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Institutional and Corporate Chairs

Institutional and Corporate Chairs

The Chairs provide avenues for collaboration with broad objectives in teaching, research, technology and knowledge transfer and dissemination. They have the financial support of collaborating entities that benefit from this approach to research and knowledge produced at the Universitat.

The Institutional and Corporate Chairs of the Universitat de València (University Chairs) were created in 1993 in order to organise the medium and long-term collaborations of the Universitat de València with institutions, companies and external organisations, both public and private, in any field of knowledge.

Due to their structural characteristics, the University Chairs allow for stable and wide-ranging academic collaboration. Their scope involves all areas of university activity: teaching, research, innovation and dissemination of science, technology and culture.

This strategy is based, on the one hand, on Art. 64.e. of Law 2/2001, of 4 March, on Sustainable Economy, and in the provisions of Law 49/2002, of 23 December, modified by Royal Decree-Law 6/2023, of 19 December, on the tax regime for non-profit organisations and tax incentives for patronage, which recognises as such donations and contributions made in favour of, among other entities, public universities and, on the other hand, in the exercise of the functions and university autonomy established in Organic Law 2/2023 of 22 March on the University System, which states that universities may create specific structures to support research, teaching and knowledge transfer.

Furthermore, this joint initiative is based on the purposes stated in the Statutes of the Universitat de València and on the compliance, by institutions, entities, organisations and companies, of their funding purposes and the main lines of action in the field of corporate social responsibility.

The UV chairs are regulated by the Reglament per a la creació i funcionament de les càtedres de la Universitat de València, ACGUV 267/2017, amended by ACGUV 293/2023 of the Governing Council of 9 November 2023 (hereinafter, UV Chairs Regulations).

What are the advantages?

In contrast to other forms of collaboration in universities, such as contracts under Art. 60 of the Organic Law of the University System (LOSU) or collaboration in competitive projects with public funding, University Chairs are not limited to cooperation in a specific project, but rather to support, for a set period of time, a specific scientific and technological area and other actions in the field of training, dissemination, knowledge transfer and support for research in a specific thematic area, closer to the objectives of the proposers. This type of collaboration has undoubted advantages for the Universitat, which has the opportunity to obtain more stable funding for research lines, training instruments for students and researchers, staff exchanges, the dissemination of science and many other actions of clear scientific interest. In addition, it allows the Universitat to strengthen its research and transfer functions to society for the improvement of welfare and competitiveness through collaboration initiatives with the public and private sector.

Through the Chairs, collaborating entities can get closer to the research and knowledge produced at the Universitat. In addition, they can collaborate with research and innovation groups and cooperate in the training of students so that they become familiar with the business world—thus, their integration into the labour market will be quicker.

Likewise, collaborating entities benefit from an improved public image and innovative profile; they can also participate in institutional events related to the Chair and present their brand as a collaborating entity with the Universitat de València. It should also be noted that the amounts contributed to the Chair are considered as a deductible expense, in accordance with Art. 25 of Law 49/2002.

Who is this for?

Since the Chairs enable collaboration for a variety of activities over a prolonged period of time, this information is most relevant to Universitat de València teaching and research staff with permanent ties to the university and who are interested in collaborating in a wide range of activities within their field with the financial support of public and private entities.

How do I start?

If you are in contact with an entity who wishes to finance a collaboration on a series of activities of common interest, please contact the Chairs Management Unit of the Transfer and Innovation Service of the Universitat de València as soon as possible in order to evalute different means of collaboration instruments, including the possible creation of a Chair.

Types of Chairs
  • Institutional Chairs are sponsored by public institutions.
  • Corporate Chairs are focused on an area of knowledge related to the business activity being carried out by the sponsoring company. They are usually associated with the name of the company that finances them.
  • University Workshops are oriented towards the development of training, dissemination and knowledge transfer acitivities, specifically excluding R+D+I activities. 
Activities that may be developed within the framework of a Chair

The range of activities that can be developed within a Chair is very broad:

  • Activities to encourage study:

Awarding of prizes

Student internships in the company or institution

Conferences, seminars and workshops

Encouragement of collaboration and educational cooperation

Collaboration in the design and delivery of lifelong learning programmes

Completion of doctoral theses, final degree projects and master’s degree projects, in cooperation with the company or institution

Scholarships, grants and pre-doctoral and post-doctoral contracts within the Chair

  • Cultural and dissemination activities:

Development of works of innovation and the dissemination of science and technology

Organisation of scientific and technological dissemination conferences

Promotion of publications on topics of interest

Organisation of cultural, scientific, technical, social or humanistic dissemination activities

Promotion of scientific, technical and artistic events

  • Research and development activities:

Joint development of lines of research and innovation of common interest

Cooperation to participate in national and international projects

Carrying out work of a scientific, technological, humanistic or artistic nature, as well as specific training activities, as established in the Art. 60 of the Organic Law of the University System

Any other activity that is of general interest to students and the university community within the scope of the purpose of the Chair.

