27/4/2023
Finance
Next Lab Finance & Tech returns to Navarra for its second edition, which was presented today in Baluarte with the intervention of the Director General of Culture of the Government of Navarra, Ignacio Apezteguia; the Director of Cultural Infrastructures of NICDO, Paula Noya; and the director of the event, José Luis Farias. This event, which focuses on financing, investment and the incorporation of new technological tools in the animation and video game industry, will take place on 28 and 29 June at the Baluarte conference centre in Pamplona.
The initiative, which has the main support of the Government of Navarre through the public company NICDO and the sponsorship of ICEX and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, will turn the capital of Navarre into the venue for a professional conference that will bring together institutions, investors, funds, animation and virtual reality (VR) companies, video game developers, experts and national and international stakeholders.
Through workshops, round tables, conferences and case studies, experts from the sector will focus on financing and investment in animation and video game projects with a high technological base, as well as web3, virtual reality and other projects where innovation is a fundamental pillar. In addition, innovation projects that develop tools for the sector, experimental projects or new business models for startups will also be presented. The full programme will soon be available on the website: https://www.nxlb.org/finance/2023
Paula Noya said that this event "will allow the creation of synergies in the creative fabric of our community, where culture is a driving force for change and social cohesion, which favours collaborative creation processes. Technology, video games and animation are increasingly linked and we in Navarre want to strengthen their cultural interest. For this reason, we want to open an initiative like Next Lab Finance & Tech to the participation of all the actors that are under the umbrella of the Navarra Film industry".
NEWS
Among the new features this year, Ignacio Apezteguia highlighted the presentation of the Euroregional Animation Award, organised by the New Aquitaine-Euskadi-Navarre Euroregion. "This is the third edition of this award, endowed with 6,000 euros, which aims to promote cooperation initiatives for audiovisual projects in development. In the two previous editions it was dedicated to fiction series, but from this year onwards the prize will focus on animation projects", explained the Director General of Culture of Navarra.
Those interested must be based in one of the three territories of these cross-border communities and must highlight the industry, talent, locations, language, history and other assets of the Euroregion. Entries can be submitted from 28 April to 30 May, online on the Euroregion's website.
Finalists will receive a free accreditation to Next Lab Finance & Tech, and will be able to participate in workshops, talks and networking meetings. They will also pitch for the prize on Wednesday 28th in front of an audience of accredited professionals and a jury of experts from the three regions, who will decide who the winner will be.
"We are, once again, facing one of the most necessary events and platforms for the audiovisual sector to have a promising future. Technology is shaking the foundations of our sector, not only in the way we create and produce, but also in financial and investment models. Next Lab Finance & Tech is the tool that allows us to be prepared for now and tomorrow, because, increasingly, the future is closer to the present", says José Luis Farias, director of the event.
The first edition of Next Lab Finance & Tech Navarra, held last year, brought together more than a hundred professionals and companies from eight different countries. During the event, more than 150 meetings and encounters between professionals were held, resulting in agreements such as the co-production contract between the Navarrese production company Dr. Platypus & Ms. Wombat and the French production company Redfrog and the Belgian company Belga Productions, for the production of the 3D animated feature film "DinoGames, Adventures in the Metaverse".