The Social and Business Forum of the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) held this November 13 a thematic breakfast dedicated to the role of Industrial Doctorates in the transfer of knowledge between the academic environment and the socio-economic fabric of Catalonia. The event, part of the series of breakfasts promoted by the Social Council of the UPF, took place in the multipurpose room of the Mercè Rodoreda building on the Ciutadella campus, and had the participation of an outstanding representation of experts from the university and business fields.
The event was conducted by the journalist Aurora Masip and brought together witnesses with experience in the program such as Helena Ramalhinho , vice-rector of Internationalization of the UPF; Marc Serra , leader of Machine Learning at Adevinta Spain and tutor of industrial engineering PhD students; Lluís Torrens , former director of Social Innovation at Barcelona City Council; and Ramon Balcells , industrial PhD student in an applied research project at the Joan Miró Foundation and the UPF. The session opened with a speech by Montserrat Vendrell , president of the Social Council of the UPF, who stressed the importance of Industrial Doctorates as a tool to consolidate the knowledge transfer bridge between academia and the research ecosystem of Catalonia and the socio-economic sector.
Testimonies on the impact of Industrial Doctorates
The speakers have shared experiences and reflections on the benefits of Industrial Doctorates, both in the academic field and in the business sector. Helena Ramalhinho has highlighted the value of these doctorates for students and for society, stating that industrial PhD students " have the opportunity to see how reality works and to directly help society ". Ramalhinho emphasized that the academic quality is comparable to that of traditional doctorates, with an equivalent level of demand.
Marc Serra, leader of the Machine Learning area at Adevinta Spain and tutor of two Industrial Doctorate projects, has explained how these projects are helping to solve essential challenges in artificial intelligence and digital rights regulation. In the first project, focused on Natural Language Processing (PLN) , a multilingual system is being developed to improve the classification and search of job offers and candidates on InfoJobs, which has a positive impact on linguistic inclusion and improves the user experience. The second project, in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center , analyzes the ethical and legal implications of high-risk artificial intelligence to ensure the protection of fundamental rights against the new European regulations. Serra emphasized that these investigations not only generate innovative knowledge, but also offer direct added value to Adevinta and the users of its platforms.
For his part, Ramon Balcells spoke about his Industrial Doctorate project with the Joan Miró Foundation, in which he is working on an audiovisual device that will document the exhibition history of the Foundation on its 50th anniversary. Balcells has described the project as a "transformative" experience, which combines history and experimental cinema to explore the cultural impact of the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona.
In her closing speech, the rector of the UPF, Laia de Nadal Clanchet , highlighted the Industrial Doctorates as one of the university's most valuable initiatives in the field of knowledge transfer. According to Nadal Clanchet, these PhD students are "one of our puppets", as they represent a way to find real solutions to specific problems and to increase the competitiveness of the territory. With 68 active Industrial Doctorate projects at UPF, out of the 1,036 existing in Catalonia, the university reaffirms its commitment to collaboration with the business and institutional sector to promote research and innovation.
This thematic breakfast has highlighted the essential role of Industrial Doctorates in the panorama of applied research in Catalonia, facilitating the connection between the university and the socio-economic sector. With initiatives like these, the UPF consolidates its commitment to excellence and social impact, offering a unique platform for innovation and the creation of alliances with the aim of building a competitive and sustainable future for the society
