Chairs and minor chairs, a successful model for the promotion of research and teaching for society’s best interest
The rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia, described the event as “a recognition of institutional and academic trust between the University and the promoting entities, an intangible good that is of enormous value to us”. “As a university, we want to weave ecosystems that make it possible to change the lives of the people we address, and you also play a large part in that goal”, he said, referring to the patron entities.
La vicerectora d’Emprenedoria, Innovació i Transferència de la UB, Mercè Segarra, va repassar durant el discurs les principals xifres assolides durant els darrers anys. Va destacar l’augment de les onze càtedres del 2018 fins a les setanta-dues actuals, i va subratllar que aquest últim any s’han creat tretze càtedres i quatre aules noves. Segarra també es va congratular de la consolidació d’aquesta manera de col·laboració en l’àmbit de les ciències socials i humanitats i va assenyalar com a casos d’èxit la Blue Careers Day —la fira d’ocupació que connecta estudiants i joves professionals amb empreses líders de l’economia blava sostenible—, el premi ASIRE concedit a la Càtedra UB Edu1st de Neuroeducació o la publicació del llibre Comunicación tributaria clara. Una aproximación interdisciplinaria, en el marc de la Càtedra UB DIBA de Comunicació Clara Aplicada a les Administracions Públiques.
In her speech, the vice-rector for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transfer at the UB, Mercè Segarra, reviewed the main figures achieved in recent years. She highlighted the increase from 11 chairs in 2018 to the current 72, and stressed that 13 new chairs and four new classrooms have been created in the last year.Segarra also mentioned the consolidation of this type of collaboration in the field of social sciences and humanities and listed as success stories the Blue Careers Day — the employability fair that connects students and young professionals with leading companies in the sustainable blue economy —, the ASIRE award for the publication of the UB-Edu1st Chair on Neuroeducation and the publication of the book Comunicación tributaria clara. Una aproximación interdisciplinaria, under the UB-DIBA Chair on Clear Communication in Public Administrations.
Marina Romeo, lecturer at the UB’s Faculty of Psychology and director of the UB Chair-Cassià Just Foundation - Cuina Justa on Integration of People with Disabilities and the UB Minor Chair on Professional Integration of People with Disabilities, represented the UB’s research and teaching staff. Romeo stressed that the chairs “are spaces for collaboration to respond to global challenges that have a direct impact on the evolution of health sciences, humanities and education, among other areas”.
The lecturer stressed that these are key instruments to “guarantee excellent training for students, as they have a unique opportunity to interact with professionals in the sector and prepare them for the labour market”. Finally, she thanked the patron organizations for their support and gave as an example of the success of this form of collaboration the fact that 54% of the students of her chair, which aims to promote the professional development of people with disabilities, have found a job.Antoni Esteve, founder and director of AdSalutem Institut del Son, spoke on behalf of the collaborating entities. Esteve pointed out that collaboration with academic institutions such as the UB is key to achieving common goals, in this case training, research and transfer to gain a deeper understanding of sleep disorders. “To accelerate, we need an intelligent collaborative model that allows us to move forward and accompany us on the road to improving the lives of patients”, said Esteve. Finally, he called for “strengthening the magic triangle formed by academia, research and health”.
The president of the UB’s Board of Trustees, Joan Corominas, described the chairs as an example of a “fruitful collaboration between university and society, with a clear social and cultural vocation for society as a whole”. Corominas put the UB’s income from university chairs and minor chairs at 2.5 million euros, “a form of collaboration that should be given more incentive with a new law on sponsorship”. The president of the Board of Trustees closed his speech by highlighting the current relevance of micro-credentials, “programmes with a professional focus to improve and update knowledge and skills to respond to the needs of the labour market”.
The Rector presented diplomas of recognition to the patron entities that have created chairs in collaboration with the UB for the years 2024 and 2025. Two hundred people attended the event, including chair directors and business representative
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