The President of the Government of Catalonia pays tribute to the successes of the BETA Technological Center at the event celebrating its tenth anniversary

The president of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, inaugurated the new facilities of the BETA Technological Center at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), at an event marking the centre's tenth anniversary. The president was accompanied by the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, and the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig, among other representatives of politics and civil society, and by the University's most senior figures, including the president of the Balmes University Foundation and mayor of Vic, Albert Castells; the rector of UVic-UCC, Josep Eladi Baños; the general manager of the Balmes University Foundation, Jordi Baiget, and the director of the BETA Technological Center, Sergio Ponsá.

The president Salvador Illa visited the current premises and inaugurated the new facilities, with which the BETA Technology Center is increasing its space by 1,700 m². During his visit, he learned first-hand about the centre's research and knowledge transfer work in the field of circular bioeconomy and sustainability. During the institutional speeches, Salvador Illa stressed the Government of Catalonia's commitment "to help and support the BETA Technological Center on its path to being a pioneering centre, and to obtaining the funds necessary to continue its work," he said.

The President of the Government of Catalonia referred to the "attitude of perseverance and tenacity" with which the BETA Technological Center was created and which has led to its success, which has also been achieved by UVic-UCC with its own governance model. Illa maintained that "there must be leading technology and research centres outside Barcelona, providing territorial balance," and referring specifically to the BETA Technological Center, he said: "You are an example of how research at the highest level is carried out outside the capital." He said that this is consistent with the Government's objective, which is to "create prosperity and for it to be shared, not limited to certain regions or specific social classes."

More funds and becoming a CERCA centre 

Albert Castells placed the BETA Technological Center within the context of a model of federal university with a unique governance model, and said that Central Catalonia would not be the same today without the centre. For the same reason, he stressed the need for increased funds in order to expand the work done by the BETA Technological Center. "More robust and stable funding is needed if we are to enter a new era, and this must be achieved by creating a foundation with its own legal personality and becoming a CERCA centre, the first in Central Catalonia," he said, as "being a CERCA centre means we can consolidate our growth and seek new forms of funding." Castells concluded his speech by saying that "the future of BETA Technological Center is guaranteed by its innovative vision, the real impact of its research, international contacts, its ability to attract and retain talent, and its great team."

Josep Eladi Baños said that the BETA Technological Center embodies the success of the commitment that the University made to research, knowledge transfer and a social commitment ten years ago, and has become "one of the University's 'crown jewels' and an internationally renowned centre." Baños emphasised the centre's interest in "applying solutions to real problems and contributing to the well-being of people and society." He highlighted the help it offers the rural world to be "more sustainable and competitive", and the fact that the BETA Technological Center has become "a benchmark for local companies, taking into account that its profile has already gone beyond the boundaries of the Osona region."

Having a real impact on society

Sergio Ponsá explained that the centre's initial objectives were "to try to provide solutions to the territory's needs, and to have a real impact on society." He said that over the years, the work it has done has shown that "the BETA Technological Center is a successful experiment for building a fairer and more sustainable world," and he added that its major asset is the people who work there. Ponsá said that the centre "has done everything possible to provide a workplace which there is no internal competition, where people have been able to become consolidated in a stable environment, and grow professionally." 

In his speech, Ponsá reviewed the main projects and milestones achieved by the technological centre, and stressed that this has happened "without any external financial support, which is something that makes it even more laudable, because reaching this point has not been easy." For this reason, he thanked UVic-UCC for its support from the beginning and the government bodies, companies and individuals who have participated in the project for their confidence. Looking to the future, the director of the centre explained that the aim is to become a private non-profit foundation in 2025, "which will mean we can become more efficient, and aim to become a CERCA centre."

A video commemorating the tenth anniversary of the BETA Technological Center was screened during the event, which was attended by around 300 people, including representatives of companies, institutions and clusters from the environmental sector, and members of the university community. Several researchers working at the centre also talked about the developments that the institution has experienced, in the light of their professional and personal experience.

A facility of the future

The new space that UVic-UCC's BETA Technological Center inaugurated today supplements its area by 1,700 m², in addition to the 1,260 m² that it has occupied in the Can Baumann building in Vic since July 2021. This means that in the future, it will have a working area of almost 3,000 m². The new facilities are adjacent to the current ones and distributed on two floors. Part of them will be given over to offices, and the remainder to pilot plants and research laboratories. The current building will be maintained for research purposes, containing the offices of some scientific units and laboratories, which will be able to expand their capacity.

The new facilities will enable the BETA Technological Center to continue its national and international consolidation and growth in its areas of expertise, including environmental technologies and circular bioeconomy, applied ecology, green and digital transition, and the optimisation of sustainability, among other areas. The BETA Technological Center has participated in 62 European projects to date - 45 of which are ongoing - and more than twenty projects in Spain, and has collaborated with over a hundred companies, either in the form of a direct contract or by including them in consortia for international competitive projects. This centre currently has a staff of 110 professionals and a budget of 6 million Euros, a figure thirty times higher than in 2014.

New synergies in the territory

The BETA Technological Center is working to expand its activities in order to become more competitive and increase its impact on the territory. It has established a relationship involving collaboration with the BiBio research group at the Granollers Natural Sciences Museum, which has so far led to joint projects related to the study of biodiversity, the development of bioindicators and citizen science. 

The BETA Technological Center has also reached an agreement with the company Fertilizantes del Ebro (FERTIEBRO) and the Tervalis Group in order to have offices and laboratories at the FERTIEBRO facilities in Soses (in the Segrià region). The technology centre now has funding for three European projects in the province of Lleida (in Balaguer, Menarguens and Soses). 

Furthermore, as part of its activities related to the management and conservation of sea turtle nesting sites in the western Mediterranean, work is also in progress with Roses Municipal Council to have its own facility in the town in the near future.