UCAM and 3A BIOTECH to create a Department of Biotechnology and Circular Economy
The agreement between UCAM and the Murcia-based company will promote applied research aimed at transferring scientific knowledge to the business sector and developing innovative products.
UCAM has signed an agreement with the Murcia-based company 3A BIOTECH to create ‘Cátedra 3A de Biotecnología y Economía Circular para un futuro sostenible’ (3A Chair in Biotechnology and Circular Economy for Sustainable Future), with an objective to foster applied research, technological innovation and transfer of knowledge to the regional manufacturing industry.
The UCAM President, María Dolores García, and the Manager of 3A BIOTECH, Sergio David López Martínez, signed the agreement at the Los Jerónimos Campus. Sergio Navarro, Principal Researcher of UCAM’s Cosmetics, Innovation and Technology Research Group; Jonathan Barberá, Lead Specialist of R&D and Innovation at 3A BIOTECH; Luis Tejada, Director of the Office for Transfer of Research Results (OTRI) at UCAM, and Isabel Lajarín, Marketing and RSC Director at 3A BIOTECH, also attended the event.
This new chair will focus on development of preservatives and antioxidants applied in sectors such as human and animal food industry, cosmetics, nutraceutical and agricultural products, paints and biofuels. As such, the chair will concentrate its efforts on designing innovative, natural and sustainable ingredients that will improve safety of products, as well as extend their expiration date and shelf life.
Sergio Navarro emphasised that ‘this chair is the result of a collaboration between the university and the company, which demonstrates clear commitment to applied research and transfer of knowledge to Murcia business sector’. Furthermore, he pointed out the importance of combining the academic research with practical training for students, because ‘we want our students to gain experience through participation in real projects of R&D and Innovation, from development of new products to their approval through clinical studies’.
Jonathan Barberá added that ‘it is an honour for 3A BIOTECH to actively form a part of a university chair like this, as it will not only allow for us to partake in the research, but also advance in generating innovative solutions tailored to the needs of our customers’.