Connecting Women in Digital at AIOTI Days 2025
On 22–23 September 2025, Madrid will host one of Europe’s most anticipated technology gatherings: AIOTI Days 2025, the annual flagship event organized by the Alliance for Internet of Things Innovation (AIOTI). AIOTI plays a dual role: as the organizer of the event and as a partner of Connecting Women in Digital, offering a stage for collaboration and exchange.
Held at the Colegio de Aparejadores, the conference will bring together policymakers, innovators, researchers and industry leaders to explore how IoT, edge computing and AI are transforming Europe’s urban landscapes and industrial ecosystems. This year’s event reflects AIOTI’s vision for a digital transformation that is technologically advanced, but above all, human centric, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.
Within this broad agenda, Connecting Women in Digital will contribute to the programme with a panel discussion titled “Scaling Inclusive Innovation in IoT & Edge,” scheduled for 22 September from 11:30 to 12:30 (Breakout Room 2).
The session will open with Liuba El Hadi Hamed from our coordinator BluSpecs who will introduce the Connecting Women in Digital (WIDCON) project and moderate the discussion.
The panel’s core aim is twofold: to showcase women led innovation in IoT and edge technologies and to demonstrate how cross regional collaboration can strengthen Europe’s capacity to innovate. By framing inclusivity both as a matter of equity and as a strategic enabler of resilience, the discussion sets the stage for the contributions of the panelists. To close the session, the importance of inclusivity in the digital ecosystem will be highlighted through a brief presentation of the the Women in Digital Forum, a key initiative that connects policy, innovation and diversity across Europe.
A Panel of Leading Experts
The discussion panel will be enriched by 3 experts who collectively represent the intersection of industry, academia and international collaboration:
Eduvigis Ortiz – Cybersecurity Head Iberia at Eraneos / President & Founder of Women4Cyber Spain
With more than three decades of leadership in technology and cybersecurity, Ortiz will bring insights into how business transformation can be driven by integrating IoT with AI, big data and cloud technologies. Her focus on cybersecurity strategy and resilience highlights the importance of trust in building sustainable digital ecosystems.
Asunción Santamaría – Deputy Director of Research at CeDInt-UPM
A telecommunications engineer and academic with over 30 years of research, Santamaría has made significant contributions to wireless communications, energy-efficient IoT systems and smart city management. At AIOTI Days, she will underline how connected technologies can deliver resource efficient urban transformation, linking innovation with citizen engagement and sustainability.
Asbjørn Hovstø – Chief Executive Officer of Hafenstrom
Hovstø brings extensive experience from European projects in smart grids, intelligent transport systems and digital security. His expertise bridges technical innovation with regulatory frameworks, ensuring that issues of privacy, interoperability and information security are central to IoT and edge deployments.
AIOTI DAYS: A Platform for Collaboration
The AIOTI DAYS programme reflects the complexity and ambition of Europe’s digital agenda. Sessions will address crucial areas for building a resilient digital economy: data spaces, climate neutrality, AI integration, 6G collaboration, regulatory challenges and standardization.
Against this backdrop, WIDCON’s presence brings to AIOTI DAYS a clear reminder that while technological excellence is essential, the human and social dimensions of innovation are equally critical.
