bound4Blue (environment), and Altinco (rural development), while the Grand Jury Prize has awarded SOM Care. From here, we congratulate them and thank them for joining us in these awards, born with a vocation for permanence and excellence.
