Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) and the business organisation Cecot have entered into a cooperation agreement to establish a long-term partnership between academia and the business world and promote joint initiatives in training, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship.

The agreement was signed by the rector of UIC, Alfonso Méndiz, and Oriol Alba Sendra, secretary general of Cecot.

The agreement aims to leverage UIC’s academic, research and innovation expertise to meet the needs of businesses and professionals associated with Cecot, through the Cecot Formació Foundation and the Persona i Treball Foundation.

“The purpose of the agreement is to establish effective, practical forms of cooperation that enable both institutions to develop initiatives of mutual interest,” Alba explained.

According to Carlos Cosials, director of the Master’s Degree in AI for Business, Big Data and Analytics at UIC, “This agreement will help us build stronger links between two worlds that need each other: the knowledge we generate at the university and the real needs of the business ecosystem. We want students with an initiative or business idea to find ways to put it into practice and continue moving forward after completing their studies. At the same time, we want businesses and professionals associated with Cecot to view UIC as a partner that can help meet their training needs and keep their knowledge up-to-date.”

In this regard, the agreement sets out several areas for collaboration. In terms of education, Cecot and UIC will promote and organise training activities, specialisation courses and professional development events, among other initiatives.

As for knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship, both institutions will drive joint initiatives, develop actions geared towards fostering an entrepreneurial mindset and support the creation of new businesses.

A first agreement on artificial intelligence

As the first step in implementing the framework agreement, Cecot and UIC have signed a dedicated training agreement for the University’s Master’s Degree in AI for Business, Big Data and Analytics, offering preferential enrolment terms for students applying through the business organisation.

This initial collaboration gives businesses access to specialised training in areas that are playing an increasingly key role in transforming business models, such as artificial intelligence, data analytics and Big Data.

For Cecot, the agreement reflects its commitment to strengthening cooperation with universities and other institutions, as well as creating new training, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship opportunities for businesses and professionals in its network.

In this regard, the agreement will help connect the University’s expertise, research and innovation with the region’s training, professional development and business growth needs.

The partnership also aims to promote entrepreneurship, facilitate access to new knowledge and generate opportunities for businesses and professionals associated with Cecot.