The UOC invests in the start-up BCN Resol

The UOC will participate in the share capital of BCN Resol ODR SOLUTIONS, S.L. through Invergy, which is the University’s company that invests in start-ups in the education and ICT sectors that have a social impact. BCN Resol has developed two ICT solutions to detect and manage conflicts that may arise in schools (B-resol) and in the business environment (Co-resol). With the investment, the UOC is reinforcing its desire to foster society's economic development by promoting innovative companies that strengthen the ties between business, knowledge and society.

Invergy’s involvement in the start-up will consist of both an economic contribution of 75,000 euros and providing advice in the tool's areas of strategic evolution and usability, and support in the search for and processing of applications for external funding sources. In addition, the start-up will establish synergies with research groups in the University and maintain the relationships already created with the Faculty of Law and Political Science, and more specifically, the master's degree in Conflictology.

Invergy was set up in 2017 and is one of the services that the UOC offers on the Hubbik platform, which fosters entrepreneurship and innovation within the UOC community.

Combating conflicts with just one click

The first of the ICT solutions developed by the start-up is B-resol. It particularly targets secondary schools and is a communication channel between teenagers and faculty members that enables conflicts in the educational sphere to be detected, reported and managed. The tool, created to combat harassment at school, is the result of teamwork carried out with a number of schools throughout an academic year. Over time it has positioned itself as an effective tool for detecting and preventing not just cases of bullying, but also other common problems in schools, such as eating disorders, drug addiction, abuse and family conflicts.

In the 2017/2018 academic year, B-resol was rolled out in 33 schools in Catalonia and Andorra and has received several awards, including the prize for best internet initiative and app at the Zapping Awards 2018, by popular vote, and the 2018 Social Innovation Award from the TIC Salut Social Foundation. In addition, in 2017 it was selected by Google Spain to take part in the Aplicaciones para cambiar el Mundo (Apps that change the world) at the Google Campus in Madrid.

The other ICT solution developed by BCN Resol is Co-resol, a tool aimed at the corporate world that allows members of an organization to raise alerts about conflicts, irregularities or non-compliances. The companies that put it in place provide their teams with an effective communication channel that benefits the working environment.

In addition, both B-resol and Co-resol enable schools and organizations to keep proper tabs on the actions they undertake when a conflict arises and how their response protocols are applied. This way, they can ensure their compliance with regulations.