During his speech, the Rector thanked Torrescamara for its commitment and support through the Chair and highlighted “the conceptual transformation the sector has undergone in recent decades.” Capilla noted that in earlier times the focus was mainly on safety and capacity, whereas “today the debate revolves around innovation, technology, data and intelligent infrastructures.”
The Rector emphasized that the current challenge lies in promoting projects that are resilient to adverse weather conditions such as DANA events, incorporating innovation as a structural element in the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of roads.
He also reaffirmed “UPV’s commitment to the triple helix model, based on collaboration between administrations and governments, academia and research, and industries and companies,” and stressed that the university will always collaborate within this framework.
The Rector pointed to the Torrescamara Chair itself and UPV’s leadership in this field, with more than 100 active chairs. José Capilla explained that “this collaboration is integrated into undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes, as well as regulated education,” and highlighted the role of the Lifelong Learning Centre, which he described as “a university within the university” due to its capacity to provide tailored training for companies and public administrations.
Regarding international positioning, the Rector recalled that the Shanghai Ranking places UPV among the top 75 universities worldwide in Civil Engineering and as the leading institution in Spain, a fact that, he noted, is often overlooked.
The opening session was chaired by Vicente Martínez, Third Vice-President and Regional Minister for Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery of the Valencian Government, together with Natalia Quintana, Director General for Roads of the Community of Madrid; Mª Remedio Mazzolari, Provincial Deputy responsible for the Roads Area of the Provincial Council of Valencia; and Juan F. Cámara, President of Torrescamara. The conference is organized by the Torrescamara Chair of the School of Civil Engineering at UPV, in collaboration with the Valencian Government, the Provincial Council of Valencia and the Community of Madrid.
