04 April 2022
Bilbao Campus
The University of Deusto and AS Optimum have signed an agreement to collaborate over the next three academic years in scientific and technological fields of mutual interest, with a special focus on the promotion of young talent towards the development of new proposals in the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
The agreement, signed by one of the founding partners of AS Optimum, Jorge Tarilonte, and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Asier Perallos, will promote the development of cooperative training activities through the creation of a new university-business technology workshop with professionals from AS Optimum and students from the University of Deusto.
The objective of this common space is the joint resolution of projects and technological challenges related to the digital transformation of the Construction and Engineering sectors. It will also promote activities for academic staff training, the development of divulgative and educational content, and other university outreach activities, as well as technical talks, seminars, professional meetings, and other events at Deusto's facilities.
"AS Optimum is focused on delivering real and tangible value to our customers, continuing to grow as an organisation, and expanding our capabilities hand in hand with our people. The digitisation of processes involved in the management of complex projects and the structuring of the data generated throughout their development using the latest technologies, is already having an impact and will have an increasing impact on our daily lives. This will allow us to make the best decisions in real time in order to achieve the objectives set”, Jorge Tarilonte said.
In this regard, he added that "being able to collaborate with the University of Deusto through the university-business technology classroom allows us to advance in our commitment to talent in the Basque Country. Thus, this workshop offers a framework where students can complete their training and gain experience through innovative challenges and real projects. In this way, they will have to apply the knowledge they have acquired, which will help them broaden their professional profile".
A revolution for academia
According to Dean Asier Perallos: "Data science and technology, as well as everything related to data exploitation and life cycle such as Natural Language Processing within AI field, are bringing about a major revolution in the professional market and also in academia. We are all experiencing a very striking qualitative leap, given that the expectations that companies, industries and organisations in general are placing on these matters seem to have no limits".
In addition, the university is also working on the practical application of these subjects. Therefore, "at Deusto we are committed to closely monitor this progress in society and we understand that in order to lead the university proposal in such a changing scenario, it is essential to work in collaboration with business actors. Thus, we should incorporate the experience of professionals who work in the continuous application of technical (and also scientific) paradigms to the challenges of the productive fabric. Moreover, thanks to this type of collaboration, we enjoy the differential value that business success stories provide to our students in the workshops", he pointed out.
The creation of this new university-business workshop coincides precisely with the deployment that the University of Deusto is making in terms of Digital Transformation, with degrees such as the new Bachelor’s in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (Bilbao and San Sebastian), which offers the option of combining it with the Computer Engineering degree (one of the most recognised specialisations of the Jesuit institution), and the new undergraduate degrees in Robotics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Computing and Intelligent Systems (master's degree), in Bilbao.
