The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) has launched a program to incorporate companies as strategic partners, to co-design R&D programs, and provide them with scientific advice, specialized training for managers and researchers and access to the student and alumni pool to be able to meet your demand for qualified professionals.
The rector, Daniel Crespo, explained that the program, called Connexia, is the first to be applied in Spain, although this strategy has been applied for years in other countries. “We intend to professionalize the relationship with companies and offer them tailored collaboration. We will assign you a manager, a single interlocutor, who will allow you to learn about everything we do at the UPC that may interest you,” said Jordi Martín, program coordinator. In addition, Connexia will also help you implement activities that contact students such as scientific challenges, hackathons or information days.
The program was created with three associated companies, including Fractus (a company that was born precisely from UPC researchers) and Schneider Electric, and will be within the scope of the Center d’Innovació i Tecnologia (CIT) directed by Antonio Álvarez. These companies will have to commit to contracting services for a minimum of 100,000 euros, and maintain at least three years of collaboration “because we are looking for an alliance that works with a medium-term vision,” said Martín. “It is a collaboration that will enrich us mutually, because for a university it is also very valuable to be in contact with the companies that lead innovation, and see what they are doing.”
The UPC will maintain the avenues of collaboration with the companies it already has in place, explained Crespo. The university has relationships with some 3,000 companies and has more than 1,900 agreements and research projects underway. R&D is an activity that last year contributed 81 million euros to the university, 60 from competitive financing from the European Union and the Government, and 20 from the transfer of knowledge to companies. Important figures for an institution that has a public budget of 313 million euros. Last year the UPC registered 13 patents and promoted the creation of 54 companies, in 41 of which the university itself participates (spin-offs).
“The traditional university had to preserve knowledge, create it and transfer it, but the current university must also be capable of generating economic value for the community,” said Crespo.
