On 3 March the UAB took part in several activities held at the 4 Years From Now (4YFN) event as a member of the Barcelona Knowledge Alliance (BKA). At the event, Rector Javier Lafuente and other representatives of the UAB community participated in debates and presentations that highlighted the role of university research in generating innovation, creating knowledge-bassed companies, and developing solutions that benefit society and the economy.
The activities formed part of the University & Spin-Offs track of the BKA, an alliance made up of the UAB, the University of Barcelona (UB), the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), which drives the international projection of the innovative and entrepreneurial potential of public universities.
The rectors of the BKA universities participated in the session "Barcelona's University Ecosystem: Where Academic Excellence Meets Startup Ambition", held at the Agora Stage and moderated by journalist Aurora Masip. Javier Lafuente (UAB), Joan Guàrdia (UB), Francesc Torres (UPC) and Laia de Nadal (UPF) reflected on the role of public universities in connecting cutting-edge research with the entrepreneurial ecosystem and challenges of the new economy.
Rector Lafuente focused his intervention on the role of universities in developing talent and promoting an entrepreneurial mindset among students. In this regard, he highlighted that the university must go beyond the creation of new spin-off companies and integrate entrepreneurial skills into all areas of university education. "Our role is not just to create start-ups, but also to instil initiative and leadership in undergraduate courses, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and empower students as agents of change in any sector so they can tackle the challenges of the new economy", he emphasised.
In the session, the rectors also agreed in pointing out that cooperation between these four universities through the BKA allows for greater critical mass in research, talent and infrastructure, reinforces Barcelona's international visibility as an innovation hub, and facilitates further collaborations with companies, investors and institutions of the tech ecosystem.
The event also included the panel discussion "The Sovereignty Frontier: Scaling Europe's Strategic Tech", featuring Ángeles Vázquez Castro, lecturer at the UAB and researcher at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), who reflected on the challenges and opportunities of turning scientific research into scalable technological projects. The session addressed how deep-tech emerging from university laboratories can evolve into initiatives with a real impact on the market and society, and the need to strengthen transfer mechanisms to facilitate this process.
There were also start-up pitching sessions, in which several start-ups from the BKA's universities presented their projects to investors, companies and stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem. In the case of the UAB, the start-ups Distinkt, BioEclosion and OPTICmizing took part, presenting their technological solutions and potential applications of the research developed at university.
The day's programme was rounded off with a networking session, which facilitated connections between representatives from academia, entrepreneurs, investors and other key players in Barcelona's innovation ecosystem.
The UAB also demostrated its innovative capacity with a stand at the 4YFN to showcase the spin-offs and entrepreneurial projects of its researchers, students and alumni.
