The 1st Conference of Water Chairs of the Valencian Community at the Universitat Jaume I at Castellón sponsored by the FACSA Chair for Innovation in the Integral Water Cycle of the Universitat Jaume I has taken place. A workshop that has gathered the Directors of the Water Chairs, from the University and from the companies promoting the chairs.

From the DAM Chair for Integral Management and Resource Recovery of Waterwaste of the Universitat de València its Director, Alberto Bouzas,  has attended. To represent the Waters Chair of Valencia, its supervisor, Javier Paredes, and Amparo López, director of the Department of Hydraulic Engineering y Environment, both from the Universitat Politècnica de València, as well as the Director of Innovation of Global Omnium, María Ángeles Serrano, have attended the event. Finally, from the FACSA-UJI Chair its Director, Sergio Chiva; its Co-director and Director of R+D and Permanent Improvement of Grupo Gimeno, Guillermo Berlanga; and its Innovation Agent, Paloma Barreda, have participated. In this first session, the representatives of the Water Chair of the University of Alacant have not been able to attend, due to problems in their schedules. However, their participation is expected for the following meetings.

The workshop has started with an institutional welcome by David Cabedo, Vice Rector of Innovation, Transfer and Scientific dissemination of the UJI, who has thanked the members of the companies and the researchers for their participation in the conference. He has also highlighted the importance of carrying out this kind of initiatives, which search to delve into the close collaboration between the institutions and thus use the synergies in the activities these Chairs develop in a sector as essential in the Valencian Community as the Management of Water Resources one.  Then, each one of the Directors of the Chairs have explained their annual actions in different sectors such as student and future researcher training, knowledge dissemination in society, research support, restoration of historical hydraulic heritage or recruitment and promotion of talent among youngsters and researchers.

After a visit to the facilities of the Universitat Jaume I, the conference has ended with a session of reflexion focused in the search of synergies between the three Chairs. In this session, has been brought to light the common idea of make progress in the development of coordinated activities. Among the proposed actions the possibility of organizing some technical joint conferences as well as an annual conference between the Master’s students and the researchers of the Chairs has been brought up. This will be open as well to other groups related to the water sector of the Valencian Community to promote their jobs, share knowledge and highlight the transfer tasks to the productive sector among the future professionals of the water sector. This will help improve their education, form close relationships between young researchers and have real contact with companies in the sector.

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