ESIC University hosts the 10th edition of the IMAT 2024 Congress: Applied Innovation in Education

ESIC University held the 10th edition of the International Congress of Applied Innovation, IMAT, on 26, 27 and 28 June. An event focused, as every year, on educational innovation, and this year's theme was "Knowledge networks: we connect to grow, progress and learn in community".

This year, therefore, IMAT focused on providing solutions to the challenges presented by the convulsive, highly changing and constantly evolving environment, aimed at achieving a comprehensive education of people for their personal, academic and professional development to face the uncertain future by influencing the culture of effort from a collective conscience.

IMAT took place at ESIC University's Juan XXIII Campus, for all those professionals interested in the field of education, business and innovation. This prestigious event brought together leaders and experts from various fields to discuss and share knowledge on the latest innovations in education, technology and sustainability.

On June 26th , the pre-congress took place, where Abel Monfort, Vice Rector of Research and Teaching Innovation at ESIC University, Ana Gómez, Director of Teaching Innovation at ESIC University, María Guijarro, Director of Research and Teaching Innovation at ESIC Comunidad Valenciana and Director of IMAT, Director of Research and Teaching Innovation at ESIC Comunidad Valenciana and Director of IMAT, welcomed all attendees.welcomed all the attendees to the event. In the first block of the day, there was a coffee with experts, with the participation of Javier Gallardo, CEO and Founder of CX Plus Consulting, Santiago Ambit, Innovation Manager at Peninsula, Ana Salas, Head of Communication at Colegio Joyfe, Irene Arrimadas, National Pedagogical Director at EECC and Beatriz Sanchez, EECC, who discussed different strategies to improve the student experience and increase retention, and where Oscar Martin Centeno, Director of Colegio Santo Domingo, presented a success story.

The second block began with a round table on financing composed of Elisardo Sanchís from INNETICA, Oliver Soto, from Iuventia, Naomi Nervo, consultant Developia Foundation, and Alejandro García, innovation consultant at IDavinci in the area of R+D+i, where they talked about financing, innovation and transfer in schools, moderated by Susana Fernández and included the presentation of European projects related to education and sustainability.

The Main Opening Day of the IMAT Congress was held on Friday, June 27th . After a warm welcome from Ramón Arilla, rector of ESIC University, who wanted to thank all attendees "for joining us in such a special moment as this celebration of the tenth edition of our beloved IMAT. Ten years where we have been working and asking questions about how to learn better and also seeking or helping to find solutions to improve the management of institutions with a common goal: to transform people to make a better world", Dr. Mario Alonso Puig, doctor in general and digestive surgery and international lecturer, shared his vision on education and personal transformation in an interesting presentation called The Aikidō of influence.

In his presentation, he discussed topics such as paradigms, the importance of adapting to the environment and influence. He added personal experiences, "I have practiced many martial arts, but I fell in love with Aikidō because of a philosophy, that of Morihei Ueshiba, creator of Aikidō. In his time it was a mystical experience and he understood another way of living the arts, through a paradigm. One of the most important lessons I have learned from him is never seek to do harm, only seek to immobilize those who want to do harm" and the importance of pedagogy in our environment: "we haveto be aware of the relevance of the role of pedagogy and the role of teaching. First, to recognize your work and thank you because you have done, do and will do this work when many times you do not feel like doing it and, thirdly, thank you because you are making children, young people or adults to open a way in the world".

One of the most important topics he spoke about was influence when it comes to leading, emphasizing that "there are different levels of leadership, true influence does not come from hierarchical position, but from relationships and cooperation. Effective leadership involves inspiring and motivating others through personal connection." "The importance of creating a supportive environment where everyone feels valued and helped is critical to educational success. Collaboration and the sharing of ideas are essential for collective growth," he added.

After Alonso Puig's presentation, there was a panel moderated by Ana Gómez, in which Juan Guerrero, founding partner of Fundación Trébol, Joaquín Ruiz, Director of Greenwich School, Carlos García, Salesianos Loyola and ESIC Business & Marketing School, Jaime Úbeda, CEO at EXO Schools, and Anthony Verrecchio, executive director at the Robert F. Keneddy Foundation, participated in a table of connections where they discussed topics on Learning Communities: connecting school, academia and society . Attendees were able to participate in the Digital Experience Workshop, which explored the multinational technology company Microsoft with Vicent Gadea, who gave a presentation on how to make the most of the potential of AI in your daily life as a teacher: Microsoft Copilot and other Apps.

