UPC and CTAE Sign Collaboration Agreement
Published January 08, 2009
UPC AND CTAE SIGN AN AGREEMENT FOR COOPERATION IN APPLIED AEROSPACE RESEARCH On date 8th of January 2009, in Barcelona, the Rector of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Dr. Antoni Giró, and the President of the Aerospace Research & Technology Centre (CTAE), Dr. Fernando de Caralt, have signed a Collaboration Agreement allowing UPC’s researchers to be seconded to CTAE for specific R+D projects.
UPC has supported CTAE’s activities since its inception in 2004 as a founding member and an active Board member. In particular, UPC has helped in the definition and the implementation of CTAE’s R&D lines in aeronautics, space and application technologies in a variety of areas such as mobility, the environment, resource management and communications among others. To this end, UPC has provided researchers and student interns, and also hosted CTAE’s premises on its Campus in Castelldefels for the first years. Subsequently, CTAE has moved to the nearby town of Viladecans, where the Aerospace and Mobility Park is now under construction.
One of the first collaboration projects between CTAE and UPC started in 2006 with the design and delivery of a graduate level short course on safety-critical software design and quality assurance. This course is currently in its fourth edition, and has attracted participants from industry and research, both locally and internationally, including engineers from China’s Human Spaceflight Programme. Other current collaborations include the development of airborne instrumentation for soil moisture measurements, precise navigation and positioning applications using satellites, air passenger comfort evaluation, or new technologies for civil applications of unmanned aerial vehicles.The Collaboration Agreement signature represents an important step in strengthening the collaboration between both organizations, as it allows UPC researchers in any discipline to be seconded to CTAE’s projects for extended periods of time. The agreement also sets the ground for scientific collaboration, defines the intellectual property rights and allows for joint use of research facilities and resources. UPC and CTAE will also enhance their participation in joint research projects, and will make a special effort in publishing the results of such research.
The two organisations have also agreed to cooperate in the acquisition of laboratory equipment and facilities so as to create synergies and optimize the use of their respective resources. In this area, joint projects in navigation, positioning and robotics have already started with the Institute of Photonics (ICFO), the Institute of Geomatics on the Castelldefels Campus, thanks to a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Innovation. Furthermore, joint research laboratories are currently being planned on UPC’s Campus in Terrassa in the area of new materials for aeronautics and space, in collaboration with local companies.
This strategic alliance between CTAE and UPC has been endorsed by the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia, through its strategic plan to strengthen and enlarge the capacities of its Network of Technology Centres.
From Right to Left: Dr. Antoni Giró, Rector of the Technical University of Catalonia -UPC-. And Dr. Fernando de Caralt, President of CTAE.