Rosa Dávila and Juan José Martínez yesterday toured the facilities of the headquarters of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and the IACTEC, in La Laguna, where they learned first-hand about the technological, research and dissemination projects in which the Cabildo and IAC collaborate.

During his visit, Dávila highlighted the capacity to develop cutting-edge technology in Tenerife, in relation to the Drago cameras of the IACTEC-Space programme and the first space satellite to be manufactured in the Canary Islands, Alisio, which is due to be launched in November 2023. And he pointed out that the collaboration between the two institutions "is part of our commitment to diversifying the economy and generating opportunities for our researchers".

In charge of the recently created Regional Ministry of Research, Science, Development, Innovation and Technology, Martínez referred to the collaboration with the IAC beyond research and expressed his interest in establishing an agreement to stabilise the IAC's research activity and increase "the number of developments and transfers that stem from IAC initiatives and, therefore, to continue generating that ecosystem linked to innovation in Tenerife, which, without a doubt, is what will transform our island".

For his part, Rafael Rebolo, Director of the IAC, highlighted the excellent relationship between the IAC and the Cabildo, with long-standing collaborations such as the Museum of Science and the Cosmos, educational projects such as CosmoLab and ambitious technological projects such as the IACTEC space, and said: "We are confident that we can continue to promote together the creation of advanced technology in Tenerife, both in space projects and in large telescopes, in the production of advanced optical systems, optical communications and technological applications to biomedicine".