Association

The e-MTA Campus project is supported by numerous associated members including political institutions, universities and national and international companies, which have been selected because of their leadership in the strategic fields of tourism and water.

Below, the most important institutions are highlighted, and briefly described including an explanation of their complementary features and the added value for the differentiation and specialisation of the proposed campus model.

New Associates:

Political Institutions

Both universities are strongly committed to the social and economic structure of their respective territorial areas. Since the UIB is the only university in the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands, it benefits from the utmost involvement by the Regional Government. This is proven by the document signed at its headquarters on 3 March 2010, initially subscribed by 47 political, scientific and business institutions. The project also benefits from the support of the Regional Government of Catalonia. It is thus a project shared by two autonomous communities and can rely on the strengths and potential of both of them. The project’s objectives are the same as in the Balearic Islands Science, Technology and Innovation Plan 2009-2012. They are also the same as those contained in the Catalan Government’s Research and Innovation Plan, which has assigned the University of Girona the leading role in all matters concerning water. The plan identifies the UdG and its region with one of the 10 reference poles recognized in Catalonia, the Food and Agriculture Innovation and Water Pole. The integrated project’s alignment with both governments’ scientific objectives has also allowed for the explicit support of the Provincial Government of Girona, the Island Councils of Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza and Formentera, along with the main city councils and local and regional government institutions in the territories where the e-MTA Campus is located (the City Councils of Palma, Girona, Ibiza, Alaior, Banyoles, etc. A full membership list is given on the website).

We should make special reference to the Spanish General Secretary of Tourism joining the project, which strengthens the UIB’s involvement in the pilot project for the Palma Beach regeneration and recognises Tourism Sustainability as one of the Spanish Government’s strategic focal points for the Balearic Islands.

Universities and Scientific Members

We must highlight the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) membership, as its supplementary role in the e-MTA Campus is a decisive factor for creating a water cluster in its twofold aspect: academic and research. The e-MTA Campus can also rely on the added value of the complementary role provided by the French universities in the PRES-PM cross-border group. The PRES-PM by-laws and strategic plan are aimed at Tourism and Water as their main strategic fields (see section 2.8).

At a university level the Campus also has the support of the Spanish Water Treatment Board (META), with more than 40 universities and research centres actively working in the field of water management, and the University of Vic and the International University of Catalonia joining the project. Both universities will take an active role as participants in the development of actions related to teaching and knowledge transfer, especially in the LFCA and LAS lines. Finally, it also has the support of international universities and associations in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and China, among others.

The inclusion of the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (IEO), whose researchers at the Balearic Islands Centre collaborate as scientists with several competitive groups of the UIB, is essential for the development of the Master in Marine Ecology. The Spanish Agrarian and Food Research and Technology Institute (INIA) joining the project has led to the creation of the Agro-Environmental and Water Economy Research Institute (INAGEA, INIA-CAIB-UIB centre). Similarly, the National Meteorology Agency, member of this association and with a weather station in the Campus, collaborates with various competitive groups of the UIB.

Two scientific facilities in the Balearic Islands, the Tourism Research, Development and Innovation Centre (CIDTUR), with the UIB being a member on its Management Board, and the scientific and technical singular facility Coastal Observation System of the Balearic Islands (SOCIB), together with the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia, the Agro-Territorial Foundation, the Historical Research Institute, or the UNESCO Unitwin International Culture, Tourism and Development Network, participate in the project and clearly contribute to the transfer of knowledge and innovation in the field of tourism and coastal systems. These institutions have a consolidated history in collaboration with groups of the UIB, UdG, ICRA and the relevant centres of the CSIC.

We should also highlight the beneficial collaboration, mainly through the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies IMEDEA, with the Palma Beach Consortium, supported by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands, the Island Council of Majorca, the City Council of Palma and the City Council of Llucmajor. Its mission is to carry out the national government project to regenerate this mature tourist area and export the model to other areas of Spain. This consortium will be the cornerstone on the subject of regenerating tourist areas, a subject identified within the innovation ecosystems.

In the Food and Health Line the cooperation with the Agrofood Technology Research Institute (IRTA) stands out, specifically for its Food Technology Centre of Monells and the Mas Badia de La Tallada Foundation, along with the Centre of New Food Processes and Technologies (CENTA). It has a strong impact for the e-MTA Campus on R&D&I, teaching and employability aspects. Finally, we must highlight the role that institutions such as the Farmers Union can play in the innovation ecosystems.

Scientific and technological parks

The University-Company Foundation (FUEIB) and the Government of the Balearic Islands will contribute to the transfer of knowledge through the setting-up of various programmes, such as: the technological developers programme, the research appreciation programme, the RESET programme to encourage entrepreneurship and the programme to set up spin-offs. We carry out this action in the business incubator at the Balearic Technological Innovation Park (ParcBit) – a technological park with 130 companies and 2,500 workers – and in the future we will extend it to the Bit Centre in Minorca. Both facilities are adjacent to the university campuses of Palma and Alaior. The UIB has signed specific collaboration agreements with each of them to promote and develop innovation and transfer actions related to the campus of excellence project. We must point out that the construction of a UIB building in the ParcBit is currently in process. The building under construction will house university institutes.

