The UPC launches Connexia, a new 360º program to accelerate the transfer of technology to businesses

The new Connexia UPC program is based on a proprietary method of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC). Starting with the technological, innovative, and knowledge transfer capabilities of the University, it explores the needs of businesses, accompanies them in the innovation process, and identifies new collaboration opportunities.

In this regard, the UPC takes a step forward in the university-business relationship, conceiving the new program as the most suitable framework to gain a comprehensive view of each case and, with a 360° approach, connect companies with the best talent and leading knowledge generated at the University. This aims to enhance synergies with the innovation ecosystem revolving around the University.

The program was presented on October 27 at the Campus Diagonal Nord, with participation of the Rector, Daniel Crespo, the Deputy Rector Delegate for the Vice-Rectorate of Transfer, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Josep Lluís Larriba, the Director of the Center for Innovation and Technology (CIT) Antonio Álvarez, the Director of the Connexia UPC program Jordi Martín, the Co-founder and CEO of Fractus Rubén Bonet, and the Vice President of Human Resources at Schneider Electric Luis Cabezas.

Rector Daniel Crespo highlighted that "Connexia UPC is born with the vocation of providing businesses with a cross-sectional view of the university, emphasizing the knowledge of both parties. In the end, the university and businesses have a common goal, which is to create jobs. There was a need for a single access point for businesses to facilitate their transfer, and that's what we've done."

Talent acquisition by businesses is one of the central elements of Connexia UPC, providing access to a pool of highly qualified graduates in various profiles. The program supports the human resources teams of businesses and proposes initiatives of interest to students to identify the best talent and ideas. Examples in this regard include awards for the best bachelor's or master's theses, hackathons to solve technological challenges, university-business forums, and networking sessions.

Connexia UPC also offers businesses other tools and mechanisms that facilitate innovation, promote the competitiveness of the productive sector, or collaboration in joint entrepreneurship programs through sponsorship or the joint organization of activities. The program provides direct and preferential access to UPC's portfolio of commercializable technologies and the ecosystem of technology-based emerging or incubated companies (start-ups and spin-offs) within UPC spaces.

Another significant aspect of this UPC-business collaboration is that the University acts as a facilitator and partner in projects and consortia that secure substantial funding. This allows businesses to participate in the development of ambitious R&D projects or collaborative pilot projects.

The UPC method provides solutions based on advanced research and assesses the level of maturity of technology in terms of commercialization, application in industrial processes, innovation, or business. It also evaluates the technology's contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In terms of social responsibility, the UPC also offers the opportunity to support various actions and programs aimed at promoting equal opportunities, fostering vocations, especially in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, architecture, and mathematics), and participating in cooperation and social volunteering projects.

Long-term synergies

The result of this collaboration is a global project with a significant impact on business strategic decisions. It enables a wide range of joint actions and initiatives related to education, talent, research, innovation, and corporate social responsibility. The goal is to go beyond the traditional university-business relationship to create a lasting partnership as strategic partners.

In this vein, work has already begun on two comprehensive projects with the companies Fractus and Schneider Electric. In the first case, this collaboration has led to the creation of the Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub, dedicated to innovation in disruptive technologies. The agreement with Schneider Electric was signed on October 27.

Revenue from business projects

The UPC is the reference Catalan university in knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship promotion, innovation drive, and comprehensive technological education throughout life. In 2022, it secured 120 million euros from R&D&I projects. The same year, it generated 81 million euros from this type of activity, of which 20 million were from knowledge transfer to businesses.

Currently, the University contributes to generating 0.3% of Catalonia's GDP (for every 100 euros of public funding received, it returns 601.5 to society). It maintains relationships with around 3,000 companies, creating innovation environments that drive the industry 4.0 or decarbonization, among many other areas. It has more than 1,900 agreements and research projects in progress, and in 2022, it registered 13 new patents. In recent years, it has fostered the creation of over 100 companies, 41 of which (spin-offs) are affiliated with UPC. In 2022 alone, 13 companies (start-ups and spin-offs) were created.

As a public institution for research and higher education in the fields of engineering, architecture, science, and technology, the UPC is one of the leading polytechnic universities in Europe. Some of its distinguishing features include the high employability of graduates, a strong position in major international rankings (including those that assess both transfer and innovation capacity), and its impact on the productive sector.