The event was presided over by the second vice-president of the Generalitat, Rubén Martínez Dalmau, and took place at the Palau de Pineda, with the participation of the Principals of the Valencian public universities: Unviersitat de València (UV), M. Vicenta Mestre; from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Francisco Mora; from the University of Alacant (UA), Manuel Palomar; from the Universitat Jaume I (UJI), Eva Alcón; and from the Miguel Hernández University, Juan José Ruiz.

Also present were the Vice-Principal for Innovation of the UV, Mª Dolores Real; the Vice-Principal for Employment and Entrepreneurship of the UPV, José Millet; the Director General of Institutional Coordination of the Second Vice-Presidency, Adoración Guamán; and the coordinators of the Chair: from the UV, Aurora Pedro, from the UPV, Dionisio Ortiz, from the UA, José Chofre, from the UJI, Eva Camacho and from the Miguel Hernández University, Agustín Pérez.

The Principal of the Universitat de València, M. Vicenta Mestre, has stated that “the model of the Industrial Revolution based on the intensive use of natural resources is exhausted and outdated; for this reason the Universitat de València supports the creation of this chair and thanks the second vice-president, Rubén Martínez Dalmau, and the Generalitat Valenciana for their commitment to the transition towards a sustainable society”.

Vice-president Rubén Martínez Dalmau referred to the transversal nature of green policies and stressed the importance of cooperation between Valencian public universities and the Generalitat, saying that “to make the ecological transition a reality, public policies can no longer be sector-based, they must necessarily be transversal, and for which we in the public administrations must be prepared and undertake new designs in the youth and in the institutions that facilitate synergies and strengthen strategies”.

Furthermore, he pointed out that “the Valencian public universities are essential to support this new kind of governance, and we are proud to maintain a permanent collaboration with them”.

The Chair, which has a budget of €175,000 for its implementation and for the first period of work, will promote, through the five research groups, the study, analysis and proposal of action models to achieve the transverse nature of public policies towards the ecological transition, focused on the reality of the Valencian Community.

With regard to the specific content, the Director General of Coordination of the Second Vice-presidency of the Generalitat, Adoración Guamán, stressed that “the Valencian institutions, within the framework of post-COVID-19 reconstruction, are promoting a series of measures aimed at socio-economic recovery, care for people and nature and the promotion of sustainable development”.

“Specifically, the right to the city and to a sustainable habitat are pillars for achieving this new reality that requires permanent collaboration with universities. For this reason, experts from the fields of economics, law and sociology have joined the coordination of the chair's teams at each university”, said Guamán.