The “Llavor” grants are part of the Industry of Knowledge programme set up by the Catalan Secretariat for Universities and Research. The purpose of these grants is to promote the development of new science-based companies(spin-offs), derived from the research undertaken in universities and research centres. It is part of a strategy to transfer the technology and knowledge generated in the academic and scientific sectors to the business sector.
The programme has three stages, the first of which is called “Llavor”. In this first valorisation stage, grants are offered to cover the protection of knowledge and the initial work to develop a product, in other words, prototypes. Training, guidance and mentoring in business management are also provided, organised by the University of California, Berkeley.
UIC Barcelona entered the “Llavor” call with five projects, four of which were awarded:
— “Medicació intraconducte amb Nanopartícules en endodòncia” by Dr Fernando Durán-Sindreu, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Dentistry.
— “Customització i impressió 3D de malles reabsorbibles” by Dr Federico Hernández-Alfaro, full professor in the Faculty of Dentistry.
— “Bactèries per curar l'acné; un problema d'equilibri” by Dr Josep Clotet, Vice-Rector for acadèmic organisation and teaching staff, department of Basic Sciences.
— “Integració arquitectònica de captadors solars tèrmics realitzats amb materials ceràmics de gran format i làmines impermeables de llarga vida útil” by Dr Vicens Sarrablo, a senior lecturer in the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture
A total of €80.000 was awarded to the university, or €20.000 for each project. These projects are co-funded by the European Union via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