The government promotes the creation of business clusters such as Tourism.T, which includes the large hotel companies, hotel federations and associations of hotel chains, and the UIB. This cluster ensures an overall synergy with the major tour operators, which will be able to apply the research progress in the field of Tourism Sustainability through CIDTUR. ParcBit also hosts the clusters of new technologies applied to tourism (TurisTEC), the Audiovisual cluster – collaborator in the e-Campus transversal axis-, the nautical cluster IDMAR and the biotechnology cluster BIOIB, which are associate members of the Campus of Excellence project and reinforce the campus’ lines of specialisation.

The Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona (PCiT) is the main promoter of economic development based on knowledge and technology. Its membership in the e-MTA Campus will facilitate relations and create synergies and collaborations with the various players in the process, as well as with business assets and institutions in the nearby area. It also provides and offers incentives the connection of all these players with the global territory, thus acting as an innovation ecosystem. The PCiT is related with the various players involved in its objectives, such as the CDTI, the Association of Spanish Scientific and Technological Parks and the Network of Catalan Scientific and Technological Parks. It also belongs to the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), one of the main international associations of scientific and technological parks.

Finally, the Consortium of Territorial Business Incubators should be highlighted. Its role in the e-MTA Campus is to promote and disseminate the territorial company incubators, in order to take advantage of its great potential for generating ideas and providing all the tools needed to help new entrepreneurs with their projects.

Social and Business Players

In the Tourism Line, we should highlight the fact that some of the largest Spanish hotel chains, with headquarters in the territory of the Campus, have joined the e-MTA Campus project: Sol-Meliá, which has a highly productive collaboration relationship with the UIB through the Sol-Melià Tourist Studies Professorship; Barceló and Riu; along with all the hotel and business associations on the Balearic Islands. Also Telefónica with its Telefónica Professorship on Digital Health and Sustainable Tourism, Microsoft with its collaboration in Tourism ICT, Banco de Santander in headhunting, La Caixa with the summer school and support to spin-offs, and, finally, Endesa, TIRME, MAC Insular and Sampol. Ski resorts, water parks and ecologists associations have also provided their support to the Campus, which shows that the project is of interest to very different sectors. In a more overall manner, the project is also participated by the chambers of commerce of Girona, Majorca and Minorca. The innovation ecosystems table (see below) summarises the role of these players.

Regarding the Water line of specialisation, the membership of Agbar-ADN-CETaqua stands out by means of a collaboration framework agreement that, among other aspects, helps the joint development of education actions such as the following: joint development of vocational training courses; participation by assignment in the processes for drawing up course plans for the degrees of the e-MTA Campus related to water; degree student internships; end of course projects and job search for the graduates of the e-MTA Campus; or joint development of research projects and transfer of technology and knowledge in the field of water.

The membership of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), a public institution of the Regional Government of Catalonia in charge of enforcing the water policy in this territory, contributes considerably to achieving the objectives of the integrated Campus. Another beneficial membership is that of the Costa Brava Consortium (CCB), which is an autonomous body with its own legal status. It is composed of the Provincial Council of Girona and 27 town councils along the Girona coast. Both the ACA and the CCB can provide and transfer extensive experience in water resource management to the students of the e-MTA Campus.

We must also highlight the support from the Spanish Platform for Water Technology. It is a public and private cooperation network, promoted by the Ministry for Science and Innovation (MICINN), the Industrial Technological Development Centre (CDTI) and the Ministry for the Environment, and Rural and Marine Environment (MARM). It has the objective of promoting industry-led R&D&I among the national scientific and technological players and the rest of the water business sector (it contains more than 200 important institutions in the sector). Similarly, the membership of Water.cat in the water specialisation line of the e-MTA Campus facilitates visibility at an international level. This visibility will help create opportunities for conducting collaborative R&D in the field of water, and strengthen the global competition of the sector. Water.cat is a Connect-EU network promoted by ACC1Ó (The Regional Government of Catalonia) specialised in the water sector, led by the ICRA, and consisting of a total of 39 research institutions and companies.

The Food and Health line of specialisation counts on the membership of the meat cluster INNOVAC, an association of more than 80 innovating companies in Girona financed by the Spanish Ministry of Industry.

More than 150 SMEs from the whole of Catalonia can be added to this network of associated businesses involved in the project. They have signed specific cooperation agreements, in particular in the field of tourism, proving the project’s level of penetration in the socio-economic fabric of the territory, and the importance of the project regarding employability in the region.

Within the business framework, the support received from the organisation National Promotion of Work in Catalonia and the Business Organisations Federation of Girona is also significant. Both institutions have signed agreements with the e-MTA Campus. The agreements are specially addressed to promote internships and end of course projects of the UIB and UdG students in their associate companies, above all in those related to the action lines of the Campus, a fact that will certainly have a huge impact on improving employability of the students.

List of Associated Members: