On Monday 16 October, the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG) commemorated its fortieth anniversary as a centre for knowledge transfer and innovation at the University of Barcelona, at an event in the Paranymph Hall of the Historic Building. The event, chaired by the rector Joan Guàrdia, served to reflect on the challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration, and highlight the importance of research reaching society as an engine of economic and social progress.

The Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG) is a pioneering transfer office in the Spanish university system. Since its creation in 1983, it has been a benchmark in the collaboration between the academic world, companies and public institutions, promoting knowledge transfer and innovation as vehicles for economic and social development.
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During the ceremony, the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, stressed that the FBG is “a fundamental axis” of the history of the University and “the best platform to face the challenges and objectives of the future”. “If we did not have the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, we would have to invent it as a matter of urgency”, he said.

Guardia also stressed the importance of transferring the knowledge generated at the university. “The cultural change can no longer be reversed and all researchers know that it is necessary to transfer. It is now impossible for any department at the University of Barcelona to contemplate the transfer and applicability of research”.

On the other hand, M. Teresa Plo, manager of the FBG, reviewed the forty years of history of the organization and highlighted the most significant changes that allowed it to evolve and consolidate itself as “a reference in the collaboration between the University and the business community”.

Plo also wanted to thank everyone who has worked at the Foundation for their “commitment, their professionalism and their involvement in seeking solutions to situations that seemed impossible”. And she encouraged the current team to continue developing “the important task of making the knowledge generated at the heart of the University available to society”.

For his part, Joan Corominas, president of the Board of Trustees of the UB, stressed that “the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation has opened ways for research to find practical application in society”. Its contribution has fostered new innovative companies and has given value to the knowledge generated at the University,” he said. We celebrate these forty years of achievements as the will to continue to lead in research and innovation. We look back with gratitude, and we look forward with the conviction and resolve of our service to the country”.

The event also included a round table discussion to look to the future and reflect on the challenges and opportunities that transfer and innovation at the University will have to face in the coming years.

The roundtable included the participation of Mercè Segarra, vice-rector and professor of the Faculty of Chemistry, and Anicet Blanch, professor at the Faculty of Biology and cofounder of Bluephage, and Verónica Violant, lecturer at the Faculty of Education.

40 years promoting the knowledge transfer and innovation at the UB

The Bosch i Gimpera Foundation works to transfer the research results generated at the University to society, either through contract research, the creation of spin-off companies or the commercialization of technologies, materials and licences. Its commitment to the promotion of research and technology transfer has contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of the territory.

Photo | Fundació Bosch i Gimpera.

As part of its fortieth anniversary, the FBG reaffirms its commitment to continue promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge transfer, seeking to build a future in which innovation and research remain key drivers for social and economic progress.