Speakers at this conference were Íker Marcaide, CEO of Matteco, and José Antonio Sobrino, director of the Image Processing Laboratory (IPL). In addition, some 20 researchers have had face-to-face meetings with representatives from different companies to explore opportunities for collaboration
The Science Park of the University of Valencia (PCUV) hosted on Tuesday, 20 May at the Marie Curie Auditorium the IV Meeting Connecting Entrepreneurs and Researchers, organized by the LAB Mediterranean Foundation, a conference which brought together some twenty researchers and more than 30 representatives of companies with the aim of promoting collaboration between science and business to boost innovation and technological development in the Valencia region.
The event, organized in collaboration with the Association of Scientists of the Plan GenT (AccenT), the Valencian Employers' Association (AVE) and the Science Park of the University of Valencia, included a dialogue between Iker Marcaide, the CEO of Matteco, a company of advanced materials technology and clean technologies located in the scientific-business area of the PCUV; and José Antonio Sobrino, director of the Laboratory for Image Processing (IPL), located in the PCUV academic area, and Jaume I Prize; under the title "Science and business: generating impact". There have also been face-to-face speed dating meetings between entrepreneurs and researchers, driven by an app specifically developed to facilitate connections.
José Antonio Sobrino has stressed that this type of meetings are necessary and should be intensified, as it allows "to move from ideas to action". " The meetings between companies and researchers make it possible for us to get to know each other better and for the entrepreneur to know what work we are doing in the research groups", explained the director of the IPL.
Rosa Donat, José Jaime Baldoví, Enrique Soto, among the participants of the IV Meeting Connecting Entrepreneurs and Researchers of the LAB Mediterranean Foundation. Photo: FPCUV
Rosa Donat, Vice-Rector for Innovation and Transfer of the University of Valencia; José Jaime Baldoví, president of the Association of Scientists of the Plan GenT (AccenT); and Enrique Soto, director of Fundation LAB, have welcomed the meeting institutionally, highlighting the importance of transferring scientific knowledge to companies in order to bring value to society and the environment.
José Jaime Baldoví has also attached importance to the link between the world of business and research. "We live in a society that is constantly facing challenges. Science brings knowledge and business vision brings solutions. When these two sides are combined we can provide goods and services that are useful to society. Science must know what the problems of society are and through these events we can see what the challenges are and what solutions we can bring", said the president of AccenT.
"We live in a society that constantly faces challenges. Science brings knowledge and business vision brings solutions. When these two aspects are combined we can provide goods and services that are useful to society", José Jaime Baldoví, president of AccenT
For the fourth year in a row, this meeting is consolidating itself as a key space to build bridges between the research world and the business ecosystem. Throughout the day, researchers from areas such as biotechnology, materials engineering, nanotechnology, photonics or remote sensing have presented their lines of work and discussed their practical application in different economic sectors.
Speed Dating, a format to connect researchers and entrepreneurs
As a novelty, this edition has incorporated speed dating format meetings, short face-to-face meetings that have allowed researchers and entrepreneurs to identify connection points in an agile and direct way. To facilitate this dynamic, Fundation LAB has launched an exclusive app with information on the profiles of the participating researchers, their fields of expertise and the possibility of arranging appointments during the day.
The meeting reaffirmed the mission of the LAB Mediterranean Foundation to encourage the creation and attraction of technological startups, support the digitization of non-technological companies and increase private investment in R&D&i, with the aim of positioning the Valencia region as a national and European reference in innovation, entrepreneurship and technology transfer.
Belén March, IPL researcher, participating in the speed dating of the IV Meeting Connecting Entrepreneurs and Researchers of the LAB Mediterranean Foundation. Photo: FPCUV
About Matteco
Matteco is one of the successful cases of the connection between entrepreneurs and researchers promoted by LAB Mediterranean Foundation through these meetings. It is an advanced materials technology company with the mission to decarbonize the economy and accelerate the energy transition, starting with solutions for green hydrogen production. The company develops high-performance catalysts and electrodes, key components in the process of generating renewable hydrogen through alkaline electrolysis and AEM (Anion Exchange Membrane). This patented technology, the result of more than 10 years of R&D, is transforming the green hydrogen production economy: it reduces both equipment investment and operating costs.
Matteco is a spin-off of the University of Valencia that brings together the outstanding work of chemical innovation during more than 10 years of Dr. Gonzalo Abellán at the head of the 2D-Chem research group of the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol), with the concern for sustainability led by Iker Marcaide through Zubi, a group of impact companies with the aim of solving social and environmental challenges.
Based in the UV Science Park, since 2025 it has a factory with capacity to manufacture the equivalent of one gigawatt of electrodes. Its growing team, mostly Valencian, is made up of more than 40 professionals in the different areas of R & D, innovation, industrialization, business development and quality.
Source: Valencia News and own elaboration