SCIENCE

Research groups from all over Spain came together to create Red Española Matemática-Industria

• Its main objective is to increase the productive use of mathematics in the private sector
• Initially involved in 30 network research groups in Spain with a cluster of 300 researchers and support staff

After five years of working together in framework of the project Consolider Ingenio Mathematics, thirty research groups aimed at technology transfer mathematical met this morning in Santiago de Compostela to create Red Española Matemática-Industrias (math-in.net). The mission of this network is to increase the presence of mathematical methods and techniques in the productive sector, through business-university collaboration in strategic projects.

The role of the Network will consist on the one hand, to function as a forum for communication and exchange experiences among members of research groups aiming to improve their coordinate and optimize resources and on the other hand, to act as a "single window" to the business and technology centers, to identify a caller when it need a fix particular problem or implement a joint initiative.

Thus, the creation of this network very positive influence, according to its chairman, the Professor of Applied Mathematics at USC Peregrina Quintela, both in the "increased competitiveness of Spanish research groups involved "how" to achieve a real impact on the industry, "as has happened in other countries that have similar networks (MITAC Canada, Australia or MASCOS in Industrial Mathematics KTN in the UK).

Composition and objectives of the Network
The Red Española Matemática-Industria was created with the participation of 30 research groups from 19 Spain's universities, comprising about 300 researchers and support staff. These groups have very important research. In the last decade it led to about 300 research projects of regional character, national and European, have signed more than 400 direct contracts with industry and transferred more than 40 software packages that are being exploited by companies. In the short term, it is expected to also incorporate the business sector.

Along with the main objective of the network to increase the presence of the techniques and methods mathematicians in the industry, the president of the network noted three goals: increase number and quality of the relationships between strategic groups and industry, secure the advantage competitive groups involved through the registration and exploitation of the results of their investigations, and enhance the technological image of the mathematical community in Spain.

Regarding these objectives, the network marked a series of goals to meet within three years, including: achieving 100 competitive projects or contracts directly with companies, give 25 training courses, publishing 25 articles and theses within the framework of projects / contracts with the sector productive, get 10 entries in the Registry of Intellectual Property and patent applications, create 5 technology-based companies and 900 institutions spread between the capabilities of the network.

The president acknowledged that the network is still a long way to go under mathematical approach to technology to a larger number of companies, however stressed that there a growing demand and availability to collaborate by industry. Some examples of areas in which they have applied mathematical techniques are, for example, improved protection data in public administration, simulating the movement of passengers at airports, systems of control variables agroclimáticas systems, noise control and vibration in vehicles, studies on efficacy and safety of treatments, optimization of the planning transport in cities, simulation of processes of generation facilities, power control quality processes in metallurgy, Prediction of water quality in mining lakes, planning production, etc..

Evolution Project Consolider Ingenio Mathematica
This network was created as a development project Consolider Ingenio Mathematica (i-Math), which end in April 2012, and through that developed a huge task of dissemination, information and establishment of relations between the university and the company.

The result of this intense activity emerged a number of partnerships and contracts between research groups and industry that are expected to increase dramatically in coming years. Specifically, through the Platform Consulting Project I-172 MATHIAS contacted with entities, visitáronse 52 companies, identified 27 initiatives in sectors such collaboration diverse as the Materials, Construction, Energy, Telecommunications and Environment and many others companies have shown interest in collaborating with research groups of the Network.

Therefore, given the time frame of the project Consolider Ingenio Mathematica is about to end, the creation of this network will give continuity to this activity and enjoy the opportunities arising from the project.

California, a leader in technology transfer mathematical
The fact that the Web is presented in Galicia is because the Galician research groups (nine research groups in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and Operations Research from the three Galician universities along with the Supercomputing Center of Galicia) have played a role especially relevant in the design platform Consulting i-Math, focused on promoting mathematical technology transfer to industry.

Also, you must indicate that 58.5% of contracts with companies and 31% of projects competitive research was conducted by research groups in Galicia, according to the Survey Offer for Groups and Technological Research Organizations held in the framework of the project i-Math. These data place Galicia as a leader in the field of Industrial Mathematics.

In this context, the president of the network wanted to pay tribute to one of the scientists Galician pioneers in the field, Professor Alfredo Bermudez de Castro Lopez-Varela.

Extensive academic and institutional representation
The ceremony of presentation of the Network was attended a broad representation of academia and business. It involved the rectors of the Universities of Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña Vice-rector for Research and the University of Vigo, the director of the Center Galicia Supercomputing (CESGA) on behalf of the Directorate General for R + D of the Board of California, Tobias Javier Garcia, and Deputy Director General of Promotion of Business Innovation Ministry of Science and Innovation, Luis Cueto Alvarez de Sotomayor. Representing the sector business part of the CEO FerroSolar that explained the advantages of university-enterprise collaboration for business innovation.

Among the audience were also the presidents of the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society and the Society of Statistics and Operations Research, representatives of the Spanish Society of Applied Mathematics, researchers, representatives of member universities of the network, representatives of the governments of the regions that belong to groups that form part of the network, as well as representatives of business and technology centers employees. Research groups from all over Spain come together to create