The network of science parks of the Valencian public universities (rePCV) delivered last December 20th its IV Awards from the Science Park of Alicante, in which Cuatroochenta has been awarded with the prize Collaboration company-university. Recognition that values the involvement and participation of Cuatroochenta with the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón "in R&D programmes and projects whose results have contributed to establish a close relationship and continued collaboration".
A close relationship that translates into initiatives such as the Cuatroochenta Chair in Artificial Intelligence, Health and Wellbeing at the UJI, through which the technology company works together with research groups at the university to treat fragility and unwanted loneliness in people. It is currently working on projects such as Senior Monitoring (indoor location system to detect changes in behavioural patterns), Serena (conversational assistant to assess unwanted loneliness) and Sally (technology designed to assess frailty in the elderly through physical, cognitive and social exercises). In addition, the Cuatroochenta Chair also participates in the "Friendly City" project, promoted by the UJI and the Castelló City Council, by carrying out a diagnostic study that analyses whether the city has the resources to promote healthy and active ageing.
"We talk about university-company collaboration, but it should be bidirectional", explained Sergio Aguado, CIO and co-founder of Cuatroochenta, during the award ceremony, where he also took the opportunity to highlight the value of the agreement for transferring and attracting talent through the Cuatroochenta Chair: "It is a formula for the transfer of organic knowledge from the university research groups to the company, and vice versa", Aguado emphasised. In this way, technical staff of the Cuatroochenta Chair combine their research work with work for the company on a 50/50 basis: "What we learn in the Chair can be applied to Cuatroochenta".
Alfonso Ríos (PhysioMRI Tech, Spin-off Award), Adrián H Teruel (MATCH biosystems, startup award) together with Sergio Aguado, CIO of Cuatroochenta, at the IV rePCV Awards ceremony.
Bidirectional university-business collaboration
Cuatroochenta, which has its headquarters in Espaitec, the Science and Technology Park of the UJI and member of the rePCV, in this same direction this 2022 has launched Learnby-do, its High Performance Centre in technological training (CAR) aimed at undergraduate students, FP and FP Dual and through which in the last year have passed a total of 48 people in internships. A commitment to human training and continuous learning through practice and immersion of interns in the reality and day-to-day life of a programmer alongside the company's own technical team.
Involvement with both the university and its own environment, which is also represented in the collaboration in initiatives such as the Hackathon FACSA Castellón programmers' meeting, the Saturdays AI training cycle, the MIT4 educational programme, Reset Weekend or as a Corporate company in the Órbita Awards. Also its role as promoter, together with other companies, of Xarxatec (Association of Technological Companies of Castellón) and the talent recruitment programme Xarxatec Activa.
The awards, promoted by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), aim to highlight the value of companies in the rePCV ecosystems. In addition, a jury made up of different professionals from the science parks is responsible for choosing the winning companies in each category. In addition to Cuatroochenta, the Spin-off award went to PhysioMRI Tech (democratisation of access to MRI testing worldwide and the manufacture of a high quality, reliable and affordable MRI machine); and the Startup award to MATCH biosystem (an in vitro diagnostic company focused on the research and development of faster and more efficient IVD diagnostic devices). In addition, each category had two runners-up prizes: Newmanbrain and Prospera Biotech in Spin-off; EBHealth3 and Revoluz Energy Consulting in Startup; and Orizon and TRL Plus in the Business-University Collaboration category.