The maximum endowment for carrying out the activities referred to in the last point, where applicable, may not exceed 40% of the total contribution of the Chair.

Differences with contracts under Art. 60 of the LOSU

The UV Chairs are based on Law 49/2002 of 23 December, on the Tax Regime for Non-Profit Entities and Tax Incentives for Patronage, which states that the donations regulated by this law are financial or material support provided without direct counterpart by the beneficiary for the exercise of activities of a general interest nature.

The Chairs have an institutional function that goes beyond its concretion in an economic agreement and are the expression of a willingness to collaborate between the UV and one or more entities. Thus, it is important to distinguish this collaboration from the provision of services that may be arranged between the UV and a company or entity.

Who can be a promoter of the initiative at the UV?

According to the UV Chairs Regulations, the initiative for the constitution of a patronage or sponsorship through a Chair will be presented by a permanent member of the UV staff, provided that their area of management, teaching and/or research is related to the field of activity of the Chair. In this case, they shall act as a contact person and be in charge of the proposal while the Chair is being formally constituted.

Assistant teaching staff may co-direct a University Chair or Workshop, always under the supervision of a permanent director.

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Chair agreements: minimum content and duration

The procedure for the constitution of the Chair is carried out by signing a collaboration agreement between the entity and the Universitat de València.

The agreement by which the UV Chairs are created must be drafted in accordance with the provisions of Chapter V of Law 40/2015, of 1 October, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector or the current legislation on the matter. It is therefore an administrative agreement.

At least, it must contain the following aspects: name of the Chair; objectives; activities to be developed; duration of the agreement and mechanisms for renewal and termination; economic endowment with which the Chair will develop its activities; commitment of the parties to disseminate the existence and activities of the Chair; and rules for the use of the UV’s corporate image.

The agreements must have a fixed duration, which may not exceed four years, unless a longer period is provided for in the regulations. At any time before the end of the period foreseen, the signatories of the agreement may unanimously agree to extend it for a period up to four additional years or terminate it.

In the case of publicly funded Chairs, the agreement must also include aspects such as eligible costs, means and period of justification, execution periods, advance payment of the subsidy and method of payment.

The agreement for the constitution of the Chair shall reflect the disinterested nature of the contribution of the collaborating entity. Furthermore, it shall be signed by the Principal of the Universitat de València and the person designated by the collaborating entity with sufficient powers to sign.

Particularities of Institutional Chairs with public subsidies

Some Institutional Chairs are financed through direct subsidies or nominal lines granted by public administrations in the fulfilment of a public service of interest to the granting administration.

They are nominally planned in the public administration budgets, in which the granted amount is stated. Likewise, the conditions for their constitution are detailed in the terms included in the agreements or resolutions of concession and in the regulations governing these grants. Within the framework of these Chairs, the activities to be carried out must fulfil purposes of public, social, economic or humanitarian interest.

Thus, they are grants which may be renovated annually and whose expenses must be properly justified in due term and form. The activities to be carried out, the eligible costs, the form and deadline for justification, the deadlines for execution (which are usually between the 1 and 31 of each year) and the method of payment, among other aspects, are specified in an administrative agreement signed between the public funding body and the Principal of the UV.

The economic management of Institutional Chairs is similar to that of a competitive project with public funding because it is governed, among other regulations, by the Law 38/2003 of 17 November (General Subsidies Act). Yet, Institutional Chairs have some particularities, such as the obligation to adequately publicise and disseminate the grant and the funding body, the compliance with regulations on transparency and the creation of a monitoring committee which shall supervise the activities committed to under the agreement. In addition, this committee shall meet at least once a year. For the constitution and operation of the UV’s Institutional Chairs, they must comply with the provisions of the UV Chairs Regulations.

Management bodies of the Chairs

For the management, implementation and monitoring of the activities to be carried out by the Chair, at least a Joint Monitoring Committee and a Directorate of the Chair must be appointed, without prejudice to the possibility of appointing other governing bodies, provided that the need is justified and the functions, composition and, where appropriate, the relationship with other bodies are specified.

The Joint Monitoring Committee is the highest governing body of the Chair, and it is responsible for approving its lines of action and budget, as well as monitoring the implementation of the activities of the Chair. It is composed of an equal number of representatives appointed by the UV and the sponsoring entities. Furthermore, the UV representatives shall be appointed by the Office of the Vice-Principal with delegated powers for the management of the UV Chairs or the delegated person.

The Joint Committee shall be constituted within one month of the entry into force of the creation agreement. At this meeting, at least the constitution and proposed appointment of the Chair’s management must be agreed. Where applicable, its annual programme and the annual financial and activities report must be approved too.

