Valencia Digital Summit 2026

The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) is one of the main attractions at the Valencia Digital Summit (VDS) 2026, the leading international event in the fields of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, which is taking place today and tomorrow at the City of Arts and Sciences.

Through UPV Innovation, the UPV is showcasing its potential over the next few days with its own stand and an exhibition area featuring its startups, as well as organising numerous activities and meetings and, of course, taking part in the pitch competitions.

Stand 47: the meeting point

Stand 47 is hosting the main UPV-branded event; since early this morning, it has served as a meeting point for B2B meetings, a showcase of the university's latest developments in innovation and entrepreneurship, and a space where companies, startups, and spin-offs are promoting their activities through practical, live demonstrations.

There, any visitor now has the opportunity to meet and connect with various companies and research groups from the UPV ecosystem, such as startups, spin-offs or UPV Design Factory teams.

Thus, among others, the following are present at VDS 2026: the Air Navigation Systems Lab (SNA) and ICTs against Climate Change (both part of the ITACA Institute), CALSENS and Chirp Hawk (iTEAM), the Nanophotonics Technology Centre, Tecnodiabetes (ai2), PhotoMeDas – from the Photogrammetry and Laser Scanning Research Group (GIFLE) of the Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry Department –; Talpa Tunneling, Daidalonic and Faraday, from the UPV Design Factory; and the Neuromarketing laboratory at the UPV's Alcoy campus.

Startup Island

In addition, the UPV also has a 'Startup Island', an exhibition space where startups have small stands to showcase their activities, projects and innovative solutions.

This space represents an excellent opportunity to make initial contacts with potential partners, investors, collaborators and other players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering synergies and new opportunities for collaboration and business.

The participating UPV startups are Artikode Intelligence, Celentis, MuvaTech, MycroSpace Solutions, Sensing Tools, SmartVan AI, Akisei, Beloq, Colibrí Biomed, Kensight Solutions, Navitech Labs and Umibots.

An agenda shaped by innovation

At stand 47, the event kicked off this morning with a networking breakfast attended by some of the most prominent figures in the international ecosystem. This afternoon's programme includes the round-table discussion 'Shaping tomorrow's airspace: Drone technologies emerging from UPV', which will address advances in drone technologies and unmanned aerial systems, as well as the main challenges regarding regulation, safety and integration into airspace.

The discussion will feature Andrés Teixeira (CMT-UPV), Joan Cervera (WUAS-UPV), Juan Vicente Balbastre (ITACA) and Lluís Forner (Muvatech). It will be moderated by Luis Zurano from the UPV's Communication Area. In addition, during the day, there will be a presentation of two pioneering UPV projects: an urban test environment for drones and a future experimental centre for jet engine components.

Tomorrow, competing in the Startup Pitch

Tomorrow, Thursday, it will be time for the competition, in which the UPV will also be represented at Startup Pitch, the VDS 2026 entrepreneurship competition to be held on the Horizon Stage.

Here, the participating startups and spin-offs will have the opportunity to present their projects, explain their business models and showcase their innovative solutions to a specialist jury, which will select the winners from among all the entries.

This initiative serves as a showcase to raise the profile of emerging companies and connect them with investors and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The UPV participants in this competition will be Akisei, Colibrí Biomed, Kensight Solutions, Mycrospace Solutions, Navitech Labs and Umibots.

Further UPV participation

Alongside the aforementioned UPV representatives, the following are also taking part in VDS 2026: the Alumni UPV network, the Lifelong Learning Centre (CFP-UPV), the CPI Foundation, Human Tech, the Promotion of Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer Service (I2T-UPV), the IDEAS UPV Entrepreneurship Unit, the Institute for Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM-UPV), the Career and Employment Service (SIE-UPV) and the Valencian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (VRAIN UPV).

12,000 attendees from 120 countries

Organised by Startup Valencia, VDS is one of Europe's leading international events for innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. This year, it celebrates its ninth edition with an expected turnout of over 12,000 attendees from 120 countries, 3,000 startups, 1,500 companies and more than 800 international investors.

The event, which has established itself as a strategic meeting point for the global technology ecosystem, boosts collaboration, investment and the development of new business opportunities, reinforcing the position of Valencia in general and the UPV in particular as international leaders in the field.