2024
ANNUAL REPORT

 

 

 

We are an active agent in building a more sustainable, more competitive, and fairer country model.

 
Flecha negra

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

rector

“We must stay connected to the reality around us, working closely with the companies and institutions that drive innovation from within the territory.”

Universities today have a responsibility that goes beyond training professionals and generating knowledge. We are active agents in building a more sustainable, more competitive and fairer model for our country. To achieve this, we must be connected to the reality that surrounds us, collaborating closely with companies and institutions that promote innovation in the territory.

At the UPC, this connection is more than just a priority: it is part of our identity. Technology transfer is not an additional aim but a third university mission that we understand as a tool for transforming our environment. The CIT UPC fully assumes this engagement and acts as a catalyst between the wealth of knowledge generated on our campuses and the demand for innovation from companies, in a continuous, productive dialogue.

In 2024 we strengthened this bond with an initiative that has represented a turning point in our relationship with businesses: the Connèxia programme, a tailored, long-term collaboration model providing continuous support in which we offer talent, education, research and technology transfer, corporate responsibility activities and added-value visibility.

The path towards a more sustainable and knowledge-based model of society requires this complicity between universities and businesses. And it will only be possible thanks to the involvement of our research groups and the trust of our industrial partners.

Thank you for being there and for building, with us, a future with real impact, with innovation.

CIT UPC FOUNDATION

THE UPC AND THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) is a public institution dedicated to research and higher education in the fields of engineering, architecture, sciences, and technology, and it is one of the leading polytechnic universities in Europe.

Since its founding, UPC has been institutionally committed to technology transfer and supporting the creation of companies and patents. CIT UPC is a strategic initiative of the University, aligned with the world’s leading technological universities. UPC’s research model consists of creating technology based on science and offering technological solutions to the productive system based on knowledge.

This sustained commitment explains why UPC is the leading university in Spain for knowledge transfer according to the CYD 2024 Ranking; It is also the top university in Spain and Ibero-America in Engineering and Mathematics, and also leads the national ranking in Architecture, with the 15th position worldwide, according to the SIR 2025. UPC once again leads the national ranking in Engineering and also in Optics, according to the Best Global University Rankings 2024/2025.

CIT UPC OBJECTIVES

The UPC Innovation and Technology Center Foundation (CIT UPC) acts on the research groups and technology transfer centers of UPC. Based on high-quality research, these groups carry out relevant activities in technology transfer with companies, offering technological and innovative solutions based on scientific production and frontier research.

Given this reality, the objective of the CIT UPC Foundation is to contribute to the economic and social development of Catalonia through knowledge transfer, serving as a bridge between global science and the technological needs of companies. Given the available critical mass and the capacity and variety of differential knowledge from UPC’s research groups and centers, we offer solutions to complex technical challenges that require transversal knowledge.

We work to be an essential and leading agent in Southern Europe in research, technology, and knowledge-based transfer—that is, in innovation. We aim to add value and help improve the competitiveness of the companies that trust us. We are committed to the goal of bringing more and better technology to market, to transform knowledge into marketable technologies that generate impact.


 

 

mission

Promote the improvement of business competitiveness through the generation, development, and application in companies of differential technological knowledge generated at UPC’s research and technology transfer centers.
vision

Become an international reference for excellence in research, technology transfer, and innovation in technological areas with impact for companies and economic growth.
Values

Participation and cooperation.
Credibility and trust.
Independence, prestige, and social projection.
Sustainable development.
Commitment to people’s well-being.
Equal opportunities and non-discrimination.

ORGANISATION

Board

CHAIRMAN
Dr Daniel Crespo Artiaga
Rector of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC)

DEPUTY PRESIDENT
Ms Montserrat Guàrdia Güell
Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC)

SECRETARY NONBOARD MEMBER
Ms Anna Serra Hombravella
Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC)

Dr Climent Molins Borrell Vice-rector for Transfer, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UPC
Dr Jordi Llorca Piqué Vice-rector for Research at UPC
Dr Imma Ribas Vila Vice-rector for Quality and Language Policy at UPC
Mr Ivan Planas Miret General Manager at UPC
Dr Josep Lluís Larriba Pey Rector’s Delegate attached to the Vice-rector for Transfer and Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UPC
Mr Carles Sumarroca Claverol Appointed by the Board of Trustees at UPC, board member of COMSA Corporación de Infraestructuras
Mr David Marin Casanovas Member of the Board of Trustees at UPC and CEO of Inaccés
Mr Albert Gallart Pasias General Manager of Grupo Pulso
Mr Xavier Marcet i Gispert President of Lead To Change
Mr Miquel Martí Pérez CEO of Tech Barcelona

KEY FIGURES

2024 figures ON cit UPC’S technology TRANSFER ACTIVITY

0 M€

We have contributed
to contracting

 

 
0

Companies and
entities contacted

0

Executive meetings
with companies and entities

0

Research groups we have worked with

0

Competitive project
proposals submitted

0

Promoted technology
transfer projects

0

Technology conferences organised

0

Trade fairs
and congresses with
specific participation

2024 figures on the research and technology transfer activity of the UPC

0 M€

Income from R+D projects at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC)

0

Agreements and competitive projects

0

Companies and entities with collaboration agreements 

0

Patents filed (2024)

0

New research projects

0

Research groups 

0

Technology-based companies created

0 %

Of teaching and research staff are PhD holders

TECHNOLOGY AREAS

ENVIRONMENT

INFRASTRUCTURES

HEALTH

LOGISTICS AND MOBILITY

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

CHEMISTRY

agrotech

URBANISM AND SUSTAINABILITY

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

TECHNOLOGICAL TOPICS

automoTIVE

BLUE ECONOMY

internet of things

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

mobile technologies

cYberseCURITY

biomaterials

FRONTIER MATERIALS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

VIRTUAL REALITY
AND AUGMENTED REALITY

serious games

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

smart city

INDUSTRY 4.0

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACTIVITIES

HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS 

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COMMUNICATION

Newsletter

We publish a bulletin of monthly news in three languages.

Blog

We publish a technology blog to share experiences and provide information on knowledge, technology and innovation. The blog is open to participation and aims to bring companies and the University into contact.

CATalogs

New catalogs published in 2024.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

We reach a community of over 7.153 users across all our networks.
In 2024, we have grown by 353 followers.

PARTICIPATION IN NETWORKS

Organisations

Clusters

Technical coordination of

We are part of

We are partners of the following events

Technology made real

www.cit.upc.edu

UPC Technology Center (CIT UPC)
Edifici Omega (planta 0) , C/ de Jordi Girona, 1-3. 08034 Barcelona | Telèfon: +34 93 405 44 03 | www.cit.upc.edu | info.cit@upc.edu