December tends to be a month for taking stock. It is a good time for looking back, seeing how far we have come, gathering momentum and getting ready to make more progress in the new year ahead.
The current economic situation is not easy for anyone; we need to be highly dedicated to what we believe in. Success requires tenacity, perseverance, hard work and creativity. For CIT UPC, 2013 was a good year and we consider that our results are positive in many areas.
CIT UPC Member Centers have generated numerous useful technological developments. For example, in the biohealth sector they include an electroporation system for cell cultures, biofeedback for pelvic floor rehabilitation and a new technique for colon sutures.
We have provided companies with new technology, including a management system for large volumes of data to detect potential threats in organizations, a device for detecting pollutants in soils, equipment for modeling landslides, and a smart sensor for detecting faults in industrial machinery.
We end 2013 with a considerable number of projects in which we have found solutions to companies’ technology and innovation challenges. For example, we have improved pump turbines for the German company Voith Hydro GmbH & Co, developed a prototype for a self-diagnosis system for patients with kidney stones for Devicare and created high-performance, semi-active suspension for lorries for the company Gutmar.
We have taken part in trade fairs and conferences, including the Mobile World Congress, the BIO International Convention, the European Data Forum, the Eight MIT Conference and the Smart City Expo. We attended these events to present the potential of CIT UPC Member Centers to companies and organizations. In all the activities we have organized and all those in which we have participated, we have tried to provide systematic information about our knowledge, results and available technology for those who see innovation as an opportunity to improve and grow.
It has been an intensive twelve months, in which we have also participated in more institutional activities, such as the technical coordination of the SEAT-UPC Chair and the foundation of the Manel Xifra Boada Chair. These activities help the University to establish long-term business-university cooperation involving exchange, collaboration and mutual benefits.
We have also worked at international level, participating in the activities of the Centro European Foundation Centre, the ASTP and EARTO, and adhering to the European Charter for Researchers, as a clear demonstration of our commitment to research and development.
We have now ended the year and are looking to 2014, in which we will celebrate our third anniversary with more projects, open to new collaborations, and with the same objective as that defined in 2010: to bring the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya’s research capabilities to companies.
We will devote the knowledge, resources and enthusiasm of over 400 professionals to achieving this aim.
Technology made real
Happy New Year!