Resumen de Elaboration of an innovation project proposalfor a real company based on its R&D&I strategiesderived from its markets needs and its core competences

Francisco Sánchez Fuente, Enara Zarrabeitia Bilbao, María Begoña Etxebarria Robledo

• The importance of innovation in maintaining and improving business competitivenessis undeniable. Competitiveness and innovation are concepts that inevitably accompany andcomplement each other. The internalisation of both is considered a priority for a bachelor ofIndustrial Organization Engineering. A third year bachelor student already displays the personal andconceptual maturity that grants him a greater degree of responsibility and awareness of his realityto participate positively in the workplace. They must acquire and develop skills that allow them,in addition to internalising knowledge, to feed and generate their own knowledge to apply to theconcrete reality of the company.Based on this premise, and based on the foundations established in the European HigherEducation Area (EHEA), work is being done to adapt the teaching-learning process to the needs of thecurrent framework that the relationship between education and professional training seems to require.Hence, here emerges the interest in defining Bachelor Degrees that provide a more comprehensivemeaning and content to the student, which is why it is important to strengthen the cohesion betweensubjects that make up the course.In the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), specifically in the Faculty of Engineeringin Bilbao, and within the Bachelor of Industrial Organization Engineering, we have developedan Innovation Project that connects two complementary subjects: “Competitiveness and BusinessInnovation” and “Industrial and Technological Policy”, in the third and fourth academic courses. Aprocess is proposed that begins with the detection of company’s R&D&I needs, and ends with thedefinition of a research project in response to these needs.Each student, as part of a team, contributes to the development of the technological diagnosisof an SME (from Bizkaia) as the basis for defining an innovation project. This project must respondto the characteristics and needs of the company, as well as to the requirements of potential subsidies.The opinions expressed by the students who have participated in the experience have given positiveevaluations, which encourage the design of this type of project.