José María del Valle Escalante, new Catalonia and Aragon Region Director of PONS IP
PONS IP, a global consultancy specialised in industrial and intellectual property, has appointed José María del Valle Escalante as the new Regional Director for Catalonia and Aragon, with the aim of accelerating its growth strategy in two key geographical areas for Spain’s innovation activity. With more than three decades of experience in the sector, the appointment of José María del Valle strengthens PONS IP’s proximity to the innovation ecosystem in both regions, enhancing strategic support for companies, universities, and technology centres throughout all phases of protection and valorisation of their intangible assets.
A Law graduate from the University of Barcelona, with postgraduate studies in Industrial Property from UPM and more than 25 years as an Industrial Property Attorney, del Valle Escalante has built most of his career in Barcelona, leading teams and comprehensive advisory projects in industrial property. He has held senior roles such as Head of the Legal Department at Duran Corretjer, and later as Regional Director for Catalonia and Aragon at Clarke Modet. Alongside his extensive professional background, he also brings significant academic experience, having taught at institutions such as ICAB and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in areas related to the protection, management, and exploitation of intangible assets.
“Catalonia and Aragon have one of the most dynamic innovation ecosystems in the country, with leading industries, technology hubs and universities competing globally. With José María joining our team, we reinforce our commitment to staying even closer to the region’s R&D&I projects, providing experience, strategy, protection and value generation throughout the entire innovation cycle,” says Rocío Peris, Commercial and Business Development Director at PONS IP.
Catalonia and Aragon: key drivers of innovation in Spain
The industrial and innovation dynamism in Aragon, combined with Catalonia’s leadership, provides PONS IP with an optimal foundation to accelerate its growth strategy in two strategic territories of the Spanish market. Catalonia currently leads Spain’s innovation landscape according to the European Commission’s 2025 Regional Innovation Scoreboard, where it is classified as a Strong Innovator—the top-ranked Spanish region and above the EU average. In the field of industrial property, Barcelona topped the Spanish ranking in 2024 for the highest number of European patent applications, with 331 filings compared to Madrid’s 244. Furthermore, R&D investment in the region reached 1.82% of GDP in 2024, above the national average of 1.50%.
Aragon, for its part, also shows very positive figures regarding innovation investment. In 2024, R&D expenditure reached 569 million euros, representing a 4.7% year-on-year increase and equivalent to 1.16% of its GDP. In terms of external competitiveness, the region’s openness index—measuring exports plus imports relative to GDP—stood at 77.6%, significantly above the national average of 54%. Zaragoza also ranked as Spain’s fourth city with the highest number of European patent applications in 2024.