Cintecx demonstrates its leadership in transfer to the Xunta: 270 contracts worth 4 million euros in just three years

“Cintecx is one of the highest-grossing research centers at UVigo, leading the number of contracts with companies, 91 in 2024 alone and nearly 270 signed in the last three years, amounting to approximately 4 million euros.” These are the most notable figures presented this Tuesday by Professor Ángeles Sanromán, director of the Center for Research in Technologies, Energies, and Industrial Processes, Cintecx, at the University of Vigo, during the visit of a delegation from the Xunta de Galicia led by the Secretary General of Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro, and also attended by the Deputy Director of University Scientific and Technological Promotion of the Xunta de Galicia, Irene Bonome, and the Head of the Research Planning and Structuring Service, Mercedes Vázquez.

Framed within the round of meetings of the General Secretariat of Universities with the research and technological centers of Galicia, Díez de Castro was received by the rector, Manuel Reigosa, along with the Vice-Rector for Research, Transfer, and Innovation, Belén Rubio; the Director of the Research Area, Ana Bernabeu, and Ángeles Sanromán herself.

Leaders in knowledge transfer to the business sector

Everyone highlighted the trajectory of Cintecx, recognized in 2024 as a collaborative center of the Cigus Network, its commitment to scientific excellence, and its ability to transfer knowledge to the Galician and international business sector. “In this center, the DNA and character of the University of Vigo are transmitted, where we have imprinted that the transfer of knowledge and the achievements obtained in the laboratory must reach society,” explained Reigosa.

For his part, the Secretary General admitted to being in a center “that impresses,” both for its themes, “all inserted in the priority needs of today’s society,” and for the large number of high-level research teams and personnel and the enormous amount of hardware and equipment necessary to carry out their work. “It is a center that is evolving in the right direction,” emphasized the Secretary General, who expressed his conviction that it is close to being named an excellent center in upcoming calls.

37 active patents in leading sectors

The visit began with a brief presentation in the center’s boardroom by the director, who took this moment to show the Xunta delegation the potential of Cintecx in its work areas and strategic lines in leading sectors such as green hydrogen and additive manufacturing, as well as its transfer capacity, which translates, among other things, into 37 active patents “reflecting the commitment of this center to the generation of transferable knowledge to the productive fabric.”

Since its launch in 2019, the center’s evolution has been, according to Sanromán, “significant,” achieving, as she explained, great milestones, among which she mentioned reaching first place in the number of groups with the highest funding – nearly 2 million euros in national and international calls – and second in UVigo’s R&D turnover, with nearly 1 million euros. “The support of the Xunta de Galicia, both with the recognition of Cintecx as a collaborative research center and with the evaluation of the work carried out by the reference and potential growth groups that integrate it, has been key to its development.”

The director of Cintecx also highlighted the excellent research potential of a center that closed 2024 with more than 154 publications indexed in high-impact journals, 42% of which were carried out with prestigious international groups and 39% located in the first decile of the Journal Citation Report, with nine researchers among the top 2% most cited in the world, according to the Stanford University Ranking 2024.

Multiple examples of projects that bet on innovation

During the tour of the different laboratories, the Xunta delegation had the opportunity to talk with the research staff and learn about the technical capabilities and projects being carried out at this center. They started at the Chemical Engineering laboratory, where researcher Ana Belén Moldes explained projects such as Surfacorn, which seeks to bring to market two biosurfactant extracts obtained from corn washing liquors for use in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and/or agrochemical industries, then moved to the Numerical Simulation room, where they learned about projects developed with different companies in the Galician and national energy and transport sectors. They also visited the common laboratory and learned about the different available equipment and continued to the Safe and Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources laboratory with researcher Teresa Rivas.

In the Geospatial Systems Laboratory, they were received by Pedro Arias, Belén Riveiro, and Joaquín Sánchez, who talked about the various ongoing projects, including SUM4Re, the creation of material banks from digital urban mining, a project led by UVigo and involving partners from nine European countries.

They also visited the Power Electronics Laboratory, where they learned more about the Fisterra project, Intelligent and Sustainable Factory through Advanced Power Electronics and Augmented Reality, a strong public-private innovation initiative that aims to provide a Galician solution to the challenge of decarbonizing maritime transport.

They visited the Additive Manufacturing and Laser Macroprocessing laboratories of the LaserON group, where Professor Juan Pou explained his team’s work on the European Everglass project, an initiative that will revolutionize the glass recycling process in Europe; and the Energy and Fluid Technology laboratory of the GTE group, where, among other works, Concepción Paz explained how they are participating in the design of a zero-emission tugboat powered entirely by green hydrogen.