The Ciudad Rodrigo City Council and the University of Salamanca have taken a new step in their collaboration to boost social innovation and territorial development from the Centro de Innovación Social y Territorial CIS-CIT La Estrella.
At a meeting held at the USAL Rectorate, the mayor of Ciudad Rodrigo, Marcos Iglesias, the rector of the University of Salamanca, Juan Manuel Corchado, and the Social Innovation agent of the Diputación de Salamanca, Julio Náger, reviewed the latest progress of the CIS La Estrella and the new opportunities opening up for the social innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the province.
Boosting social innovation projects with European support
During the meeting, the social innovation projects being developed at the CIS-CIT La Estrella were discussed, many of them funded with European funds and backed by the Junta de Castilla y León through the Plan de la Raya. This collaboration framework seeks to establish Ciudad Rodrigo as a benchmark for social and territorial innovation in the western part of the province of Salamanca.
Opening the CIS La Estrella to the university community
One of the key agreements was to strengthen the connection between the CIS La Estrella and the university community. The University of Salamanca will facilitate access for students and research staff to information and news from the Centre: ongoing projects, research lines, social entrepreneurship programmes and new calls related to social innovation.
In this way, the CIS-CIT La Estrella is established as a reference space for the co-design of innovative solutions, collaboration between institutions and the generation of projects with social impact in rural areas.
Social Entrepreneurship Incubator 2026
The first call for La Estrella's Social Entrepreneurship Incubator 2026 will be one of the most notable milestones of the CIS-CIT. This programme will select up to 20 business ideas or entrepreneurial initiatives, led by entrepreneurs, startups or third-sector organisations, who will take part in a specialised incubation itinerary.
The aim is to support these projects so that they become viable initiatives, economically sustainable and capable of generating a positive social impact in the western territory of the province of Salamanca. The incubator will be particularly aimed at social innovation projects that address rural challenges, such as depopulation, youth employment, local services or care for people.
A social innovation ecosystem in western Salamanca
With this alliance between Ciudad Rodrigo, the University of Salamanca, the Diputación de Salamanca and the Junta de Castilla y León, the CIS-CIT La Estrella moves forward in creating a social innovation ecosystem aimed at transforming the territory.
