RDI Report 2006 - 2013
Presentation
At the end of the period 2006-2013, the URV is well positioned internationally in terms of research, development and innovation. Thanks to the competitiveness of its staff it has obtained good results in both the quantity and the quality of its publications and it has been classified by one of the most prestigious world rankings as one of the top 400 universities in 2013. In this period the number of doctoral theses – the key factor in the generation of knowledge – increased and more than a third were produced by foreign students.
Knowledge transfer can also be seen to have increased in the number of patent applications and the creation of companies. As far as attracting resources is concerned, in 2012 the URV was above the average of the Catalan university system. Nevertheless, in the framework of the crisis, the reduction in resources has been highly significant, particularly in government funding. It should be pointed out that in 2012 and 2013, the competitive resources provided by the European Union were the leading source of finance.
These internal dynamics have been accompanied by the dynamics of the Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia, which has reinforced the links with other knowledge-generating agents, the business network and the public administration of the state and the autonomous community. Thus, all the elements have been activated that are necessary to put into practice a regional strategy of smart specialisation, aligned with the 2020 policy of the European Union. Therefore, the current circumstances are ideal to set up a coordinated system of regional innovation that will become the core instrument for consolidating a regional socio-economic model based on knowledge and innovation.
The impact of the URV today is the result of the knowledge generated by its staff, and is the basis for overcoming social and economic difficulties, and facilitating progress towards a more just, balanced, inclusive and sustainable society.
Francesc Xavier Grau, rector of the URV
