Because the vice-rector’s office is new, the first thing we did was to bring together the many existing transfer, innovation and entrepreneurship (TIE) initiatives being carried out at the university under a single umbrella. It is a magnificent opportunity to integrate, visualize and enhance them.

Specifically, the vice-rector’s office is organized around four interrelated strategic areas.

The first focuses on valorizing the transfer of our research and technology, wherever possible, by supporting UPF researchers in everything they need. In this area, for example, we promote participation in external calls, such as the Caixa Impulse grants, the Llavor (seed) and Producte (product) lines of the Catalan government’s Knowledge Industry programme, proof-of-concept grants at the national level, European EIT grants, etc. We also have the internal programme UPF INNOValora, whose first three editions have yielded very good results. Additionally, we monitor activities to identify, protect and bring research results and technologies to market whether through spin-offs, agreements or licencing arrangements. Finally, we actively participate in transfer promotion fairs, such as 4YFN, as well as other actions, such as the Barcelona Deep Tech Node.

The second area focuses on fostering entrepreneurship amongst our undergraduate and master’s students and alumni through participation in either external training programmes, such as Santander Explorer or Akademia, or internal ones, such as Start-UPFlama, the first edition of which was held this year. This area also includes support for innovation in residence via the Almogàvers incubator and the Tallers area space. We likewise want to promote the entrepreneurship-based subjects offered in the different bachelor’s degree programmes.

The third area focuses on building bridges between public and private sector players and the university. This area is aimed at the entire UPF community and includes the industrial doctorate strategy, the promotion of institutional and company chairs, the promotion of public-private partnerships and collaborative networks, and participation in associations to foster cooperation between the university, industry and society.

Last, but not least, dissemination of the knowledge we have at UPF is a key part of this vice-rector’s office, although it is also something that has been mainstreamed throughout the university. Communicating our knowledge through institutional and external channels, coupled with actions linked to dissemination, is surely the most direct form of transfer we can do.

Other large-scale projects currently on the table include how transfer will be understood in the framework of the Mercat del Peix initiative and how to create a shared accelerator with other universities and research centres to support innovation.

UPF is a research-intensive university and that needs to continue. Furthermore, much of the research conducted at our university is basic research; it would be a mistake to try to reorient it now towards more applied research. In fact, history has taught us that basic discoveries have enabled giant breakthroughs in the application of knowledge. For example, we would not have statins today, the drugs used to lower cholesterol, were it not for the discovery of how one of their cell receptors is synthesized and works. And who would have guessed that studying the CRISPR system, which protects bacteria from foreign material, would transform the biotech industry and open the prospect of precision gene therapy? More recently, we all know that basic research in virology, structural biology and RNA biology has become the basis for the development of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that are currently saving millions of lives. So I am convinced that although we need to increase our knowledge transfer indicators, we have to do so without ceasing to conduct excellent research, whether basic or applied.

I am convinced that although we need to increase our knowledge transfer indicators, we have to do so without ceasing to conduct excellent research, whether basic or applied

That said, transfer is undeniably an area we need to consolidate in the coming years, so that the knowledge generated at the university can have a more positive impact on societal wellbeing. I am optimistic, and the transfer indicators suggest we are on the right path. For example, the number of priority patents at the university has grown considerably; in the past, we had two or three a year, whereas today we have ten or fifteen a year. The funding obtained from knowledge valorization has also increased, from 500 thousand euros per year to 1.5 million euros per year. The creation of six new spin-offs partially owned by UPF in the last three years bears further witness.

But we know that this is not enough, so we intend to improve these results, providing all possible tools to promote the transfer of research that is ready to be exploited, whether by creating spin-offs, through agreements with companies and institutions or by licensing technology and knowledge. To this end, we have the support of regional, national and European public bodies, as well various foundations, which have published different calls for proof-of-concept grants or programmes to bring science to the market. So we need to make an effort to increase applications from projects based on transfer activities.

