The 2026 Eines Awards have recognized fourteen projects, seven winners and seven finalists, addressing areas from rural agroecology to inclusive technology. The award ceremony, held on October 20th, was attended by the president of the Consell Comarcal del Vallès Occidental, Xavier Garcés.
The awards, promoted by the CREIS's Chair in Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, are supported by the municipalities of Montornès del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, and Mollet del Vallès, the comarcal councils of Vallès Oriental and Vallès Occidental, and the Diputació de Barcelona.
At the Catalan level, the Eines award went to L’Aresta, a cooperative from Santa Coloma de Queralt promoting agroecological transition and social transformation in rural areas through social, solidarity, and feminist economy. The Diputació de Barcelona award for Digital Transformation with Social Impact was given to TEAstimo Molt!, a project from Escola Palma de Mallorca that facilitates emotional self-regulation for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using technological devices.
In the Vallesà scope, the award for Vallès Oriental went to the Programa de Felicitat a les Escoles (Happiness Program in Schools), which introduces emotional education into the educational system. In Vallès Occidental, the award recognized The CoMAKING Space, which democratizes access to industry and technical training for freelancers and small entrepreneurs.
At the local level, in Cerdanyola del Vallès, the award was for the Hub Tèxtil Living Lab – Cercle Local Circular Revolution, promoting circular textile management. In Mollet del Vallès, the award honored Bandada. Espais per a joves amb gèneres i sexualitats diverses (Spaces for Youth with Diverse Genders and Sexualities), a community project supporting LGTBI+ youth. In Montornès del Vallès, the award went to Bruixes Montornès, an association dedicated to traditional stick and fire dances.
The ceremony began with a welcome from the mayor of Montornès del Vallès, José Antonio Montero, and interventions by the secretary-general of the UAB, Esther Zapater, among other authorities. The 2026 Yearbook of Entrepreneurship, Economy, and Social Innovation was also presented, and a lecture titled 'Social and Solidarity Economy in Vallès Oriental' was delivered.
Recognized as finalists were projects such as thematic Lila Points (Purple Points) for preventing gender-based violence, the forensic escape room Synusia, personalized 3D external breast prostheses by Pit3D, the TECOUS project for simplifying legal texts, AiQUOS electrochemical probes for real-time water quality monitoring, the Escola de Salut of Fundació Sanitària Mollet, and the Catpèdia Cultura Viva open platform.
