The conference "A bridge between the university and society" brought together companies, industrial researchers and institutions from Lleida to strengthen public-private collaboration in applied research
The Board Room of the Rectorate of the University of Lleida (UdL) hosted yesterday, June 2, 2026, the Industrial Doctorate Conference: “A bridge between the university and society”. The event, jointly organized by the UdL and the Industrial Doctorate Plan of the Generalitat de Catalunya, brought together companies, industrial researchers, thesis directors and institutional representatives of the territory with a clear objective: to publicize the program among the socio-economic fabric of Lleida and consolidate the link between the university and the companies and institutions of the regions of Lleida. The welcome was given by Javier Selva Sánchez, general director of technological innovation and scientific internationalization of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Eva Martín Fuentes, vice-rector for Transfer and Territory of the UdL.
Dismantling prejudices, consolidating results
The central intervention was given by Jordi Alba Granados, technical director of the Industrial Doctorate Plan, under the title “Connecting successfully with the socio-economic fabric and promoting knowledge transfer”. Alba opened the exhibition by putting on the table the misconceptions that often distance companies and institutions from the program: the belief that it is an instrument reserved for academic careers, that it generates publications without practical return, that it is economically unaffordable, or that it is aimed exclusively at large companies in the technology sector. In the face of these prejudices, the technical director contrasted a decade of results: the industrial doctorate is a high-value asset that incorporates specialized knowledge and skills applied to any organization, regardless of its size, sector or legal nature.
To contextualize the scope of the model, our technical director presented the cumulative figures for the period 2012–2025 at the Catalan level: 1,317 projects, 170 million euros of total investment in collaborative R&D, 812 companies and institutions, and 541 theses defended. 52% of the participating organizations throughout Catalonia are SMEs, and 64% of the annual participants in the call are new additions, which highlights the program’s capacity to continue expanding its business base. Regarding co-financing, public funding covers approximately 26% of the labor cost of hiring for three years, which can be supplemented with Social Security bonuses and tax incentives for R&D&I activities.
The evaluation of the projects from the 2013–2018 period supports the return on investment: 75% of industrial doctors remain linked to the same company or institution once the project has ended, 66% improve working conditions, and 25% of the projects result in the protection of results via patents or other forms of industrial property.
"The industrial doctorate has undoubted added value for companies. In our case, it has allowed us to complete a patent on which we had been working for years and win several public tenders, directly or indirectly"
The UdL: 56 projects, 42 companies and a growing presence
In terms of territory, Alba highlighted that the UdL has accumulated 56 projects since the launch of the program —4% of the Catalan total—, with 23 defended theses and 42 participating companies and institutions, 52% of which are SMEs. The predominant areas in Lleida are life sciences and health (43%) and ICT (30%), a profile that directly responds to the strengths of the productive and research fabric of the region. Alba pointed out that the margin for growth is significant: the percentage of UdL projects with respect to the total of Catalonia coincides with the weight of the university in the Catalan doctoral system, but the potential for incorporating new Lleida companies into the program remains high.
The panel of successful experiences, moderated by Romi Pena Subirà, director of the UdL Doctoral School, gave a voice to the protagonists of the program in the regions of Lleida. Josep Anton Farré Cabanillas, technical director of URD Group and industrial doctor, concretely explained the return obtained: ” The industrial doctorate has an undoubted added value for companies. In our case, it has allowed us to complete a patent on which we had been working for years and win several public tenders, directly or indirectly .” Marta Corral Pujol, scientific director and co-founder of NEMA Health (a spin-off of the UdL), highlighted the figure of the industrial doctorate as a mechanism for effective technology transfer: the possibility of dedicating a researcher, with co-financing from the Generalitat de Catalunya, to accelerating the time-to-market of research generated at the university and turning it into a tangible business asset.
The day was completed with the interventions of Ramon Boixadera Vinós, from the Economic Promotion Board of the Provincial Council of Lleida, on the applicability of the projects to the territory’s agenda, and Leticia Carro de Diego, head of Research and Transfer at the UdL, who detailed the university’s academic support model for the participating teams.
