University—Industry connection: KEPLER & UBU

BIOREM in the “Industry Thursdays” conference series within the KEPLER–University of Burgos collaboration

The BIOREM project was featured in the “Industry Thursdays” conference series, an initiative organised by the Ayuntamiento de Burgos with the aim of bringing the activity of local companies closer to citizens and highlighting their contribution to the economic and technological development of the region. The BIOREM partners, KEPLER Ingeniería y Ecogestión and the University of Burgos, showcased the importance of their fields of study related to the environment and soil health.

On Thursday, 7 May, KEPLER invited the University of Burgos to take part in its session within the series. The event, corresponding to Session 46, featured an intervention by Norbert Nägele, CEO and founder of KEPLER, who provided a broad and cross-cutting view of today’s industry, ranging from physics and scientific innovation to applications in biomethane, industrial decontamination and applied microbiology. His presentation highlighted the complexity of current challenges and the need to integrate engineering, energy and environmental considerations in industrial processes.

Throughout the session, topics such as soil and water decontamination, marine pollution, the use of microorganisms in remediation processes, industrial safety, incident management and the development of international projects from Burgos were also discussed. KEPLER’s strong commitment to research was emphasised, with 14% of its turnover dedicated to R&D, as well as its capacity to attract and retain talent.

The university–industry connection was represented by Rocío Barros, Scientific Director of ICCRAM at the University of Burgos, who presented the centre’s research lines in environmental sustainability, toxicology, environmental biotechnology, circular economy and critical raw materials recovery. Her participation highlighted the key role of academic research in developing applied solutions to industrial and environmental challenges.

This meeting reinforces the importance of collaboration between university and industry as a driver of innovation, as well as the shared commitment to advancing towards a more sustainable, competitive industry based on scientific knowledge.

📸: Norbert Nägele, CEO and founder of KEPLER; Rocío Barros, Scientific Director of ICCRAM – University of Burgos; Cinthia Alcántara, senior researcher at KEPLER; Alenka Mubi, project manager at LIMNOS.