UOC promotes tech start-ups with social impact

SpinUOC, the entrepreneurship and innovation event run by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), has been held on six occasions, featured 52 projects and attended by more than 1,200 people. This initiative, organized on the Hubbik (Hub for Business, Innovation and Knowledge) platform and now in its seventh year, will be holding its showcase event at the former Estrella Damm brewery in Barcelona on 13 June.

An online shop selling products with labels in Braille to make shopping easier for the visually impaired. A platform to make grants more accessible to disadvantaged students. An affordable motion capture suit. An instant messaging app with the features and security required for communication with and between healthcare professionals An app to help consumers keep waste to a minimum. Video games tested in hospitals to help patients cope with illness in the healthiest way possible. A smart watch to monitor elderly people with special healthcare needs. A special backpack for women who have had breast cancer.

These are the eight projects that will receive support following their presentation at SpinUOC. The event aims to spotlight entrepreneurship in the UOC community – ie initiatives from students, graduates, professors, researchers and staff – by promoting projects preselected by a panel of experts. Support for entrepreneurship is part of the UOC's strategy to "identify opportunities for interaction with the production sector and knowledge sharing", commented Àngels Fitó, UOC Vice President for Competitiveness and Employability.

Based on their innovative quality and their social impact and potential, the panel selected the eight aforementioned initiatives from more than 150 entries. The promoters of the projects will give short, creative presentations lasting less than five minutes, at an event where the focus is on networking. Afterwards, three prizes will be awarded and there will be live music along with other surprises.