The Principal of the Universitat de València (UV),  M.ª Vicenta Mestre, together with the Principals of the public universities, met on Wednesday 20 May by videoconference with the Minister of the Treasury and the Economic Model, Vicent Soler, in order to sign the constitution of the Network of Chairs for the Transformation of the Economic Model.

Thus, together with the principal M. Vicenta Mestre and the Minister Vicente Soler, the meeting was attended by the Principal or of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Francisco Mora; the Principal of the University of Alacant (UA), Manuel Palomar; the Rector of the Jaume I University (UJI), Eva Alcón; the Principal of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH), Juan José Ruiz; and Juan Perez, the General Director of the Economic Model, Autonomous Financing and Financial Policy.

The action protocol of the new Network of Centres contemplates the inclusion of the impact of COVID-19 among the research objectives of its specific work, with the aim of studying the best response to help overcome the crisis generated by the pandemic as soon as possible.

The Network of Institutional Chairs constitutes an academic platform for the transfer of research aimed at collaborating with the administration in the design of public policies, as well as contributing to the dissemination of these advances among the productive fabric. Specifically, its initiatives focus on the study of proposals, the promotion of knowledge and the dissemination of issues related to the transformation of the current economic model of the Valencian Community.

The Network of Institutional Chairs will revolve around three main axes: training activities either directed at students, companies or institutions; research activities such as the development of joint research lines, support in the preparation of doctoral theses in the area of knowledge of the Chair, or carrying out studies and research work; and dissemination activities such as publications, promotion in scientific, technical and artistic events, organization of exhibitions and competitions, conferences, seminars and workshops, to name a few examples.

A web space and a unique profile will be created on the main social networks, where each of the Chairs will publish the activities they have carried out, independently of the specific communication that takes place at each university.

Chairs 

The Universitat de València currently has the Chair for the Transformation of the Economic Model: Circular Economy in the Water Sector, directed by Francesc Hernández Sancho, Professor of Applied Economics at this university. The general objective of this chair is to study the potentialities and opportunities of the circular economy in the different sectors of the Valencian Community, such as the adoption of strategies for the sustainable use of water and the promotion of viable projects that incorporate the management of water resources from a circular economy perspective as a way of adapting to climate change.

The UJI has the Chair of Transformation of the Economic Model on energy and climate change, focused on the field of energy and climate change, in accordance with strategic line 10 of the Action Plan for the transformation of the Valencian economic model: to favour environmental and territorial balance.

The UA has the Chair of Transformation of the Economic Model on infrastructure, connectivity and territorial development, which focuses on the areas of infrastructure, connectivity and territorial development, specifically on aspects related to the analysis of connectivity both at an intra-community level and with the rest of the national territory; the efficiency of transport in urban areas and its relationship with a balanced residential market.

In addition, for the first time, chairs will be created in this field by the Universitat Politècnica de València and the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche. The UPV is creating the Chair of Transformation of the Economic Model on the digitisation of the Valencian economy, oriented towards the importance of new software-based technologies and the impact they have on both the industrial and service sectors, whether traditional or those made possible precisely by the existence of these technologies.

Likewise, the University Miguel Hernández will have the Chair of Transformation of the Economic Model on social and inclusive innovation, which will develop its activities in the fields of social and inclusive innovation, specifically in aspects related to technological change, the relationship of business activity with the environment and the impact of this on certain groups.