Canarian universities, ULPGC and ULL, undertake numerous research projects in a variety of fields – a social task that is to be commended
The body of investigative research work carried out by the two Canarian universities; ULPGC in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria and ULL in La Laguna, Tenerife, is immense, invaluable, and impossible to do justice to in a few short lines. It also widens the scope of their students’ learning beyond compare.
On a daily basis these two universities are responsible for undertaking research and having work published in specialist journals and books. They also participate in conferences, symposia, and governmental and community projects. The ULPGC has an institution specialising in tourism and sustainable economic development called TIDES, whilst Tenerife’s ISTUR Institute is similarly dedicated to political and social sciences and the ECOAQUA Institute in Gran Canaria focuses on marine biology.
An important tool in their armoury is one that allows direct interaction with people and companies working in the same field. For example, ULPGC, boasts Travel Tech School by Amadeus (traveltechschool.com) a platform that builds a bridge between the university and businesses by providing training in digital skills in tourism, focusing on innovation, ecosystems, smart systems, talent and leadership. The REIS Platform (reissoclimpact.net) is a space where climate change experts in the EU and island regions can exchange ideas. The UNESCO Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development (cooperacion.ulpgc.es) seeks to exchange and apply knowledge by cooperating with local communities in developing countries.
In the field of research there are a number of fascinating projects currently in development that relate to Canarian society and its economy. At ULPGC’s Tourism Faculty in Lanzarote, Pedro M. Calero’s doctoral thesis studies the integration of immigration in the tourism industry through entrepreneurship, whilst Rita R. Carballo has carried out research on how the environment, and the island’s status as a Biosphere Reserve, impact on the education of children; on how to combat mass tourism in Lanzarote and on Manrique’s Art, Culture and Tourism Centres.
Equally, there are research projects past and present attached to TIDES that range from exploring the use of ICT and laboratory design to tackle sustainability and apply its findings to re-launch the Canary Islands; to Analysis of Tourism and Gastronomy and Sustainable Tourism Observatories. It is also worth mentioning ECOAQUA’s participation in the B-CHARMED project about the underwater black coral forests in Macaronesia, in which Lanzarote was the main area of study.
The ULL also undertakes important research on marine biodiversity and its impact on fishing, predicting the loss of benthic species living on the sea floor; the carbon footprint of marinas; the presence of microplastics in marine substrates in the Canary Islands (MICROSED); the human footprint in Macaronesian sea forests and the sustainability of whale watching tourism (CETTUS).
