PHOTO: Manuel Castells

The proposal for the Campus of Excellence of the University of Navarra will be presented tomorrow in Madrid at the headquarters of the Higher Council for Scientific Research along with 21 other projects. "Horizon 2015. Where talent and progress come together" is based on the concept of Research University, in which research has an impact on more innovative and international teaching and results in a significant improvement in student training. The number of researchers will be significantly increased: around 400 new researchers will be added to the 1,500 already working at the University.

The four new research centers included in the Horizon 2015 Project (Bioengineering, Nutrition, Culture and Society Institute, and Neglected Diseases) respond to areas of knowledge that have been selected on the basis of research capacity and economic and social needs; moreover, they will base their management model and attract private investment on the experience of CIMA (Center for Applied Medical Research). The budget foreseen for each center is between 10 and 1.5 million euros, and they are expected to be fully operational by 2015.

In order to promote transfer, a Business Incubator will be created at the University of Navarra, whose mission will be to provide the most efficient possible market outlet for the research results generated at the centers. In this way, it will contribute to generate more employment and economic dynamism, especially in the region. Precisely, the University has been integrated in the Moderna Plan, a commitment to a new productive model promoted by the main political, economic and social agents of Navarre. Tomorrow, the main authorities of the region will be in Madrid to support the candidacy of the University of Navarra.

Cultural transfer, teaching quality and a sustainable campus

The Horizon Project 2015 has a special emphasis on the transfer of results, not only technological but also cultural, through the new Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of Navarra. This center will make available to Navarre and international society its art collection, which combines the legacy of María Josefa Huarte and the Photographic Fund, which has more than 8,000 photographs and includes the best photographic collection of the nineteenth century on Spain.

The project aims to improve the quality of teaching through a greater commitment to research, the internationalization of the faculty, and the training of students with a view to their subsequent professional careers. In addition, the University is working on a sustainable campus model so that citizens can enjoy a caring ecological environment.