10/10/2022

University students present innovative business ideas to promote sustainable mobility in Calonge

On 7 and 8 October, Calonge Castle was the spotlight for the sessions on “Sustainable Mobility for Safe & Smart Town,” organised jointly by UIC Barcelona and the City Council of Calonge and Sant Antoni. These were sessions in which students from various universities had the opportunity to present innovative projects and ideas around sustainable mobility that solve a real challenge for Calonge.

A total of thirty-six people participated, divided into eighteen teams, each with two members. In addition, participants came from eight different countries: Spain, Italy, Austria, Holland, Brazil, Hong Kong, Venezuela and Russia.

As for the winners, the prize for the Best Innovative business Idea went to  the Quick Bioeng Girls team with Paula Oliva Ribas and Carla Pou i Miralbell, two students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Bioengineering at UIC Barcelona. The prize for the Best Sustainable Business Idea went to the P. Team, with Pedro Gil and Pilipp Breuer, from Venezuela and Austria, respectively, students from the University Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Financing: Venture Capital and Private Equity, also at UIC Barcelona.

The two-part sessions were designed for students to learn from professionals working in the field of mobility and smart cities, and to put good ideas into practice.

In this context, the sessions focusing on this topic were held on Friday, 7 October, and were led by Richard Casalins, project manager for the Mobility Institute RACC, Daniel Pardo, department of integrations, projects and mobility of SABA Infrastructres (SABA Group), Daniel Oh, lecturer of the Department of Smart Cities, Korea University; and Borja Ferrater, director of the Office of Architecture Barcelona (OAB). The sessions concluded with a roundtable panel discussion with all speakers, moderated by M. Isabel Gabarró, director of the Master Degree in Architecture & Design Business Management.

The next day, Saturday, university students and young professionals from different fields and studies participated in the Smart Design Business Challenge, a competition that lasted until the afternoon, and in which they could present ideas individually or in groups of two.

After analysing the projects, a jury of experts announced the verdict and awarded the diploma to the winning participants.

These sessions are the result of the agreement signed one year ago between UIC Barcelona and the City Council of Calonge and Sant Antoni. The objective of the agreement is to promote and boost training in entrepreneurship, cultural management and architecture, through the development of educational activities in Calonge and Sant Antoni.