The recipe is not simple and sometimes does not depend solely on the university, but on all the public agencies involved. In a nutshell, I would say we need to improve with resources, valorization, tools and motivation.

The creation of the vice-rector’s office coincides with the commitment that public bodies are also making to enhance the value of transfer. It is a good time to carry out entrepreneurship and innovation programmes and actions. Now we need to focus on having a system capable of transforming UPF’s knowledge agilely. For example, we need to improve the deployment and information about the university’s different legal, administrative and organizational support channels and tools for transfer activities.

Another issue is how to motivate the UPF community to engage in transfer, innovation and entrepreneurship actions. It would make no sense to ask all researchers to engage in transfer activities. In fact, as a general rule, exceptional researchers are unlikely to be exceptional ‘transferers’, too. It is important to give the opportunity to carry out actions to those students, PhDs, post-doctoral fellows or researchers who are interested in transfer and want to pursue it. I am convinced that if the university provides the right tools and appropriate value is placed on it from a professional perspective, there will be no shortage of contenders.

However, resources are essential. So far, the Catalan government has provided financial support to Catalan university valorization units with co-financing from ERDF funds; in the 2011-2021 period, UPF obtained three million euros this way. This funding has made it possible to promote transfer and entrepreneurship support programmes such as the UPF INNOValora and Start-UPFlama grants, as well as to organize and strengthen the unit’s technical structure. We are confident that this funding will be available to us again in the future. It is also worth highlighting government efforts in the different programmes, such as the Knowledge Industry, Innovadors [Innovators], Comunitats Emergents [Start-up Communities], Comunitats ACC1Ó and proof-of-concept programmes.

I sometimes feel like we are more concerned with regulations and procedures than results, and that needs to change

There also need to be incentives for knowledge transfer activities. Research lecturers are generally evaluated based on their teaching and research merits; their transfer activity needs to be recognized now, too. Various public bodies are currently considering how to assess and quantify the different transfer-related activities and what recognition models to follow. At the national level, transfer periods have been implemented as a pilot test, and the Catalan government is currently considering doing the same. Likewise, at the European level, a paper is being prepared on valorizing these activities in curricula and professional profiles. Last but not least, we need more research- and transfer-friendly legislation. I sometimes feel like we are more concerned with regulations and procedures than results, and that needs to change, albeit always ensuring the good use of public resources and maximum respect for the law.

The Innovation Unit-Business Shuttle team and UPF Ventures are doing excellent work. I think they also really appreciate the fact that there is a new Office of the Vice-rector for Knowledge Transfer. The team actively participates in competitive calls for grants and other forms of technology development funding, providing specialized assistance and supporting any action to help bring research results to market.

One very successful programme they have developed, UPF INNOValora, supports translational research at the university. Three editions have been held since 2018, co-financed by the Catalan government and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The main aims of this programme are to reduce the risk of commercializing knowledge and technologies, boost the impact of research, and raise awareness of the importance of knowledge transfer. UPF INNOValora has been very well received by the research community and has had strong results in terms of the subsequent development and transfer achieved by the selected projects. For example, the projects funded to date have managed to secure additional funding, obtaining various Llavor, Producte, Innovadors, Caixa Impulse and ERC proof-of-concept grants, multiplying the initial funding granted by UPF by a factor of four.

These projects have also led to the creation of two spin-offs. This programme is very interesting and, for me, its consolidation is a priority, as it is the only open window at the university aimed at research groups and offering them an opportunity to take a first step as a proof of concept of their research in order to then apply to official calls.

Another recently launched programme is Start-UPFlama, which aims to accelerate the creation of start-ups by UPF students. It combines an initial training stage in basic business management, offered in collaboration with the UPF Barcelona School of Management, with subsequent personalized support and mentoring, as well as €3,000 in funding to help with the first steps of starting a business.

