Research and innovation
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
AT THE UCU
We aim to develop excellence in scientific research, aligned with the highest quality world standards. We promote a strong collaboration with universities and partners from different sectors to form working networks, both nationally and internationally.
Undergraduate and postgraduate students learn to conduct research through involvement in research projects led by our research professors.
Consistent with our mission and vision, we work with state agencies, civil society, the Church, the United Nations, academia, companies and the political system. Through basic and applied research, we seek to provoke changes in the society we live in.
The Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation supports and encourages our research professors to promote their development.
Our professors who are highly-dedicated to research (acronym PiAD) work in 12 departments. The departments also house “High Dedication Professors” (acronym PAD).
The UCU also has three doctoral programs, in Psychology, Engineering and Communication. Innovation distinguishes strategic processes at UCU. Today we have three centers that support innovation in different areas: the Ithaka Center, the Agora Center and the Ignis Center. We also have five renowned journals and a Research Ethics Committee to enhance our work.
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Researchers in the National Research System
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Doctoral Students
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Indexed journals
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Laboratories
Our departments
Administration and Business
Administration and Business
The Administration and Business Department aims to collaborate with the formation of knowledge and human capital to transform management practices and enhance businesses using innovative tools in the context of present social and environmental challenges. Our professors have a solid background in applied research on the most pressing problems in the fields of administration and business, with a proven capacity for high-quality teaching, and have close connections with the business environment.
Computer Science
Computer Science
Our teaching staff comprises both professors and outstanding industry professionals. In addition, scientific research and extension activities are carried out, on projects linked to private companies, within the scope of the National Agency for Research and Innovation and with international agencies. We actively participate in the ICT4V (Information and Communications Technologies for Verticals) center committed to linking the capacities of Uruguayan universities with local companies to promote technological development. We expect our students to participate in these activities or promote their own ideas based on their innovative developments.
Education
Education
We seek to conduct high quality and relevant educational research, in accordance with open science principles, to advance the purposes of education and address the great challenges it faces. Our research lines and projects contribute from different approaches and perspectives in four thematic areas: a) initial training and teacher professional development; b) learning environments, practices and dynamics; c) coexistence, well-being and educational inclusion; and d) pedagogical leadership and educational management. We hope to advance knowledge in these areas and contribute experience that nourishes the teaching profession.
Engineering
Engineering
The mission of the Department of Engineering is to contribute to the development of fundamental research in engineering and its application to industry in Uruguay. Its lines of research are the following: use of by-products and food development, functional foods, sensory evaluation, microelectronics, signal processing, control, biomedical engineering, materials science, industrial water treatment and modeling technologies, remote sensing for monitoring environment, climate change and smart cities.
Exact and Natural Sciences
Exact and Natural Sciences
The Department of Exact and Natural Sciences conducts research both in areas of basic and applied sciences, as well as in multidisciplinary areas, in cooperation with other departments of the University. Its members work in the areas of Dynamic Systems, Systems and Control, Complex Systems, Applied Optics, Metagenomics and Genomics, and Mathematics Pedagogy. The department also develops projects with the productive and business sector, with a focus on solving specific real-world problems.
Health and Wellness
Health and Wellness
The department aims to provide quality teaching, through evidence-based knowledge in the area of health promotion and prevention. In order to achieve this, we focus on research and the generation of connections between the different professional areas that make up the department: physiotherapy, nutrition, medicine, nursing, dentistry and psychology. This interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary orientation allows us to develop various projects in a comprehensive approach to the study of individuals, health care providers and the promotion of quality of life.
Humanities and Communication
Humanities and Communication
The Department, which values cross-cutting and interdisciplinary approaches, has four autonomous institutes: Institute of Philosophy, Institute of History, Art and Heritage, Institute of Society and Religion and Institute of Communication and Culture. The professors and researchers of the Department each also belong to one of the institutes. They work simultaneously on the specific topics of their field and to promote the role of the humanities in the University and society.
Law
Law
Our professors stand out for their training and experience in research, which are present in their theoretical contributions in various areas of study and specialization, as well as for their contributions to achieve useful solutions in legal practice, mainly in matters of Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Administrative Law, Labor Law, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Financial Law.
Medicine
Medicine
The department's primary goal is to train high-quality health professionals who are innovative and adapted to the modern demands of the discipline.
Its main function is to provide quality education through updated academic programs, innovative methodologies, and the continuous improvement of its faculty, preparing students to face the challenges of medical practice.
Neuroscience and Learning
Neuroscience and Learning
The Department of Neuroscience and Learning is the multidisciplinary area that contributes to the understanding of mental processes and learning. It analyzes the interactions between neurobiological processes and normal and altered psychological events, with an emphasis on cognitive, emotional, and motor functions. Its main objectives are the training of undergraduate and postgraduate students, basic and applied research, academic production and collaboration with researchers in other areas of knowledge related to neurodevelopment, learning processes and social cognition.
Social Sciences
Social Sciences
The mission of the Department of Social Sciences is to advance understanding of the economic, political and social conditions of Uruguay and of the world in order to promote socioeconomic development and improve qulity of life for all individuals. Through scientific research, teaching and collaboration with outside partners, our professors have positioned themselves as authoritative scholars in various specializations within the fields of Political Science, Economics, and Sociology.
Psychology
Psychology
The Department of Psychology is in charge of the development and consolidation of research and teaching in the discipline, in its different areas of application, with a primary focus in Clinical and Health Psychology. This implies the development of basic scientific knowledge and techniques of evaluation and intervention, relevant to the processes of health and psychological illness in their different levels and contexts of expression. The department's tasks include assessment and diagnosis, counselling, treatment, prevention and research.
publications
Our observatories
Economic Observatory of Salto
Economic Observatory of Salto
The Economic Observatory of Salto at the Catholic University of Uruguay (UCU) is an interdisciplinary academic space established in 2008, dedicated to generating knowledge, formulating projects, and strengthening local capacities for socioeconomic development, especially in the western littoral region and the interior of the country in general.
Due to its location on the Salto campus of UCU, there has been constant and fluid work at the Uruguay-Argentina border, engaging in projects related to the development of the Uruguay River basin. In addition, its technical actions have allowed it to establish close links with local governments, national agencies, business organizations, and civil society. A significant portion of its activities has been supported by international organizations.
Obvervatory of Economic Conditions
Obvervatory of Economic Conditions
The purpose of this Observatory is to study the global, regional, and national economic situation with analytical and methodological rigor as a tool to analyze the past, understand the present, and assess possible future scenarios. To achieve this, various knowledge products are disseminated, with special emphasis on communication to make economic reality "suitable for the general public" and not an inaccessible subject for most citizens.
Week by week, different publications are incorporated with description and analysis of indicators, as well as with the development of topics that influence the current situation and its prospects. Additionally, interviews and panels with a focus on the analysis of the current situation are conducted and disseminated.
Energy and Sustainable Development
Energy and Sustainable Development
The Observatory of Energy and Sustainable Development is an academic program that seeks to generate independent analysis and opinion on the Uruguayan energy sector. It covers all its dimensions: regulatory, economic, technical, legal, environmental, social, and international relations.
Through the study and analysis of energy issues and by training professionals, the Observatory aims to contribute to the sustainable development of the country and the region, and support organizations of all types, including utilities, private companies, investors, project developers, and civil society.