UVic-UCC's Granollers facility opens the new laboratories for the bachelor's degree course in Automotive Engineering, covering an area of 1,400 m²

This afternoon, the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) and Granollers Municipal Council inaugurated and presented the new laboratories for the bachelor's degree course in Automotive Engineering taught by the University at its facility in Granollers. The new laboratory are located behind Can Muntanyola, where the UGranollers facility is currently located, and they cover a total area of 1,404 m², of which 1,074.92 m² are indoors. The new buildings contain four large automotive laboratories, two classrooms that can be converted into coworking spaces, a multi-purpose workspace and an administrative area. There is also an outdoor area for the construction of future practice tracks, parking for corporate electric cars and outdoor work spaces.

For UVic-UCC, the new spaces at the Granollers facility reinforce the University's presence in the town and consolidate its territorial project. UVic-UCC aims to establish links with government bodies, companies and local institutions in order to combine synergies based on the triple paradigm of teaching, research and knowledge transfer. The new UGranollers facility also bolsters the University's commitment to higher education in the automotive field and to training in internships, in a region where this sector is very significant. At the same time, it strengthens the links between UVic-UCC and Granollers Municipal Council, which was responsible for tendering and co-funding the works, which were budgeted at 852,000 Euros and carried out by the company Serveis Integrals 360.

A new era 

The inauguration of the new laboratories was attended by Josep Eladi Baños, the rector of UVic-UCC; Alba Barnusell, the mayor of Granollers; Albert Castells, the mayor of Vic and president of the Balmes University Foundation (FUBalmes), and Malu Calle, the dean of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering at UVic-UCC. The event was also attended by Jordi Baiget, the general manager of the Balmes University Foundation, members of UVic-UCC, councillors of the Granollers Municipal Council, and representatives of Catalonia's automotive companies, among other dignitaries. The coordinator of the bachelor's degree course in Automotive Engineering, Raimon Pericas, gave a guided tour of the facilities. 

During the speeches, the rector of UVic-UCC emphasised that the University have been looking forward to these facilities for a long time, and that they are very important "for consolidating and promoting not only this engineering degree, but other studies that are to come in the future." The rector also took the opportunity to explain that the inauguration coincided with the accreditation of the bachelor's degree in Automotive Engineering, for which these spaces are essential.

Malu Calle also mentioned that these are long-awaited facilities for a bachelor's degree course that is in great demand, and which has just begun its seventh academic year. Fifty new students start the course each year, and it currently has a total of 170 students. According to the dean, "what makes the bachelor's degree in Automotive Engineering at UVic-UCC attractive is the number of internships that take place in companies, which amount to around 1,000 hours." The hybrid training format "requires prior preparation so that the students can meet the requirements," she said. Calle also referred to the constant changes that the automotive sector is experiencing, which is why "as those responsible for training new engineers, we understand our responsibility to adapt the content of the bachelor's degree course to the needs of the market."

Albert Castells expressed his pleasure at being able to inaugurate facilities like these, and said that "with the accreditation of the bachelor's degree in Automotive Engineering, a project that is already robust is now consolidated." The mayor congratulated the town of Granollers on this new facility, and stressed that: "We hope to have a strong partner in this town to reinforce our studies; we hope this will be the first of many more projects together."

Alba Barnusell concluded the speeches by saying that it was a great day for partnerships in the territory, since "when projects are undertaken based on agreement and consensus, they end up becoming a reality." The mayor said that "it is a day for congratulating everyone who has worked hard to reach this point." After seven academic years of the bachelor's degree course at UGranollers, she said, "we affirm the present and define the future," and she expressed her satisfaction that 60% of the internships by students on this degree course take place in companies in the region.

Laboratories to enhance practice

Two of the four new laboratories in the bachelor's degree course in Automotive Engineering are for electronic and industrial projects, and allocated to the study and practice of basic electronic projects. Each one has an area of 152.6 m², and has twenty-four workstations equipped with electronic instrumentation and equipment, including oscilloscopes with function generators, power supplies and multimeters. There is also an additive manufacturing machine (an FDM 3D printer with a double extruder) and a panel of hand tools for basic manufacturing in one of these laboratories. Among other features, the other laboratory will have electric motors, models for circuit simulations, electric motor controls and plate simulators for heat engine control. This facility means that any type of electronic circuit can be simulated, analysed and measured.
A third laboratory, with an area of 159 m², is given over to manufacturing. Students can produce functional physical prototypes in this space, which is equipped with conventional production machinery (a lathe, a milling machine, CNC numerical control machine, etc.). This workshop is used for the practical side of various courses, in which students acquire the skills they need to carry out mechanical projects. It is also used for courses based on PBL (project-based learning) which have a considerable practical aspect. The aim for the future is for students to be able to develop real prototypes of their ideas by applying all the knowledge they have acquired during the bachelor's degree course.

The fourth laboratory, which is the largest, with an area of 213 m², is the automobile mechanics space, designed to enable students to learn practical knowledge about vehicles and vehicle components. Here they will assemble and disassemble heat engines, electric vehicles and vehicles with a heat engine. There are two cars provided by Seat, two motorcycles provided by Kawasaki, and several electric vehicles, including mopeds, scooters and an electric motorcycle. 

The new engineering laboratories, which will be occupied on a regular basis for more than 360 hours a year, are available outside course practical working hours, meaning that students can work independently outside their established practical work timetable. The present laboratory, which is located in the building of the Intersectorial Business Unit (UEI), will remain open in order to convert it into a laboratory for the Student Formula; all the current spaces at Can Muntanyola, allocated to classrooms and the secretary's office, will also be retained. 
Classrooms and shared work spaces

The new facilities at UGranollers contain 145.43 m² of classrooms and shared work spaces. There are two teaching classrooms with twelve places each, which can be converted into one with twenty-four places, which are equipped with mobile desks and electrical connections. The same classrooms can be transformed into coworking spaces for meetings and group work sessions, and contain tables and chairs, a Wi-Fi network, a projector and multimedia equipment.

There are also work spaces available to students equipped with computers and a Wi-Fi network, with extensive opening hours for study or for use as a dining and recreation area.