It is also worth underscoring our alignment with the university’s Board of Trustees, which supports transfer to society through various initiatives, such as the UPFEmprèn EMPRESA award, which rewards students who have started a business with funding.

The contributions of the Innovation Unit-Business Shuttle and UPF Ventures are also essential to the transfer of research results through the creation of companies 

The contributions of the Innovation Unit-Business Shuttle and UPF Ventures are also essential to the transfer of research results through the creation of companies (i.e. spin-offs), as they provide support throughout the process, from both the legal side (general advice and the drawing up of contracts) and the business side (market studies, liaising with corporations and investors, mentoring, terms and conditions of the technology transfer, etc.). 

The creation of the Innovation Advisory Committee (CAI), made up of external experts, members of the Board of Trustees and members of UPF, has also been very successful. It is a consultative committee on institutional strategy and policy on transfer, e.g. the advisability of creating a spin-off, and other aspects of technology transfer.

We are currently working on two initiatives that I think will be very useful for the university. The first is the creation of a network of TIE experts with different professional profiles and levels of involvement who can collaborate with mentoring programmes and on the promotion of UPF transfer and entrepreneurship projects. The second is what we call the ‘UPF Start-up’ seal, an official recognition of innovative companies to emerge from the UPF community. The aim is to create a community with them, helping them as much as possible and showcasing their value. 

UPF’s connection with society is a key issue and one on which we have room for improvement. Scientific and technological advances are essential, but so is the need for them to reach companies and the public-sector bodies. That is why communication lines need to be opened between industry and universities, which are sometimes quite sealed off from each other.

Various governments have already begun to provide opportunities for cooperation between the public sector and industry – we submitted seven proposals to the most recent edition of the Spanish government’s call for proposals for public-private partnerships – but we need to exploit the tools we already have.

Scientific and technological advances are essential, but so is the need for them to reach companies and the public-sector bodies

In this regard, industrial doctorates could be given a more important role as a means of initiating partnerships with public and private institutions. These types of doctorates increase the circulation of knowledge and can lay the groundwork for trust and collaboration. Similarly, we could encourage stays by academics at businesses and vice versa, in order to share ideas and needs.

Promoting institutional and company chairs is also a very good way to connect with society, whether with companies or public-sector bodies, and an ideal tool for formalizing stable, long-term partnerships. The relationships established through these agreements go beyond the strictly economic sphere and make it possible to pursue broad teaching, research and knowledge transfer goals. UPF currently has 13 chairs spread out across its different areas, and we would like to grow this number in the coming years.

Another more traditional channel for strengthening the connection with society that works quite well is cooperation agreements with companies and public-sector bodies. We also participate in associations, such as Clúster Digital, the Global LegaltechHub or the R&D and innovation networks in paediatric innovation and health technologies, which are essential to foster cooperation between the university, industry and society.

So, although the university already has several ways of building bridges with industry and the public sector, they are underused and need to be strengthened. We thus need to take a more proactive attitude towards making contacts with the outside world, developing an exhaustive catalogue of our knowledge and of what we can offer, organizing a comprehensive system of services, and having a good follow-up protocol in place. To this end, the university needs to hire professionals with a more specialized profile, as well as more resources.

We are indeed in an extraordinary environment for fostering innovation and attracting investment. In fact, according to the Financial Times, Catalonia and Barcelona have the best strategy in Europe for attracting international investment. Although I do not follow the rankings too closely, they show that there are currently plenty of opportunities for transfer and entrepreneurship, and UPF has the duty and the challenge of facilitating the maximum support and application of the appropriate tools in each case.

To this end, for example, we are part of the Barcelona Deep Tech Node, a project led by Barcelona Activa and the Barcelona City Council within the framework of the Barcelona Innovation Coast (BIC), featuring the participation of the five universities in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (UB, UPC, UAB, UOC and UPF). It aims to become a benchmark in the facilitation and positioning of Barcelona’s entire deep-tech ecosystem, contributing to the creation and consolidation of technology start-ups, the growth of the local tech industry in general, and interaction amongst all stakeholders in the sector. 

