On 21, 22 and 23 June, the Annual Conference of the University Network will be held in Barcelona. Entitled "Giving value to research", this conference provides a meeting point for professionals working in Knowledge and Technology Transfer Centres of universities in Spain. Coordinated by the Innovation Centre of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, the Transfer Centre for the Universitat de Barcelona, this event seeks to analyse the new models for the management of cooperation and technology transfer, particularly those that directly affect the university-enterprise relation.

The conference, which will be held in the CosmoCaixa Centre, will kick off on Thursday 22 June in an act involving the rector of the UB, Màrius Rubiralta; the president of the R+D Sector Committee of CRUE, Francisco Tomás; the director general of Research of the Dept. of Education and Universities, Xavier Testar; and the director general of Caixaholding, Marcelino Armenter. The opening act will be followed by the first session of the programme, which will address innovation as the driving force behind development. Beginning at 10 h, this session will include a number of presentations that will focus on the relation between the university and the socio-economic setting, in addition to a round table on the technology transfer policy in Catalonia. Chaired by the director of the Innovation Centre (FBG-UB), Carme Verdaguer, this debate will include the participation of the director general of Research of the Dept. of Education and Universities, Xavier Testar; CIDEM’s director of Transfer, Sergi Mesquida; and the director of the Knowledge Transfer Consortium, Jordi Rojas.

In the afternoon, the second session will focus on the present status of knowledge transfer and its role in the future. This session will be organized as a round table and will involve the director general of Science and Technology Promotion of the University System of Gallicia, Rogelio Conde-Pumpido; the deputy director of the Parc Científic de Barcelona, Montserrat Vendrell; the director of the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office at the University of Valencia, Ana Cortés; the director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, Mateo Valero; and the director of the Dept. of Strategic Consultancy, Financing and Innovation of the PIMEC, Fran de la Torre, among others.

A third session called “Knowledge Transfer Report and Studies” will be held on Friday 23 June. This will include contributions by the Executive Secretary of the R+D Sector Committee of CRUE, Rafael Payá; the director of the Knowledge and Development Foundation, Martí Perellada; and the secretary of the Triptólemos Foundation, Ramon Clotet. This session will be chaired by the director of the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office of the University of Castilla la Mancha, Luis A. Martínez.

Furthermore, the conference on Friday will include a workshop which will address the new features of the European Union’s VIIth Framework Programme, particularly management and financing; the establishment of knowledge–based enterprises; the protection and exploitation of results; increasing internal productivity, and the management of the internal customer.