Bio: the IQS Symbiosis between Teaching, Research, and Transfer

This month, we learned that the IQS Master’s Degree in Bioengineering has been recognized by the El Mundo 250 Masters 2021 ranking as the best postgraduate programme in the area of Biosciences in Catalonia. It has also been distinguished as the third best in this sector in all of Spain and the best taught by a private university. The excellent ratings for this master’s degree have remained strong year after year.

The scoring criteria include very diverse aspects such as demand, the type of students, the professors, the teaching methodology, the curriculum, classrooms and laboratories, in-company internships, student evaluations, and job placement. The overall research activity and knowledge and technology transfer carried out by the university don’t appear as relevant criteria, nor do the professors individually or as part of the research groups to which they belong.
However, IQS firmly believes that, as a university, teaching cannot be separated from scientific research and technology transfer. For us, professors must combine the three activities in their day-to-day work as each area builds upon the others in an ecosystem that multiplies the impact of the symbiosis. Professors who do research understand new scientific challenges that affect society and make contributions based on their knowledge, their work, and sharing the results they obtain. Professors who engage in technology transfer are knowledgeable about the needs of companies and their end customers. As researchers and experts in their area, they provide innovative solutions and are able to advise and collaborate on new technological developments. These activities keep professors in an environment that is in close contact with the social and industrial reality. In this environment, we never stop learning.

This contact with our surroundings and continuing learning are stressed to our students, especially when it comes to postgraduate and master’s degree courses. This mindset enables us to work on case studies, provide real-life examples, and analyse trends in industrial sectors, respecting the confidentiality agreements signed with other agents within the system at all times. All of this forms part of our teaching methodology to contribute to preparing new generations of professionals.
For anyone who is interested in finding out about the capabilities, facilities, and services that IQS offers to companies in the fields of biosciences, biotechnology, and bioengineering, we are pleased to offer you the new IQS Tech Transfer Biosciences catalogue, which we hope will help you to identify new business-university partnership opportunities between your entity and IQS.

Have a great summer and we hope to see you again when school is back in session!

Dr Núria Vallmitjana
Director of IQS Tech Transfer