MEMBERS' HIGHLIGHTS

Valencia Microclusters

VLC-CAMPUS: Valencia, International Campus of Excellence

The University of Valencia (UV), the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), as part of the Campus of International Excellence (Ministry of Education), have decided to create a scientific and technology plan, with an outstanding leadership on those aspects of higher quality and relevance, and with a remarkable international presence, specializing in the areas or 3Joint Innovation Platforms:

• Health Science and Technology Platform
• Information and Communication Technologies
• Sustainability Innovation Platform

This proposal is a cooperative strategy of the major knowledge-producing institutions in the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia, in a context of increasing international competition, considered necessary to add and integrate resources to improve the size and international presence.

The main teaching improvement actions include the creation of an International Postgraduate and Doctoral School, which provides teaching facilities aimed at a higher quality and international projection, the creation of groups of high academic achievement, an Inter-University Unit for International Exchange Students, and an extensive program of EHEA including improvement of infrastructures, creation of CRAI and full integration of ICT into teaching and learning.

The Research Microclusters (RM) are structures based on an interdisciplinary and interuniversity research group organised around a specific project, but whose membership of the platform gives them a broader framework of reference, reach and guidance. Initially, in the framework of Innocampus, have been identified 18 micro-clusters, however, VLC/CAMPUS intends to foster new microclusters based on the identification of emerging research groups and promote interdisciplinarity and interinstitutionality.

Research Microclusters

1. Functional nanomaterials and nanodevices
2. Biomedical physics, technology and engineering
3. Regenerative medicine
4. Drug development and identification of therapeutic targets
5. Sensors and rapid analytical techniques
6. Personal independence, dependence and serious mental disorders
7. Pathophysiology of rare diseases
8. Food safety and functionality
9. Synthetic biology
10. Adaptation of plants to environmental stress conditions
11. Energy sustainability
12. Technologies for sustainable water management
13. Presence and mixed reality (virtual and augmented)
14. Computer architecture and advanced communications
15. Multimodal interaction in pattern recognition and image analysis
16. Intelligent, safe and sustainable transport
17. Economics and law of transfer and innovation
18. Human capital and occupational health in a sustainable economy

Equipment Investment

Five Million Euros will be invested in new equipments. The working groups in Health Research Microclusters will fully exploit these resources to provide services for scientific and technological R&D&i.

Among others, we can highlight the following:

• High Resolution Transmission Electronic Microscope TEM with EDS, linked to Dental Biomaterials research, with a cost of 738.500 Euros.
• Ultrafast Transient Absorption Spectroscopy, related to Drug-light interactions in biological systems and adverse reactions research, valued at 375.000 Euros.
• Hybrid LC/MS/MS ion Trap System- LC Maldi TOF-TOF, for a wide range of research areas, such as Functionality, quality and food safety, Physiopathology of Rare diseases, Functional Integration of mucosa microbiome, Quick analytic techniques and sensors, and Therapeutic targets and drug discovery. The cost of this equipment is 954.000 Euros.

More information here