The second edition of the mathematical modelling consultancy service for SMEs and startups offered by BCAM in collaboration with the DFB has arrived
The aim of this collaboration between the centre and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia is to strengthen the innovation of SMEs and startups through the transfer of advanced knowledge
Basque Center for Applied Mathematics - BCAM, in collaboration with the Provincial Council of Bizkaia (DFB), is going to carry out for the second year the mathematical modelling consultancy service, launched through Beaz, the DFB's public company that offers support to companies and entrepreneurs. The aim of this initiative is to increase R&D&I projects in local SMEs and start-ups through the transfer of advanced knowledge.
"Although an increasing number of large companies have mathematical teams for the development of their projects, for many SMEs it is still difficult to visualise their field of application. One of the objectives of this service", explains Olatz Goitia, Director of Beaz, "is to demonstrate that, whatever your sector, in every company a large amount of data is generated that must be exploited and processed efficiently".
The service has a duration of 3 months and offers participating SMEs and startups advice and support based on the specialities they need to address in their data diagnosis and fluid dynamic modelling projects. In the field of data diagnostics, advice is offered through advanced statistical analysis, development of predictive models and machine learning techniques. These are the companies chosen to participate in the project: Airlan Industrial, Solarpack and Tellmewow.
On the other hand, in the projects related to the diagnosis of fluid dynamic modelling, help is offered in the definition and development of numerical models, simulation and optimisation of processes, and even support in free CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software. In this case, we will be working with the companies ONA Electroerosión, Quilton and SUPRASYS.
"In this second edition, we will face new challenges through BCAM's data diagnosis service, in sectors such as the optimisation of industrial equipment manufacturing processes, the development of predictive models for the optimisation of photovoltaic energy in solar plants or the evaluation of the cognitive improvement of users through video games. Once again, we intend to contribute to the innovation of the selected companies by providing our scientific knowledge and experience in data management and pre-processing (a crucial aspect in any data science project) and mainly in advising on the modelling and development of algorithms that provide value to the companies. It is a process that has been very enriching in past editions, both for them and for us, as they present us with new challenges that allow us to think of innovative solutions and ideas for the development of new methods from real-world application" explains Dae-Jin Lee, coordinator of the data consultancy service.
For his part, Imanol Garcia-Beristain, Research Technician in the CFD Modelling and Simulation group, explains how the increase in applications for the current year shows the need for advanced mathematics in Basque industry. "Personally, I am happy to see how many of the collaborations with SMEs are becoming more established and widespread. It is a clear sign that we are doing things well and that there is a lot of room for process optimisation", says Imanol Garcia-Beristain, adding that "my expectation is that the companies in this edition will be satisfied with the advice and will also want to extend their collaboration; because technology is advancing rapidly and I think it is undeniable that having the support of a centre with BCAM's accredited knowledge is a good strategy". Compared to last year's edition, he believes that they are being more effective in the dialogue with the companies and in coming up with possible ideas, a fact that he considers no less important considering the limited time available to them.
Advice on mathematical modelling is being provided by members of BCAM's Knowledge Transfer Unit (KTU), who have extensive experience in the fields of Data Science and CFD. This platform aims to develop mathematical solutions to scientific challenges based on real-life applications and to collaborate with industry to boost fundamental research and knowledge transfer to the business world.