The Director of the Chair is responsible for its academic and economic management and execution. They shall act as a link between the institutional representation of the parties having signed the collaboration agreement for the constitution of the Chair.

The Directorate of the Chair shall be appointed by the Principal of the Universitat de València at the proposal of the Joint Committee.

The position of Director of the Chair shall be held for the duration of the agreement, and the proposal for renewal or replacement shall be made by the Joint Monitoring Committee.

Contributions of the sponsoring entities

In accordance with the UV Chairs Regulations, in order to fulfil the objectives and carry out the activities planned within the framework of the Chair, the collaborating entities must commit to making a minimum financial contribution of 30,000 euros per year. The agreement for the constitution of the Chair must contain the sources of funding and the form and deadlines in which these contributions are to be made.

The minimum contribution necessary for the constitution of a University Workshop is 15,000 euros per year.

Without prejudice to the provisions of Law 49/2002, of 23 December, on the tax regime for non-profit organisations and tax incentives for patronage, or current legislation on the matter, the tax treatment of the contributions of the entities made in accordance with the agreement for the constitution of the Chair must correspond, under current legislation, to the content of the activities to be carried out and the contracts arising from the activities of the Chair.

What happens with the rights to the results?

The ownership of the results obtained within the framework of a Chair shall be defined in the agreement for the constitution of the Chair or by means of specific agreements, in accordance with the regulations in force. If not established, these rights shall belong to the Universitat de València.

Are indirect costs applied?

In the case of Institutional or Corporate Chairs, and provided that the conditions of the funding entity allow it, a retention of 10% of the income shall be made to compensate the general expenses of the UV. If it is the case, an additional retention shall be made for the bonuses for the Chair directors, according to the regulations of the UV.

May I receive additional remuneration for directing the Chair?

For the direction of Institutional and Corporate Chairs, and provided that the conditions of the funding entity allow it, an economic compensation may be obtained for extraordinary work, both for its nature and for the schedule, whose maximum amount may not exceed 10% of the external income obtained during the year of funding of the Chair, up to an annual maximum per Chair of 3000 euros. These bonuses must be requested by the Director of the Chair to the Office of the Vice-Principal with delegated responsibility for Institutional and Corporate Chairs and will be paid with the prior authorisation of the University Head Office. From this bonus, an additional deduction of 10% of the amount of the remuneration requested shall be made, where applicable, in the specific key of the chair.

The employer's contribution will be withheld from the credit available for the remuneration (only in the case of employees in the General Social Security Scheme to whom this contribution is applicable, which will be prorated, in compliance with social security regulations).

The resulting amount will constitute the Remuneration to be included in the payroll, to which the legally applicable personal income tax withholdings and social security contributions payable by the employee will be applied.

Reference Rules File(s)
L 49/2002

Ley 49/2002, de 23 de diciembre, de régimen fiscal de las entidades sin fines lucrativos y de los incentivos fiscales al mecenazgo

L 2/2011

Llei 2/2011, de 4 de març, d'Economia Sostenible

L 38/2003

Llei 38/2003, de 17 de novembre, General de Subvencions

L 20/2018

LLEI 20/2018, de 25 de juliol, de la Generalitat, del mecenatge cultural, científic i esportiu no professional a la Comunitat Valenciana

ACGUV 267/2017

Reglament per a la creació i funcionament de les Càtedres de la Universitat de València. (CG 31-X-2017. Modificat 9-XI-2023)

IUV 1/2018

Instruccions per a la tramitació de subvencions i premis a concedir per la Universitat de València

 
Institutional and Corporate Chairs

Other resources

Notícies i novetats
Directori
Coneix les càtedres de la UV
Ajudes i premis
 
 

Functions of the Transfer and Innovation Service

 

The UVChairs Unit of the Transfer and Innovation Service is an exceptional resource for collaboration between the Universitat de València and society, providing the following services:

  • Coordination meetings: Scheduling of technical meetings to raise awareness of the different support services, facilitate access to them and optimise them on a personalised basis
  • Negotiation and management of agreements: Negotiation, drafting, review and legal-administrative monitoring of agreements for the constitution and renewal of Chairs
  • Processing of grants and awards: Technical support and collaboration in the management of institutional calls for grants and awards from the different Chairs
  • Dissemination of activities: Through the following form, the Transfer and Innovation Service facilitates the institutional dissemination and archiving of news regarding the activities of the Chairs
  • Microsites for each Chair: Creation of a custom microsite linked to the institutional website of the UVChairs programme in which relevant information about the Chair may be published
  • Work tools: Support service for the set up of essential technological tools such as corporate email, nÚVol cloud storage, etc.
  • Social media: Dissemination of the Chairs’ activities on the social media of the UVChairs programme
Contact

Transfer and Innovation Service

UVChairs

C/ Amadeo de Saboya 4, 46010 Valencia

Universitat de València