That is the goal of Indra's Accessible Technologies initiative, created as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to promote the development of innovative technological solutions that improve the quality of life and the social and professional integration of people with disabilities. More than 50 projects have already been developed using an innovative model that combines the efforts of business, academia, and the non-profit sector.

In addition to students, as in previous editions, research groups, centers and business schools affiliated with public or private universities of the Spanish university system may participate in the Call, submitting their applications from September 10 to October 10 on the portal http://www.tecnologiasaccesibles.com.

Projects must focus on developing software, devices, instruments, or equipment that can be used by people with disabilities to facilitate their activities and participation in society or to improve their access to employment. Furthermore, they must include collaboration with at least one foundation or association of potential users to ensure that the developed technologies address the real needs of people with disabilities and to facilitate their successful implementation.

The three best proposals—one submitted by a student and two by research groups—will receive funding. These proposals will be selected by a jury based on their technological excellence, innovation, real-world impact, utility, and low cost to users. Additionally, the student whose project is selected will join the Explorer program, promoted by Banco Santander through Santander Universities and coordinated by the Santander International Entrepreneurship Center (CISE), within the framework of the global Santander X initiative. This university entrepreneurship initiative will provide the student with training, support, and mentoring in the call for applications immediately following the jury's decision.

Innovation with real impact
Among the criteria for choosing the winning proposals, the technological excellence of the solution stands out, as well as its viability and real transfer to products or services that do not yet exist in the market, its practical utility in a real environment of labor inclusion and the scope of its impact, according to the number of possible beneficiaries and the possibility of internationalizing the idea, in addition to its level of innovation.

Consideration will also be given to whether the proposed product or service is free or has a reduced cost for end users, and whether the solution is open source, that is, that it uses open programming code, so as to facilitate its modification and subsequent adaptation.