We are indeed in an extraordinary environment for fostering innovation and attracting investment. In fact, according to the Financial Times, Catalonia and Barcelona have the best strategy in Europe for attracting international investment

Staying in constant contact with the Catalan Directorate General for Knowledge Transfer is also essential. In this context, it is also promoting Advanced Technology Investment Fund (FITA) grants for technology transfer, so we need to remain vigilant in order to participate. Finally, it is worth highlighting the role played by BIOCAT in the Catalan innovation ecosystem, with which universities have the opportunity to align themselves with.

In the context of UPF, the Mercat del Peix project, part of the Ciutadella of Knowledge initiative, is a unique opportunity for innovation in biomedicine, biodiversity and planetary wellbeing. All the institutions and organizations involved should team up to create a common transfer project.

Current transfer indicators do show a steady increase in the funding obtained in the fields of both biomedicine and information and communication technologies, whilst certain areas of the humanities and social sciences have stalled. Nevertheless, these fields are quite active with transfer formulas such as contracts with companies and institutions, partnership agreements, company or government agency chairs, and industrial doctorates. So, in this sense, the vice-rector’s office should continue to encourage and promote these avenues.

Additionally, Professor Helena Ramalhinho has joined the Rector’s Office team as delegate for Knowledge Transfer in the Social and Human Sciences precisely to shore up this area. The first step that we have taken in this regard is to visit each of the university’s eight departments to ask them about initiatives that exemplify the transfer they carry out and listen to what they think would be the most representative indicators of their knowledge transfer. This has given rise to metrics and actions that were not previously being tracked, such as open science innovation projects, participation in advisory committees at public institutions, the Faculty of Law’s Legal Clinic or the Diari de Barcelona.

 These fields are quite active with transfer formulas such as contracts with companies and institutions, partnership agreements, company or government agency chairs, and industrial doctorates

We now need to take a more proactive attitude, providing opportunities to engage in TIE actions in these fields and motivating the members of the different departments. We also need to encourage them to apply to competitive calls for knowledge valorization grants, where I firmly believe they have an open window. In fact, in Europe, there is increasing talk of the concept of ‘innovation and knowledge exchange’, insofar as we are not usually dealing with a one-way action from the university outwards, as the word ‘transfer’ might suggest, but a two-way process between the university and other external actors for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise, which is enriching for everyone and of social and economic benefit to the community as a whole.

The issue of knowledge communication and dissemination is quite broad and mainstreamed throughout the university. Here, together with the Rector’s Office and the Office of the Vice-rector for Educational Transformation, Culture and Communication, we have compiled a list of all the activities being carried out at the institutional, departmental or faculty level, by students, and involving participation in activities by third institutions. This issue is of vital importance for UPF, and I think it is a pillar that has to be strengthened and in which we need to invest effort, professionalism and resources.

Specifically with regard to TIE actions, I would perhaps highlight the InnoInfo newsletter, the management of thematic social media accounts with the @TransferUPF and @EmprenUPF Twitter profiles and the Innovation Unit-Business Shuttle website. In fact, the current remodelling of that website is a priority, with a view to making it more useful and engaging, presenting the knowledge and service offer more clearly and giving it a more commercial spin to facilitate contact with the target audiences. The website should clearly reflect the range of technologies and transfer capabilities available at UPF, the Unit and its services, as well as the importance of knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship to the UPF community and to society at large. Developing a portfolio of the knowledge we have and can offer is a priority.

We are also working on an activity report summarizing the main TIE activity indicators (technologies, patents, transfer projects, licensing arrangements, contracts, consultancies, spin-offs, etc.), taking all areas into account and encompassing all the actions pursued under the umbrella of the new vice-rector’s office to promote and disseminate them.