"The alliance between business and the university integrates scientific rigor with business innovation to address current challenges."

The growing partnership between the world of business and the university facilitates the integration of scientific rigor in the innovation process of companies and in policies and decision making that affect everyone. This was one of the main conclusions of the third edition of "Bioma Talks, dialogues on sustainability between industry and academia" organized by the University of Navarra, held at campus in Madrid. This activity is promoted by the project BIOMA Center of the University of Navarra, in partnership with the Impactun Foundation.

As stated by the president of the University of Navarra, María Iraburu, "what our University can contribute to companies is research applied and consultancy service carried out by scientists; a continuous training plan for its professionals for the update of their knowledge; and young talent, university students who enter the working world with a deep perspective of sustainability, with a capacity for entrepreneurship and with the necessary skills for the current labor context, in addition to the specific knowledge of their degree program".

María Iraburu added that research on sustainability issues at the University has a very applied character and multidisciplinary. "Scientists turn out to be good allies to help companies find solutions". During her speech, the president also highlighted the strong impact of the Education in the sustainable social development because "the changes that the world needs are made by people with the training and skills necessary to face them, so schools and universities play a crucial role". Thus, the main project of the University of Navarra, the BIOMA Center, focuses on the program educational for schoolchildren and on training especially for university students, so that they can enter contact with science and nature, thus awakening in them respect and admiration for natural resources and becoming people committed to caring for people and the environment.

For her part, Reyes Cerezo stressed the need to generate alliances between institutions and universities: "Currently, the challenges at subject social, environmental and economic are so complex and happen so quickly, that alliances are essential to avoid making quick decisions from companies, to be able to feed on analysis and data, and thus move forward with the rigor of science and the independence of a well-done research ". The sustainability director of Ence Energía y Celulosa has advocated for the transversality of this concept in the business and the need to favor internally a sustainable culture so that all professionals can contribute innovative solutions from this perspective. "Sustainability needs all the Departments of a business and to be projected in the long term deadline. Although the current moment is very complex and changing at great speed, it is necessary to attend to the day-to-day without losing a serene and constructive look at the future".