The report on Catalan public universities research and innovation indicators is presented
Catalan public universities have develop a strong R+D System, a leading one in the Spanish university System and, if results are taken into account, similar to the most Advanced countries in the European Union one. Moreover, together with university hospitals and research institutes, Catalan universities make up a worldwide impact research System. These are some of the conclusions reached by the report Research and innovation indicators of Catalan public universities, developed by the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP). The report has been presented today, Monday 17th December, in the Ramón y Cajal room of the Historic Building of the UB, in an event chaired by Dr Dídac Ramírez, rector of the UB; rector Francesc Xavier Grau, rector of the Rovira i Virgili University and president of ACUP; and Dr Lluís Jofre i Roca, director general of Universities of the Government of Catalonia.
Catalan public universities have develop a strong R+D System, a leading one in the Spanish university System and, if results are taken into account, similar to the most Advanced countries in the European Union one. Moreover, together with university hospitals and research institutes, Catalan universities make up a worldwide impact research System. These are some of the conclusions reached by the report Research and innovation indicators of Catalan public universities, developed by the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP). The report has been presented today, Monday 17th December, in the Ramón y Cajal room of the Historic Building of the UB, in an event chaired by Dr Dídac Ramírez, rector of the UB; rector Francesc Xavier Grau, rector of the Rovira i Virgili University and president of ACUP; and Dr Lluís Jofre i Roca, director general of Universities of the Government of Catalonia.
According to the document, the Catalan university System is mature and excellent enough to get resources and generate knowledge in an efficient and effective way; it is based in high productivity and quality of the people who devote themselves to research. Furthermore, it evidences a System in tension which can no longer maintain its levels of resources used and results obtained, a System that can suffer a recession due to the economic crisis. Therefore, the challenges are, on one hand, to maintain those levels and, if possible, improve them getting European resources, and on the other hand, to strengthen innovation taking as a departure point the generated knowledge what demands a stronger connection between generators and seekers of knowledge, between university and business, as well as a promotion of entrepreneurship.
Economic resources for research and innovation
The report shows that 64 % of the funds obtained by universities in 2010 addressed to research came from the participation in competitive public or private announcements. This proves the ability of the Catalan public university system to get important resources from announcements in which indicators of excellence are primarily assessed. The amount of Money collected by university teaching and research staff to research is high, an average of 46,580 euros per researcher. The total amount of resources, competitive and non-competitive, obtained by Catalan public universities in 2012 is 346 million euros, what represents 20 % of the budget of all universities.
In competitive funds, European fundraising can be highlighted, as in 2010 it represented 22 % of the total; the remaining 78 % came from Central and Catalan Government announcements. Catalan universities, during the four first years of the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union, have obtained resources valued in 168 million euros. The quality of scientific production of all public universities is higher than the world average, and Catalan universities are in the first positions of the raking of Spanish universities.
Innovation and cooperation university-business
During last years, the boost to knowledge transfer has become one of the priorities of universities as they are committed with socioeconomic development. Several instruments to collaborate with the economic and industrial sector have been set in motion to contribute to this transfer. The report shows that, last years, about seventy patents have been applied every year by Catalan universities. From 2007 to 2011, it represents 14 % of the patents obtained by Spanish universities, 34 % of the European ones (EPO), and 16 % of worldwide ones (PCT); these data proves their quality.
A second instrument fostered by Catalan universities has been the creation of technology-based enterprises (132 were working in 2012). As a whole, Catalan universities generated, in 2011, 21 % of the incomes for transfer activities of all Spanish universities. A third instrument is the development of collaborative infrastructures university-business which promote an innovation-based knowledge generation, for example scientific and technological Parks. In Catalonia there are 24 parks, many of them fostered by Catalan universities.
According to the report, during the past years Catalonia has placed his university System on world excellence research standards, which must be guaranteed and improved. And this scientific quality is exactly the best mainstay in order to develop a new model based on a close relationship among enterprises, institutions and universities to foster the necessary way towards a knowledge society and economy.