Volkswagen Navarra and the University of Navarra have inaugurated the twentieth edition of the Chair of business, with the presentation of the five projects in which they will collaborate next academic year 2018-19. The event, which took place in the Museum of the academic center, was attended by the President, Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero, and the president of Volkswagen Navarra, Emilio Sáenz.

The five projects on which the two institutions will work will focus on the biodegradation of phenols, communication and innovation, analysis of technical aspects in the bodywork, mobility of workers and training plan of the workforce, with the goal to promote applied research projects that respond to the needs of the automotive business .

In his speech, Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero emphasized that "the university and business have different visions, but are totally compatible" and that "the proximity between the two financial aid helps to train citizens capable of solving real problems". For his part, Emilio Sáenz underlined the three fundamental ideas of the Chair: the variety and multidisciplinarity of the projects, the friendship that arises in the teams of work, and the long history of the union between the two entities.

The five projects

The five projects will be carried out jointly by researchers from the University of Navarra and Volkswagen professionals. The first one, "Waste analysis", will be carried out at position by Professor Francisco Javier Peñas (School of Sciences) and Ana Moreno (department of Environment of Volkswagen Navarra). Its goal is to verify the feasibility of the aerobic biodegradation process of phenols in the effluent of Volkswagen Navarra.

Another of the works that will be developed will be pioneering, since it is the first time that the topic of communication in the processes of open innovation is addressed. Professors Elena Gutiérrez and Mónica Recalde (School of Communication) and José Antonio Alfaro (School of Economics), together with Jesús Zorrilla (Communication of Volkswagen Navarra), have two objectives: to determine the Degree of development of communication in the field of open innovation and to propose measures to improve and enhance it.

Researcher Elisabeth Viles(TECNUN Engineering School) together with Ignacio Olalde (Volkswagen Navarra Production) propose a methodology to help identify the main factors that influence the quality of the bodywork.

On the other hand, from the department of Geography, the researcher Juan José Pons together with Ana Moreno (Environment, Volkswagen Navarra) will address the topic of the changes in the daily mobility of the workers comparing the bus routes implemented in 2018 compared to the previous status .