Inauguration of the UAB Open Labs

Acte d'inauguració dels Open Labs UAB
On Monday 25 November at 12 noon, the UAB will inaugurate its new network of open innovation labs, a set of spaces for the experimentation, innovation and demonstration of new technologies and methodologies devised for the university community and nearby social and productive surroundings. The event will include a visit to the Design Lab at the School of Engineering and the Digital Lab at the Journals Hall of the Humanities Library.
 

25/11/2019

"The UAB Open Labs are spaces devised from the viewpoint of the maker culture. The are open innovation spaces for informal learning and collaborative research, which aim to make the campus become a place for experimentation", explains Alfons Miàs, coordinator of the project. "We aim to turn the campus into a smart campus, where ideas and services are tested and prototypes are created; and once they are tested, they can be implemented into real environments".

The event will include a visit to two of the first spaces already functioning: the Design Lab, created to make an idea become a real object thanks to digital manufacturing, and the Digital Lab, which will be dedicated to digitalisation, virtual reality, big data and computer vision.

The opening speech will be offered by UAB Rector Margarita Arboix and by Vice Rector for Innovation and Strategic Projects Javier Lafuente, who will speak on open innovation laboratories. Ramon Vilanova, Director of the UAB School of Engineering and Alfons Miàs will then explain the services offered by the Design Lab.

The second part of the inauguration will take place at the Journals Hall of the Humanities Library, where the Digital Lab is located. It will include the presentation of Vice Rector for Institutional Relations and Culture Carlos Sánchez. In addition to giving support to the innovative projects created on campus, the UAB Open Labs aim to work closely with surrounding entities in order to guarantee that these projects are developed in tune with the needs and challenges of businesses and organisations.

The UAB Open Labs began in 2014, when the UAB became a member of the European Network of Living Labs (ENOLL). Two years later, in 2016, the UAB joined forces with the CATLABS Network created by the Government of Catalonia. It is the result of a co-creation process which includes the needs of campus users linked to future digital laboratories.

The initiative receives the support of the “La Caixa” Foundation and the Secretary of Universities and Research of the Ministry for Business and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Funds (FEDER).

All those interested in receiving more information about the projects can send an email to: openlabs@uab.cat.

More information: 
UAB Open Labs website