Industrial doctorates: turning ideas into real innovations
Industrial doctorates are one of the most effective ways of establishing collaboration between the university and the business world. Since the beginning of this programme, promoted by the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the UAB has carried out 205 projects that have led to technological breakthroughs and innovations of great impact, making it the third university in terms of the number of industrial doctorates.
An industrial doctorate is a research project developed in collaboration between a company and a university or research centre. The aim is to solve real challenges posed by the company through research at a high academic level leading to a doctoral thesis. The PhD student acts as a link between the company and the academic world, combining scientific rigour with practical applicability.
For companies, this collaboration is an opportunity to gain access to highly qualified talent and advanced scientific equipment and infrastructure, which can increase their competitiveness through innovation. For doctoral students, this type of doctorate allows them to participate in an R&D&I project with practical applications, which significantly increases the value of their CV as they are recruited by a company committed to innovation and research.
Below, we present some ongoing projects that demonstrate that industrial doctorates are a powerful tool for transforming research into real innovation.
Occupational safety in the face of emerging systemic risks
TÜV Rheinland Ibérica and UAB are carrying out a pioneering industrial PhD project focusing on the preventive management of so-called systemic risks, i.e. emerging and non-traditional hazards that are increasingly affecting occupational safety on a global scale. The main objective of this project, entitled "Preventive management of systemic occupational risks in inspection and certification bodies", is to research and develop new preventive strategies for threats such as climate change, pandemics or extreme meteorological phenomena.
Progress in building the first commercial quantum computer
Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, the pioneering quantum computing start-up in Europe, is working to democratise access to this revolutionary technology. The company has developed nine industrial PhD research projects and is currently running the industrial PhD project "Superconducting Flux Qubit Circuits for Quantum Annealing" with UAB to have its own infrastructure in quantum computing. Specifically, the project will study different flux qubit designs to improve their quality in order to build a coherent quantum computer.
Innovation in sustainable sunscreens
In a context of profound changes in the cosmetics sector, the company Roka Furadada, in collaboration with the CatSyNanoMat research group of the Department of Chemistry of UAB, is promoting the project "Functionalisation and microencapsulation of cosmetic ingredients for safe and non-ecotoxic cosmetics". The aim is to develop microencapsulated solar actives that minimise environmental impact and guarantee safety for both humans and ecosystems. This new technology aims to overcome the limitations of conventional sunscreens, which are often associated with problems of bioaccumulation and degradation in the marine environment.
Sustainable production of biopesticides from bio-waste
Aeris Tecnolgias Ambientales and UAB are leading an innovative industrial PhD focused on the production of biopesticides and biostimulants from agro-food biowastes by solid state fermentation.
This project responds to the need to promote sustainable water and waste management in the Mediterranean region, especially in the agri-food sector. Solid-state fermentation, an emerging technology that allows biotransformation without free water, is proposed as a key tool to exploit wastes such as disposable food (FORM) in combination with digestate from anaerobic digestion. The aim of the research is to establish the optimal production conditions to obtain bioproducts in a stable, autonomous and economic manner.
Towards an inclusive representation of disability in public media
In collaboration with the ONCE Foundation, the UAB analyses the representation of people with disabilities in the main public media in Spain: RTVE, CCMA and EITB.
The aim is to evaluate how these media, in the exercise of their public service mission, integrate functional diversity in their content and management structures. The project will use a qualitative methodology, including documentary analysis, in-depth interviews and content analysis, to identify possible enabling stereotypes and propose specific improvements. The results will be useful for media, regulators and civil society organisations as they will contribute to a more inclusive and less stereotypical representation of people with disabilities.
