IQS held a new session in its cycle of activities marking the 25th anniversary of the Industrial Engineering programme, in which several alumni who today lead scientific and technological projects at international centres, hospitals, research institutions, and technology-based companies shared their vision of research as a driver of innovation. The roundtable, which brought together participants with very diverse career paths, painted a contemporary picture of engineering: a hybrid discipline capable of generating deep knowledge while simultaneously transferring it to society through real-world solutions.
Research and Technology Transfer Take Centre Stage at IQS Industrial Engineering 25th Anniversary Roundtable
The conversation opened with a reflection shared by all speakers: industrial engineering, despite its generalist nature, has become a privileged platform for tackling complex scientific problems. From biomechanics and bioprinting to additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence applied to medicine, and ecological regeneration, participants agreed that the cross-disciplinary training of industrial engineers makes it easier to integrate different languages and coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
One of the central points of the debate was the evolution of the very concept of “research.” Far from the stereotype of the isolated laboratory, the speakers emphasised that research today demands constant communication, international collaboration, and a strong relationship with industry. Dr. Helena de Puig Guixé explained how her career, developed across MIT, Harvard, and Exerna Biosciences, has combined scientific discovery with technological application — from developing diagnostics for tropical diseases to creating new molecular tools based on non-natural amino acids. She noted that many advances take years before reaching the market, but insisted that every publication, even those without immediate application, “remains and builds the knowledge that others will need later.”
In a similar vein, Dr. Antonio Gabino Salazar Martín, now a professor and researcher at IQS after completing his doctorate in the Harvard–MIT HST programme, described how industrial engineering allowed him to integrate into advanced bioscience teams to study the blood-brain barrier and the behaviour of cardiovascular cells through transcriptomic analysis. He noted that engineering provides a structured approach to analysing complex biological processes, bridging mechanics, materials science, and data analysis.
From Science to Entrepreneurship: How Research Projects Evolve into Real Solutions
The link between research and entrepreneurship occupied a significant part of the discussion. Francesc Canalejo Codina, a doctoral candidate at IQS, shared how a research project can evolve into a future company when a genuine need within the healthcare system is identified. “Research is the purest form of entrepreneurship,” he stated, highlighting that doctoral students learn to identify problems, mobilise resources, collaborate with hospitals and companies, and turn an idea into a viable solution.
Also taking part was Dr. Albert Forés Garriga, co-founder and CEO of NextReef Ecosystems, who explained how his thesis on nature-inspired structures — initially aimed at the aerospace sector — led to technologies for the restoration of marine ecosystems. This pivot, common in innovation processes, shows how research can reveal new opportunities applicable to environmental challenges.
Dr. Miquel Domingo Espín, now R&D Additive Manufacturing Project Manager at EURECAT, explored the role of additive manufacturing in industry. He highlighted that many current barriers to industrial adoption are not technical, but rather related to trust, regulation, and compatibility with existing production processes, and argued that applied research is the key to overcoming these obstacles.
Dr. Robert Texidó Bartés, CTO and co-founder of Tractivus and lecturer at IQS, offered his perspective on the importance of technology transfer and the essential role of communicating both successes and failures in accelerating scientific progress.
The session included a spontaneous debate with students, who raised questions about the future of doctoral studies, the perception of research as solitary work, the value of negative results, and the impact of artificial intelligence on scientific processes. The speakers agreed that a doctorate is not an isolated endeavour, but a naturally collaborative activity, and that AI can speed up preliminary literature reviews but cannot replace judgement or direct engagement with industry and social stakeholders.
In the closing segment, the researchers emphasised that industrial engineers bring specific value to scientific teams through their systemic thinking, ability to coordinate diverse profiles, and a natural orientation towards solving real-world problems. Beyond specialisation, they noted that what truly matters when embarking on a doctorate is motivation for a topic and the willingness to learn to think critically and in a structured way.
The roundtable closed with a message directed at students: research is not a foreign territory, but a genuine possibility for any engineer who wants to delve deeply into a challenge and generate knowledge with tangible impact.
25th Anniversary of IQS Industrial Engineering
The event forms part of the programme of activities marking the 25th anniversary of IQS Industrial Engineering, a series that in recent months has highlighted both the role of engineering in society and the diversity of profiles that define the field. The first session, held in autumn, championed female leadership as a driver of change in the sector, while the second gathering underscored the strategic importance of industrial engineering in the face of the energy and technological challenges confronting Europe. In this third session, the institution placed research and knowledge generation at the heart of the profession’s future.