The Valencian company Dacsa and the entrepreneur and researcher Damià Tormo are two of the winners of the University-Society Awards of the Social Council of the Universitat de València, which this year celebrates its twenty-fifth edition.
"These awards are the best example of the involvement of the Valencian civil society in the progress of the Valencian Community", said the president of the Social Council and the ADEIT Foundation of the Universitat de València, María Emilia Adán.
More than one hundred companies and individuals awarded
In these 25 editions of the awards, the Social Council has awarded prizes to more than a hundred people, entities, companies and organisations that have stood out for their work to bring the Universitat de València closer to its cultural, professional, economic and social environment.
The awards will be presented at the headquarters of the ADEIT Foundation on 27 January 2022, in a ceremony presided over by the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, the Principal of the Universitat de València, María Vicenta Mestre, and the President of the Social Council, María Emilia Adán. In addition, the highest representatives of the University, the Administration and the business and social world will be present. "This is the most important meeting between the University, the Administration and the agents that make up civil society", emphasised the President of the Social Council.
University-Business Collaboration Award
The company Dacsa, headed by Araceli Císcar, has obtained the University-Business Collaboration Award for its links with the Universitat de València through different programmes and initiatives. Founded in 1968 as a family business producing maize semolina for the brewing industry, it is currently a benchmark company in its sector in Europe and supplies a full range of products derived from rice and maize. Dacsa, which has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the University-Business Foundation since 2013, collaborates with the Universitat de València through different innovation, internship and entrepreneurship programmes. It has developed joint research projects and contracts with the Universitat de València with a turnover of around 370,000 euros. They also participate in the Chair of Excellence and Entrepreneurship Development of the Universitat de València.
Alumni Plus 'Insigne UV' Award
The Alumni Plus "Insigne UV" award has gone to the entrepreneur and researcher Damià Tormo. Damià Tormo, a graduate in Biological Sciences from the Universitat de València and former student of the Master in Biological Sciences at the Universitat de València, is managing partner and co-founder of Columbus Venture Partners. For the last 15 years he has worked in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industry. Artax Biopharma Inc, Bioncotech Therapeutics SL, Restaura Biotech SL or PTS are some of the biotech companies he has founded in recent years. In addition, Damià Tormo is president and trustee of the Columbus Foundation, which facilitates access to the most advanced therapies for children with cancer and ultra-rare monogenic diseases. He has received several awards related to innovation and entrepreneurship, including MIT's TR35, the Biogen Foundation Award and the Princess of Girona Foundation Award.
Innovation Award
The Cell Physiopathology Unit of the Universitat de València (UFC) has been awarded the Innovation Prize, aimed at recognising innovation or R&D projects with a clear and relevant application in society. Coordinated by Professor José Mª Estrela and formed by doctors Elena Obrador, Rosario Salvador and Soraya Vallés, this unit is focused on the study of the defence mechanisms of cancer cells and the design of therapeutic strategies to sensitise them to radio and chemotherapy. With more than 200 articles published in international journals, the work of this unit demonstrates the anticancer effects of natural polyphenols, their therapeutic usefulness in halting the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and reducing the deleterious effects of radiotherapy. This unit has registered 10 international patents and has created two biotechnology spin-offs; Green Molecular SL, dedicated to the development of biomedical applications of polyphenols, and Scientia BioTech SL, which works on the development of treatments for ALS and cancer.
Digital Humanism Award
The new Digital Humanism category, created with the aim of rewarding relevant, innovative and original use of digital technologies by the university community, went to the XatUV project. This is a new user service channel of the Universitat de València, promoted by the Communication Department of the Universitat de València, which was created with the aim of offering synchronous attention to students, graduates and future students in a context marked by the pandemic. The hybrid nature of this service is one of its most important characteristics, because it combines initial attention through a Bot and personalised, multilingual attention through a network of specialised online agents.
Teaching Excellence Award
Finally, the Teaching Excellence Award went to Alicia Armengot, Professor of Procedural Law at the Universitat de València, who, in the opinion of the Jury that assessed her merits, fulfils in an outstanding way all the criteria foreseen in the bases of the awards and which determine an excellent trajectory and performance in the field of university teaching.
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