
More than 40 companies from various sectors participated last Friday, May 23, in an information session dedicated to the Industrial Doctorate Plan, an initiative organized by the Directorate General of Industry - ACCIÓ with the aim of promoting the incorporation of research talent and promoting R&D&I projects through collaboration between companies and universities.
The conference was opened by Roger Costa from Strategic Projects of the General Directorate of Industry, Mireia Llovet (Senior Consultant in the Mobility Industry at ACCIÓ) and Albert Ballbé (Project Coordination of the General Directorate of Industry. In his speech, Ballbé highlighted that “ universities and research centers offer collaborative solutions to meet new training, skills and social challenges needs ”.
Then, Jordi Alba, technical director and coordinator of the Industrial Doctorate Plan at the Department of Research and Universities, explained how the program works, which this 2025 reaches a new call with a global allocation of nearly 6 million euros: “ The industrial doctorate is a strategic research project led by a company and developed jointly with a university or research center. This project becomes a doctoral thesis, and the doctoral student receives high-level training in a dual environment, combining the academic and business worlds. ” Alba detailed the two types of participation (co-financing and specific grants) and noted that the Department offers personalized advice throughout the process: from the definition of the project to the presentation of the application.
The results of the 2024 call confirm the growing interest of the productive fabric: 196 proposals were submitted, of which 149 were awarded. Of these, 106 correspond to the co-financing modality and 43 to the specific aid modality.
During the session, successful experiences were also shared with representatives of companies that have participated in the program. Jordi Pujol Parals, R&D Manager of GasN2, emphasized that “ industrial doctorates allow access to university, filter and grow talent within the company, and facilitate contact with services and research teams. It is an opportunity that must be taken advantage of much more” .
For his part, José Alberto Sáez Zamora, R&D Manager at INTERA, highlighted the importance of the program to incorporate high-level talent and obtain results in the medium term: “ The link with the university allows you to identify strategic profiles and incorporate them efficiently .”
The session concluded with an open question and answer session and a networking coffee space, in which companies and representatives from the academic world were able to explore synergies and possible collaborations.
With the 2025 call already underway, the Industrial Doctorate Plan is consolidated as one of the main public policies to promote applied research, business innovation and the recruitment of research talent in Catalonia.