The course "Management of Safety and Knowledge in the Chemical Industry", part of the Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, provides students with the transversal skills and applied knowledge required to address real challenges in research, innovation, and industrial practice. The course is designed to strengthen key competencies such as scientific communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and familiarity with regulatory and ethical aspects of research and development.

The learning methodology is highly participative and project-based. Students are introduced to the formal characteristics and structure of technical reports, research articles, and project proposals, with special attention to the standards required by funding bodies at the European, national, and regional levels. Seminars on the use of academic research databases like SCOPUS and CAS SciFinder, on the use of reference management software like Mendeley and Zotero, and on the use of artificial intelligence tools for scientific writing are included to promote digital literacy and research efficiency.

The central and most distinctive feature of the course is that students, working in small teams, must design and defend a complete project proposal aligned with current calls from Horizon Europe or other national/regional R&D programs. This task includes drafting the necessary documentation, identifying the novelty and technological readiness level of the idea, analyzing existing patents, evaluating its ethical and social implications, and assessing its feasibility and impact. To support this process, seminars are held on patent search and analysis, audiovisual communication, and oral defense strategies. A peer-review approach is also used to enhance collaboration and critical reflection.

Through this process, students acquire core competencies essential for professional development in chemical engineering: the ability to manage and communicate complex information, to make strategic decisions in uncertain environments, to coordinate multidisciplinary work, and to critically assess the potential for innovation and knowledge transfer.

In addition, the course incorporates training on employability through a job interview simulation and explores the legal framework of research and innovation at multiple governance levels. These components ensure that students not only gain technical and methodological expertise, but also the soft skills and institutional awareness necessary for integration into professional environments.

By the end of the course, students are able to articulate and defend an original project idea with real potential for submission to funding agencies. This hands-on experience prepares them for future leadership roles in research teams, industrial R&D departments, and public or private institutions engaged in innovation. Feedback from students has consistently highlighted the course’s relevance, dynamism, and impact on their confidence and career readiness.

Keywords: Scientific communication, Critical thinking, Ethics in engineering, Project-based learning, Transversal skills.