The UJI.>LAB project was presented at Espaitec on Wednesday 13 November. The Manager of the General Universitat Jaume I Foundation and head of the project, Juan Antonio Bertolin, was present, along with the technician of the UJI.>LAB Project, Francisco Martínez, and the Chair of the university association Hackerspace, Francisco Sayas.
The presentation of the UJI.>LAB project addressed the whole university community. It attached importance to the work of FabLabs as relevant work spaces of the project because a methodology is followed in these creative spaces that allows the different prototypes proposed mainly by UJI teachers and students to be carried out, which is a shift from theory to practice. Attendees learnt in-depth the areas where action takes place because, through Final Graduation Projects (FGPs) and Final Master Projects (FMPs), multidisciplinary solutions can be created to solve proposed challenges.
The UJI.>LAB project is essentially a creative project that came about to meet the need to design technology-based solutions for the different challenges that society demands. This project is linked with the LivingLab cooperative methodology (Quadruple Helix Framework: Industry, Government, University and Society), which the European Network of LivingLabs (ENOLL) encourages, and which Espaitec has formed part of its Board of Directors since 2011.
The main mission of FabLabs is to convert ideas into real prototypes to be used by society. So they seek tangible solutions that can be carried out in future start-ups. To this end, considerable investment has been made in latest generation machinery like:
- 3D FDM Prusa Printer
- Resina Printer
- Laser cutter
- Graphtec Plotter
- CNC Workstop Miller
- TEC-CAM CNC Desktop Engraver/Miller
This purchase of state-of-the-art machinery was possible thanks to a subsidy from IVACE. The Universitat Jaume I FabLab was created to develop projects and ideas by the university community having free access to equipment.
A major part of the UJI.>LAB project is training, especially in handling and putting machinery to good use. Therefore, different training courses will be given, of which the first programmed course will be in 3D printing machinery. This course will be given, thanks to the disinterested collaboration of the university association Hackerspace. Another relevant point of the UJI.>LAB project is that it will soon have a web platform with a powerful database to create, solve and validate the challenges proposed in FGPs and FMPs by multidisciplinary teams belonging to the university community.
