The event, which will take place from November 16 to 18 at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, aims to grasp the potential of Frontier Materials to solve some of the challenges that society is facing in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To do so, it will bring together global visionaries and thought leaders in innovation, deep tech science, sustainability, industry, technology investment and private equity and is finalizing and ambitious conference program structured in five themes: Science, Innovation, Materials Tech, Industry and Capital.

The speakers will tackle the potential of some materials and technologies as the building blocks of the future, including metamaterials, bio-mimicking and 2-dimensional materials or graphene. Among them will be Sir Konstantin Novoselov, Professor at the National University of Singapore and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for his breakthrough work on graphene, who will talk about how Frontier Materials such as graphene can enable next-generation electronics and technologies. Novoselov was included in 2014 in the list of most cited scientists worldwide and is one of the Directors of the National Graphene Institute.

In addition, Moonshots Founder and Ambassador for Alpha and X — Google, Pablo Rodríguez, will share insights on the importance of thinking creatively and on the line-edge to pursue materials-enabled technological breakthroughs. Moonshot factories, focus on far-out, sci-fi sounding technologies that could one day make the world a radically better place. Rodríguez is also an Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert who works with the Spanish Government on the AI ethics board.

The event will also feature Andrés De León, who is the CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. With more than 25 years of experience managing industrial corporations around the world, De León is leading the team of professionals developing the next breakthrough in mobility. At PUZZLE X he will share his vision on zero-emission transportation and sustainable mobility in smart cities.

Another speaker at PUZZLE X is Carolina Aguilar, a thought leader in neuroelectronics and healthcare. She is the CEO & Co-Founder of INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, a startup focused on using machine learning and graphene technology for revolutionary neurological therapies. Aguilar will discuss next-generation neuroelectronic interfaces for AI-enabled brain restoration.

The roster of speakers also includes Deji Akinwande, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and affiliated with the Materials Science department at the University of Texas at Austin, an international leading expert in next-generation biosensing and graphene-based health monitors; Antonio de Lacy, Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, a world pioneer in the use of innovative minimally invasive technology; and Florian Lennert, Head of Mobility & Urban Development at NEOM, a smart city which is being built by the red sea with a model for sustainable urban living.

The building blocks of the future
Frontier and advanced materials, including quantum materials, low dimensional materials, 2D materials like graphene, advanced materials, and intelligent composites, have a great impact in industries such as Energy, Mobility, Healthcare, Transportation, Construction, Electronics, Textile and Connectivity, among others, and therefore are great tools to steer innovation aligned with impact and SDGs. To achieve this goal PUZZLE X will focus on four SDGs every year and on 2021 these will be SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being; SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities; and SDG 13, Climate Action.

Supported by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council, the first edition of the event will be jointly held with Smart City Expo World Congress and Tomorrow.Mobility. It will be structured in three distinct one-day programs: XChange (November 16th), Co-Create (November 17th) and Ignite (November 18th).

PUZZLE X ™ Venture
The goal of PUZZLE X is to go beyond a yearly event and create an environment capable of nurturing disruptive ideas and transform them into tangible useful tools and products. To do so, AMPT will partner with the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCB) to create a venture ecosystem through the MWCB’s Collider program to incubate and accelerate innovative startups in Barcelona with globally scalable solutions. PUZZLE X Venture Barcelona will become the first hub of entrepreneurial activities that will attract Materials Deep Tech companies and talent and establish Barcelona as the epicenter of Frontier Materials and the crossroads with SDGs.