Nearly 200 participants from 100 public and private entities gathered at the Parc Cientific de Barcelona (PCB) as part of the 2nd edition of the 'Networking & Innovation Day'. The seminar was organized by the University of Barcelona (UB), the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG), the Science and Technology Centers of the UB (CCTiUB) and the PCB with the aim to create a reference benchmark in the transfer of knowledge and technology that promotes public-private partnership, partnership agreements and open innovation among actors in the research and innovation system of UB Group and the business world, in general.

The event was inaugurated by Dídac Ramírez, rector of the UB; Antoni Castellà, secretary of Universities and Research of the Ministry of Economy and Knowledge of the Generalitat of Catalonia; Salvador Alemany, president of the Social Council of the UB, and Montserrat Vendrell, general director of PCB. Next, Xavier Ferras, dean of the Faculty of Business and Communication, University of Vic, gave a lecture on innovative ecosystems, as an opportunity for creating a competitive country.

The internationalization of the research and innovation system was the backbone of the first roundtable panel, moderated by Xavier Testar, UB professor and deputy director of the Barcelona Institute of Entrepreneurship.

The first debate featured the participation of Josep Samitier, director of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, associate rector of the UB for the Campus of International Excellence Health University of Barcelona and coordinator of the European candidature KIC InnoLIFE; Conxita Avila, associate rector for Research Strategic Actions of the UB and senior officer of the UB for LERU; Joan Aymamí, vice president of International Business in Europe and Latin America of AWS Truepower; Joan Feixas, general director of Enantia and Juan I. Jorquera, global vice president of R & D, Bioscience Industrial Group from Grifols.

The second roundtable panel was moderated by journalist specializing in science and environment, Joaquim Elcacho, coordinator of the section ‘From Science to Market’ in the insert ‘Dinero’ of the La Vanguardia newspaper. During the course of the event, speakers and participants addressed the increasingly important role of public-private collaboration in the development and innovation of projects within existing paradigms of innovation and entrepreneurship. This second debate featured the participation of Joan Guinovart, director of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB-Barcelona); Antonio López-Carrasco Comajuncosas, senior patent expert in Telefónica; Marc Ramis, general director of Tech & Business Innovation (TBI); Luis Santamaria, head of the group of Translational Immunology of the Department of Physiology and Immunology of the UB, and Ramón Seoane, director of Science and Technology Centers at the University of Barcelona (CCiTUB).

In parallel to the roundtable debates, the seminar also hosted 300 bilateral partnership meetings with the aim of promoting the transfer of knowledge and technology between actors in the innovation system of the UB Group and technology-based companies in leading sectors such as health and biotechnology; materials and nanotechnology; food and agriculture; electronics, optics and ICTs; chemistry and cosmetics; and energy and environment, among others. These one-to-one meetings featured the participation of representatives from companies, public and private research centers and venture capital companies who gathered together to find new business opportunities and partners for future collaborative and innovative R & D projects.

Jordi Alberch, vice rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer of the UB; M. Carme Verdaguer, general director of the FBG; and Jordi Quintana, Business Development Advisor at the Parc Cientific de Barcelona, brought the seminar to an end.