The Knowledge Research and Transfer Support Office works to provide a response to the needs of the professionals taking part in the university’s R+D+I activity. Among the various services offered, we would highlight the following.
Publicity and knowledge transfer
How and where can R+D+I activity be publicised? The OSRT provides information about the available publicity platforms (UOC website, external media...) and on how to record the research activity of the GIR CV and then generate it.
Exploiting and protecting the results obtained from this activity is the core activity of the knowledge transfer service, which places special emphasis on the UOC’s intellectual and industrial property rules.
Finally, the OSRT also provides maximum support for organising seminars, from the possible sources of finance to publicising them.
Encouraging innovation
The OSRT works to encourage innovation at the UOC, managing and providing support to initiatives with outstanding innovation cutting across its activities and processes as an identifying feature. Among other things, the Office is in charge of managing the periodic internal grant application processes (APLICA) promoted by the university to bring out projects with impact on its teaching or management activities and strategic and interdisciplinary projects from the university.
Project management
The OSRT supports University R+D+I staff throughout the life of a project with both internal and external finance, from drawing up a proposal to justifying it.
Along these lines, it works together with the project leader in the acceptance or waiver of external grants, the overall planning of the project, publicity and time management. It also provides support in expenditure and changing the budget, partners, schedules, research team members, etc.
Outside collaboration
The signing of collaboration agreements between the UOC and a business or organisation, subcontracting tasks to an outside person or company or hiring a person for a specific R+D+I activity are procedures included in this service intended to offer the maximum information and manage the corresponding procedures in each case.
The OSRT also gives advice on the need to sign a confidentiality document before outside collaboration.
Sources of finance and proposals
The OSRT works to make general and specific information about current and scheduled application processes for external finance and the UOC’s internal grants plan available to all University R+D+I staff.
To do this, it offers wide-ranging advice on the finance opportunities existing in different areas (European, Spanish and autonomous community) and gives support to the presentation of a proposal or application, coordinating and managing its preparation.
Mobility of research staff
Whether it concerns an R+D+I stay outside the UOC or an application for a lecturer or researcher to stay at the University, the OSRT makes all information relating to administrative procedures (visas, various certificates...) and finance (internal and external mobility grants) available to interested parties.
The OSRT also offers practical information on accommodation for visiting lecturers and researchers and advice in cases when their families also want to come to Barcelona.
Structure of R+D+i activities
The OSRT offers wide-ranging information on the research, innovation and transfer activity carried out at the UOC, as well as its structure and organisation in thematic areas and research groups.
In this sense, the OSRT offers various tools and documents for finding out about the University’s R+D+i activity in depth: the R+D+I Activities Report and R+D+I and knowledge transfer at the UOC website.
Tools and equipment
The Integrated Research Management tool (GIR), the online budget monitoring tool (Discoverer) and the OpenCMS content management platform are computerised tools the UOC makes available for R+D+I activities.
In this sense, the OSRT offers the support necessary for the best possible use of these tools (handbooks, user guides, UOC style book) and also takes charge of handling the acquisition of loaned computer and audiovisual equipment.
Expenditure
The OSRT manages the acquisition of bibliography, computer and audiovisual equipment, office material, travel, registration at congresses, etc. as part of an R+D+I project. Expenditure is monitored using the Discoverer tool, for which the OSRT will supply a handbook.
In this sense, it also offers information and support for hiring third parties and for collaborating with or hiring a person for an R+D+I activity (procedures, documents, applications...).