'Ciència i universitat a Catalunya. Projecció de futur' is the title of the book edited by David Bueno, professor of the Genetics Department at the University of Barcelona and co-director of Catalysis collection. The book, published by Publications and Editions of UB in collaboration with the Institute of Catalan Studies (IEC) features the participation of Jesus Purroy, scientific director of the PCB, among other experts. The book will be presented on Monday, February the 11th, at 19 PM in a ceremony at the Prat de la Riba Hall of the IEC, and will feature an open debate with some of the book´s authors.

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The book provides reflections and answers to key questions on the state of research in Catalonia, which are discussed by experts Albert Arbós, dean of the Faculty of Teacher Training (UIC); Pere Arús, scientific director of the Institute of Agricultural Technological Research of Catalonia; Eudald Carbonell, professor at the URV and director of the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution; David de Lorenzo, , director of the Rare Genomics Institute and entrepreneur in nutrigenomics; Roderic Guigó, professor at the UPF and researcher at the Center for Genomic Regulation; David Jou, Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at UAB; Ramón Pascual; Ramon Pascual, a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics at the UAB and at the Alba synchrotron; Josep A. Planell, professor of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering of the UPC; Pere Puigdomènech, director of the Center for Research on Agrigenomics and researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IBMB-CSIC); Diego Redolar, professor at the UOC ; Sergi Sabater, Professor of Ecology at the Institute of Aquatic Ecology (UdG); Eduard Vieta, head of the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Faculty of Medicine of the UB and expert at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; and Jesus Purroy, scientific director of Barcelona Science Park.

According to Professor David Bueno, “following the eleventh of September 2012, the new political scenario that is projected into the future, that of a sovereign Catalonia, regardless of the legal form that it ends up taking, also raises many questions and new challenges for us, members of the scientific community and university. Scientific research and university, basic cornerstones of our society, must be present in the debates, and this is why Publications and Editions of UB have considered it proper to voice out our thoughts in the form of a book.”

Based on the premise that largely research needs public funding and that funding is always limited and less than what researchers would hope for, Jesus Purroy places special emphasis on the fact that the government must establish some kind of priority, and that such priority “should take into account two points in the process: the entry of new researchers in the field of knowledge and the exit of these researchers to society in the form of companies or services.”

According to Purroy the system of technology transfer is the weakest point of the Catalan university model. “In general, we could say that two missions of the university such as teaching and research are fulfilled. Both are improvable, but it is a fact that every year promotions of well-trained students graduate from our universities. Yet, the majority of these students find it very hard to find their place in the production sector. “

As conclusion, the scientific director of the PCB stated that the Catalan university is paying little attention to elements that are hindering its fundamental contributions to the country. “In my opinion, these poorly resolved elements are the “in” and “out” routes of students and professors, particularly in relation to the third mission of the university, and the relationship between the university and the business world as a source of patronage and talent. If our university correctly identifies the challenges to be met, there is no reason to think that it will not find the appropriate solutions. ”

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