All the Catalan universities, the CERCA Institute and the CSIC have formed a new association, presented on Monday, to promote technology transfer and links with the business world through their research groups and centres with the TECNIO seal. The initiative is supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya through the Ministry of Business and Labour\u2019s agency for business competitiveness, ACCI\u00d3.<\/p>\n\n
The new \u201cTECNIO Association\u201d is made up of the 59 research groups that currently hold the TECNIO accreditation granted by ACCI\u00d3, a seal that identifies technology developers in Catalonia to facilitate connections with companies. The new association will receive 300,000 euros in funding from ACCI\u00d3 over the next three years to strengthen the market vision of these agents and bring them closer to companies.<\/p>\n\n
The aim of the new body is to bring together and raise the visibility of activity by research groups with the TECNIO seal, to foster collaboration between them and promote them as an instrument for connecting to businesses and government agencies. The Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona, the University of Barcelona, the University of Girona, University of Lleida, Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, Pompeu Fabra University, Ramon Llull University, Rovira i Virgili University, the University of Vic\u2013Central University of Catalonia, the CERCA Institute and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) are part of the project with the aim of accelerating knowledge transfer from research laboratories to society.<\/p>\n\n
The presentation ceremony for the new association, which took place on Monday afternoon at the Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB), was attended by the Catalan Minister for Business and Labour, Roger Torrent i Rami\u00f3, the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Gemma Geis, the Director General for Industry and CEO of ACCI\u00d3, Nat\u00e0lia Mas, the Director General for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Llu\u00eds Junc\u00e0, the director of the UAB, Javier Lafuente, and the president of the TECNIO Association, Nora Ventosa<\/p>\n\n
During his speech, Torrent stressed that this partnership \u201cwill allow us to take a further step in building partnerships between companies and research agents in Catalonia to ensure that knowledge generated in universities is transferred to the productive sector. This translates into incorporating more differential technology in companies, more business R&D and, in short, more competitiveness and impact on the market,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n
For her part, the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities explained that \u201cCatalonia\u2019s major challenge is to improve its capacity for innovation so that this becomes one of the main driving forces of the economy. We must put talent at the service of the country\u2019s transformation, in order to develop a more innovative business fabric that raises competitiveness, and the centres with the TECNIO seal of quality are a good model to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n