During the rePCV’s annual meeting, its directors and representatives chose Juan Antonio Bertolín as President, who is the Director of Espaitec, to replace David Cabedo, the present Vice-Rector of Innovation, Transfer and Scientific Diffusion of the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón
On 13 July, the annual meeting of the Network of Valencian Science Parks (rePCV) was held at the Espaitec installations. Directors and representatives of the five Science Parks linked with Valencian public universities (Espaitec, the Science and Technology Park of the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, the Science Park of the Universitat de València, the Polytechnic City of Innovation of the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Science Park of the Universidad de Alicante, the Science Park of the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche) met in the city of Castellón to select a new president, to present its 2021 Accounts, to deal with the situation of the activities performed by different Management Committees and to reflect on the projects expected to be undertaken next year.
During the meeting, some changes in rePCV’s organisational structure were decided with its Board of Directors being renewed, who presidency remains for the second year running at the Universitat Jaume I’s science park. Its president will now be Juan Antonio Bertolín, Manager of the General Universitat Jaume I Foundation and the Director of Espaitec, for 2022-2023, who substitutes David Cabedo, the present Vice-Rector of Innovation, Transfer and Scientific Diffusion of the Universitat Jaume I. Juan José Borrás, the Director of the Science Park of the Universitat de València continues as Vice-President; the Secretary will continue to be Tonia Salinas, who is the Director and Manager of the Science Park of the Universidad Miguel Hernández. rePCV’s Board of Directors was completed with the following members: Juan Vicente Capella, the Director and Manager of the Polytechnic City of Innovation, the Science Park of the Universitat Politècnica de València; Esteban Pelayo, the Director of the Science Park of the Universidad de Alicante.
During this annual meeting, and as a result of the visit made by the Autonomous Secretary of Universities, Carmen Beviá, to all the parks that form part of rePCV, new projects were also debated, which will be presented by the Managing Committees during future meetings, and always in line with an approach that revitalises, promotes and diffuses the innovation generated in the corresponding innovative ecosystems. The convergence of the projects performed with support from the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI) is also highlighted, such as Innotransfer, a crucial initiative to empower the relationship between the business sector and knowledge-generating institutions, particularly universities, and to improve firms’ competitiveness in today’s socio-economic situation, if at all possible.
rePCV with Inndromeda and OSCIV
It is noteworthy that each park has set up different projects in their respective territories to facilitate the inclusion of innovation in products and services in the Valencian business ecosystem, which results in the georeference of the Valencian region, as opposed to other regions, in R&D&I aspects. One such example is the incorporation into the Network of Valencian Science Parks (rePCV) of Inndromeda, the alliance between competences centres and the business fabric in which the following participate: Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV), the centres belonging to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in the Valencian Community, the Network of Technology Institutes of the Valencian Community (REDIT) and its 11 associated centres, universities and the Generalitat Valenciana.
This encounter concluded with the presentation of the Observatory of Industrial Symbiosis of the Valencian Community (OSICV). This project is driven by the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) to promote and develop industrial symbiosis solutions among Valencian businesses, and rePCV has been recently included. This initiative was presented by the person in charge of IVACE’s External Relations, Jordi Sebastià.
The rePCV ecosystem
The Network of Valencian Science Parks (rePCV) groups the five Valencian Science Parks that correspond to Valencian public universities: Espaitec, the Science and Technology Park of the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, the Science Park of the Universitat de València, the Polytechnic City of Innovation of the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Science Park of the Universidad de Alicante and the Universitas Foundation of Miguel Hernández de Elche. Together they form an ecosystem with more than 250 firms physically based at or virtually linked with the five Valencian Science Parks, characterised by being knowledge-based and for their commitment to university research.
rePCV intends to act as an instrument to encourage the competitiveness of firms and institutions that produce knowledge that are physically based at or virtually linked with these Science Parks by promoting the diversification and growth of a new quality business and industrial fabric, and being distinguished and committed to social responsibility policies. And all this by means of the five parks that form rePCV constantly collaborating to increase the region’s wealth and to promote the innovation culture.
