- Training in sustainable entrepreneurship through the Erasmus+ programme
- Lola Bordás, CMO of the Finnova Foundation, highlights the project’s European collaboration network
- Over 30 leading women speakers addressed sustainability, cybersecurity, mental health and innovation
Valencia, 14 November 2025. The Finnova Foundation presented the European project C-SUSTAIN during the fifth edition of the Womanation Congress, held at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). The event brought together more than 30 renowned women speakers in fields such as technology, health, cybersecurity, digital law, education and sustainability, consolidating itself as a key forum to showcase female leadership and build alliances that are transforming the digital world.
The presentation of C-SUSTAIN was delivered by Lola Bordás, Chief Marketing Officer of Finnova, as part of the congress’s section for promoting innovative and socially impactful projects. Bordás highlighted the project’s mission to empower youth and its alignment with the values promoted by Womanation: equality, leadership, and a commitment to a digital transformation that is inclusive, safe, and accessible.
C-SUSTAIN, funded by the Erasmus+ programme with a €250,000 budget and a duration of 24 months, aims to train young people from multicultural backgrounds in entrepreneurship and circular economy. The project equips participants with transferable skills that combine entrepreneurial thinking, environmental awareness and active citizenship.
Its educational approach is based on two key European frameworks:
- EntreComp (Entrepreneurship Competence Framework), which fosters the ability to turn ideas into economic, social or cultural value.
- GreenComp (European Sustainability Competence Framework), which promotes critical thinking, sustainable action and respect for the environment.
Held under the theme “Smart commitment: alliances that transform the digital world”, the event was officially opened by Paula Llobet, Valencia’s City Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment Attraction, and Pilar Bernabé, Spanish Government Delegate in the Valencian Community. Both stressed the importance of addressing the gender gap in the digital transition.
The keynote address was given by María Jesús Puerta, mining engineer and winner of NASA’s Lunar Recycle Challenge. She presented Project Esperanza, focused on lunar waste management using artificial intelligence and digital twin technology.
The congress was structured into three thematic blocks:
- Rebuilding Digital Credibility, featuring Noa de la Torre, Emma Sarrión, Mª José Marcos and Yolanda Corral.
- Connections that Care, addressing mental health and personalised digital tools, with experts like Belén Colomina, Estefanía Navarrete, Helena Ribas and Gemma Martínez.
- Digital Shields, focused on cybersecurity and AI, opened by Asunción Quinzá, Regional Secretary for Equality and Diversity, and joined by professionals such as Carmen Serrano, Verónica Larrieux and Mar Monsoriu.
In the segment dedicated to project showcases, C-SUSTAIN was featured alongside initiatives such as CoCircular, Ancla.Life, DIFAMAT, BSC Solutions, and Cerwall, all led by innovative women entrepreneurs.
The institutional closing was led by Esther Gómez, Regional Secretary for Universities, joined by María José Valero (Talent Growth Management), Regina Monsalve (President of Intereco), and Angélica Gómez (Ger Ingenieros), all of whom highlighted the transformative role of women and the importance of building alliances between public institutions, private organisations and citizens.
The event was held with the institutional support of the First Vice Presidency and Regional Ministry of Social Services, Equality and Housing, the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, the Technical School of Engineering Design (ETSID) at UPV, and Caixa Popular, with the special collaboration of Levante-EMV newspaper.
C-SUSTAIN is developed by a European consortium formed by BildungsLAB – Hands&Minds Learning Center (Austria), CRADLE SINGLE (Greece), Fundacja Instytut Europejski (Poland), EUth – Förderung der Individualität von Jugend in Europa (Germany), Roscommon Integrated Development Company (Ireland), and the Finnova Foundation (Spain). This international network brings together expertise in sustainability, youth training and social innovation to build a more inclusive, green and resilient Europe.
The participation of C-SUSTAIN in Womanation Congress 2025 reaffirms its commitment to equal opportunities, sustainable education, and youth and female leadership as key drivers of Europe’s ecological and digital transition.
You can see the event here: WOMANATION 2025 – Emisión en directo and our participation starting at hour 4.
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or OeAD-GmbH.
Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project number: 2024-1-AT01-KA220-YOU-000247886