The second block of the day began with the meeting of the four national schools that won the First LEGO League Challenge, an international competition organized by IngenieraSoy for primary and secondary school students.

After the meeting, Xavier Marcet, president of Lead to Change, gave a presentation on Humanistic Leadership.

Marcet stressed the importance of cultivating a capacity for critical and analytical thinking in future generations, emphasizing that "this is one of the most significant challenges we face. Thinking is not just a rational exercise, but requires a combination of data and observation." He also spoke about the importance of a balance between the use of technology and humanism in education and business. He criticized the tendency to disregard humanism in favor of technology, and advocated a more balanced approach that combines both aspects: "although machines and algorithms are powerful tools, human capabilities such as empathy, observation and critical thinking are irreplaceable," he stressed. He added that "training is only the first step, the real learning happens when people combine their previous knowledge and experiences with new ideas and challenges. This holistic approach to education and personal development is essential to face future challenges and take advantage of opportunities effectively".

The day continued with a round table with the participation of Ana Pons, General Manager of Germaine de Capuccini, Mayte Ramos, General Director of Grupo Sorolla, Iris Núñez, Vice Chancellor of UAX University, Antonio Climent, Boyden International Spain, Pablo Lozano, Head of Talent Recruitment at NTT DATA and Luis Jerónimo, Director of the school Estudio, which was moderated by Raquel Davó, professor at ESIC University, and was entitled Connecting with the future: business challenges in People Management and Sustainability .

To end the second day of IMAT, attendees were able to participate in the Snappet Workshop, where Luis Bastón gave an interesting talk on the personalization of learning in Primary School and in the Case Method Workshop, on the new methodologies for teaching cases in the classroom: Quick Cases and the TaBLE method, given by Arantxa Larrañaga, PhD.

The last day of the congress, Friday, June 28 , began with an opening speech by Nerea Luis de Mingueza, PhD & AI Consultant with her presentation The importance of AI in society. In it, she explained "we are going to see a lot of artificial intelligence, which can be more or less explicit to us. But there will also be many other uses of AI that are not so visible, but that will allow us to work in real time in our day-to-day lives".

Nerea Luis concluded that "AI is a very powerful technology but it generates a lot of frustration, because expectations are so high that, when you realize how much time you have to invest, there comes a time when you wonder if it is worth it.You have to find the point where pilots contribute, this has to do with starting by choosing simple tasks, rather than choosing the most ambitious project we want to do."

The first panel discussion called Debunking Myths: transfer and the connection to science, moderated by Klaus UlrichProfessor at ESIC University, was attended by Javier Sánchez, Professor at the Universitat Jaume I, Raúl Moral, Professor at the University Miguel Hernández, Ana Fernández, Professor at the University of the Basque Country, María Jesús Muñoz-Torres, Professor at the Universitat Jaume I, and Roberto Baquero Nieto, PhD and Ph, Professor at the Universitat Jaume I, and Roberto Baquero Nieto, PhD and manager of integral value models at ANNAR Health Technologies, and in which the presentation of the project "Cyber-protection and Cyber-risks" was made with Mariano Méndez, PhD. Professor at ESIC-UNED and funded by INCIBE.

The second table of the day focused on the presentation of the MaDre CX study, with the participation of: Sergio Verdasco, Business Director Ilunion Accessibility, Antonio Monje, CX&Innovation at ING, Yamil Ezequiel, director OCA Global, Agustín Chicharro, CEO at Defoin, Javier Ontiveros, Vice President CX of the AEC and Carlos Molina, VP Sales & Digital at IZO.

Prior to the last IMAT round table, the COPE Foundation's School Radio Workshop: Motivation and Learning was held at with Jesús Ángel Pindado, School Radio teacher, and Pilar Pareja, head of the School Radio project at Fundación Cope.

The third and last round table of the congress, focused on Infinite Connections: the possibilities offered by new technologies to connect people and ideas , with the participation of María José Peral, CEO of the Artificial Intelligence Institute (Instituto de Inteligencia Artificial Intelligence InstituteNerea Luis Mingueza, PhD & AI Consultant, David Hurtado, Innovation Lead at Microsoft and Soraya del Portillo, CEO and founder at BeChiara.

The X edition of IMAT was closed by Abel Monfort, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation in Teaching at ESIC UniversityThe IMAT aims to create a meeting place with great debates on aspects related to innovation, facilitate and promote communication and collaboration in organizational strategies and publicize new trends in different sectors, without losing the connection between university, business and society, becoming a channel for the dissemination of best practices that favors the sharing of classroom experiences, centers, academic researchers and companies.