On the morning of Wednesday, June 10, the Innovation and Technology Conference: I Virtual Meeting organized by Espaitec, Scientific and Technological Park of the Universitat Jaume I. The opening of the day was attended by Jesus Lancis, vice-rector of Research and Transfer of the UJI, Ismael Rodrigo, director of the Office of Cooperation in Research and Technological Development (OCIT), together with Juan Antonio Bertolín, director of Espaitec.

At the opening ceremony, attendees were able to learn about success stories that emerged from the synergies between UJI companies and research groups, thanks to the intervention of Vicente Sanz, researcher of Ceramic Technology Institute y Javier Muñoz, Purchasing and Development Manager at the Vinacoran company Lamidecor.

Espaitec companies have been able to hold bilateral meetings with research groups from the Universitat Jaume I, with the objectives of generating joint collaborations that lead to innovative and technological solutions, responding to the challenges posed by the current situation we are experiencing.

Participants in the I Virtual Meeting

The Espaitec companies participated in the event: 4TIC, CURRENTMED, FOODRATION4ALL, CIDET, I-CARE, INNOVA MACHINERY, NAYAR SYSTEMS, PRADES EARTH MOVEMENT, SEMANTICBOTS y THE LOGIC VALUE. Companies that develop their innovative activity in different areas of action: blockchain, e-learning, social impact, health sciences, industry 4.0, chatbots and nanotechnology. And with whom the project technicians had previously met to learn more about their activity, the services they provide, the products they offer, as well as the challenges that the sector poses at work in order to locate the research groups that can provide response to your concerns.

As for the UJI research groups, the groups from IMK – Innovation in Marketing, IDOCE – Innovation, Development and Evaluation of Competencies in Education, SOCIAL INNOVA – Social Innovation and Human Development / IIDL, GIANT – Research Group participated in the conference. On Machine Learning For Smart Enviroments, GROC – UJI Grup de Recerca d'Òptica, FYS – Photochemistry and Sensors, GEOTEC – Geospatial Technologies Research Group, FACES – Finance, Accounting and Economics Social Dimensions, IRIS – Integration and Reengineering of Systems, TECASOS – Technology, Quality and Sustainability in Construction, Environmental and Occupational Risks, Polymers and Advanced Materials and INIT – Institute of New Image Technologies.

It should be noted that this format was already used last year, although in person in the sessions held in the towns of Sagunto and Vinaròs, municipalities in which the UJI has headquarters and in which the transfer sessions achieved significant success by More than 50 meetings will be held between companies and UJI research groups. The current situation derived from the pandemic has forced the format to be redesigned so that the day was in virtual format.

A design of the day that has allowed the 10 companies participating in this edition, as well as the 12 groups of research groups and the attending technicians, to meet in an opening event located in a main room and then divided into different breakup sessions , in which groups and companies were able to discuss matters of interest in a personalized way.

A virtual format of bilateral meetings, which in addition to allowing technicians to continue working with the project despite the difficulties, has served to test this modality and in the event that social isolation measures are prolonged over time, it could be applied also in the conferences that are planned to be organized for the second consecutive year with the companies of Sagunto and Vinaròs.

The Innovation and Technology Conference: I Virtual Meeting is framed within the Knowledge Transfer Antennas Project, which this year has financing from the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI).