TRANSFER PARTNER: BlueNetCat

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) / BlueNetCat – The catalan network for technology transfer and Innovation in blue economy

Name of the organization: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) / BlueNetCat – The catalan network for technology transfer and Innovation in blue economy

Address: Carrer de Jordi Girona, 31, 08034, Barcelona (Spain)

Main contact for 2B-BLUE: Pablo Bou Mira
Email: pablo.bou@upc.edu

Website and other relevant links: www.bluenetcat.eu

Description of the organization

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) is a public university founded in 1971 and specialised in engineering, architecture, science and technology. With around 31,000 undergraduate and master’s students, 2,300 PhD students, 3,700 teaching and research staff and 141 research groups across 18 schools, it is one of the leading technical universities in Southern Europe and a founding member of Unite!, the European University alliance for innovation, technology and engineering. UPC hosts a strong marine and maritime research base — including the Barcelona School of Nautical Studies, the Maritime Engineering Laboratory (LIM), the SARTI marine-technology group and the OBSEA cabled underwater observatory at its Vilanova i la Geltrú campus — and is the host institution of BlueNetCat, the Catalan Network for Technology Transfer and Innovation in Blue Economy.

BlueNetCat, based at UPC, is the Catalan Network for Technology Transfer and Innovation in Blue Economy, funded by the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya). Its mission is to bring blue-economy research and innovation to market and to society. The network brings together 19 universities and research centres, 95 research lines and more than 1,100 members (researchers, technicians, postdocs and PhD students), covering all blue-economy sectors, including marine biotechnology and marine biotic resources, marine renewable energy, and marine robotics and infrastructure.

BlueNetCat acts as a single entry point to this critical mass of expertise: it structures the research offer around market and societal challenges, runs valorisation, entrepreneurship and training programmes, connects research groups with companies, public administrations and investors, and organises the annual Maritime Hub congress. It is active at EU, national and local level, is a case study in the EU Blue Economy Report, and is scientific partner of the UNESCO Ocean Decade Collaborative Centre for the Sustainable Blue Economy in Barcelona..

COMPETENCES AND INVOLVEMENT IN 2B-BLUE

Transfers and replicates the 2B-BLUE solutions/good practices in Catalonia through the extensive network of researchers and contacts.
Connects 2B-BLUE with the Catalan blue-economy ecosystem (companies, administration, investors) to maximise the trasferrability actions in Catalonia.
Organises a transfer/dissemination event and promotes project results in Catalonia and internationally.
Interact with other partners to maximise the synergies and the positive impact of the project.

Team members


	Lourdes Reig She is BlueNetCat’s director. She has more than 35 years of experience, being a professor and researcher at the UPC. She also served as vice rector of the UPC being in charge, among others, of the international relationships of the University.
	Pablo Bou He’s BlueNetCat’s general manager. With more than 15-year experience in technology transfer in blue Economy. He holds an Executive MBA from ESADE and a Master in Aquaculture from the Canary Institute for Marine Science.
	Francesco Pititto He’s Innovation Manager at BlueNetCat. With more than 20-year experience in marine environment, working as Project manager, technical expert and Innovation expert. Since 2023 he works managing the innovation and several programs to empower BlueNetCat’s members and ecosystem.
	Núria Rodríguez She’s Project manager at BlueNetCat since 2023, with already matured experience in the management of technology transfer network. She holds an MBA from de University of Barcelona and she’s in charge of some of the valorization and technology transfer programs carried out by BlueNetCat.
	Arianna Bucci She holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and a master’s degree in Biological Sciences both from the University of Barcelona, and a master’s degree in marketing and Sales Management from EAE Business School. At BlueNetCat she’s in charge of strategic marketing, communication and events organization.