PDI-PTGAS news

  • International award for a UPC project to pave the way for the shipyard of the future

    Coordinated by Xavier Martínez Garcia, a professor at the UPC’s FNB and a researcher at CIMNE, FIBRE4YARDS is developing new composite material manufacturing technologies that enable a redefinition of shipyards, aiming to minimise environmental impact, improve vessel quality and reduce construction costs. The initiative has won the Maritime Transportation & Shipbuilding category of the JEC Innovation Awards—prestigious awards recognised as a benchmark in the field of advanced materials.

  • Transforming the construction sector towards a circular economy: DISCOVER, a new project led by the UPC

    The UPC leads the European project DISCOVER, an innovative initiative to reduce construction and demolition waste through artificial intelligence technologies, advanced robotics and building information modelling (BIM). With the aim of transforming the sector into a more sustainable and efficient model, DISCOVER focuses on material reuse and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Airgilab, the first living lab that regenerates building air with horticultural crops, is presented at the UPC’s ESEIAAT

    A greenhouse for urban agriculture, connected to classroom 3.07 and an office at the Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT), absorbs CO2 from these spaces and transforms it into oxygen through photosynthesis. The clean air is recirculated back into the classroom if the conditions are suitable. This is how the Air quality & Green Infrastructure Living Lab (Airgilab) works, it is the first living lab to regenerate building air using agricultural crops. It was created by the Construction Research and Innovation Group (GRIC) of the UPC.

  • First year of Connèxia UPC: a new model of engagement with companies offering innovation and knowledge transfer opportunities

    One year after its launch, the Connèxia UPC programme now includes four major partner companies—Fractus, Schneider Electric, Mecalux and Cetaqua—and is set to welcome new additions in 2025. Around 5,000 UPC students have taken part in activities related to the initiative, which has generated an economic impact of approximately €350,000. The programme has also contributed to the development of mentorship activities aimed at promoting female talent through initiatives that support leadership.

  • The UPC launches profile on Bluesky to strengthen its online presence

    The UPC has launched an official profile on the short messaging social network Bluesky to share institutional events and teaching, research and innovation activities at the University. This initiative expands the UPC’s channels for information and interaction with the university community and society.

  • The new space mission by the UPC NanoSat Lab for Earth observation RITA/ 3 Cat-6 successfully launched

    The payload RITA/³Cat-6 is now in orbit. It has been developed by doctoral students at the UPC NanoSat Lab and integrated into the Arab nanosatellite ALainSat-1. The UPC’s space payload carries instruments to gather data on sea salinity and soil humidity, and to measure vegetation status.

  • Leonardo Grant awarded to researcher Matias Carandell for innovation in marine ecosystem monitoring

    Matias Carandell Widmer, a researcher at the UPC’s Department of Electronic Engineering and at the Technological Development Centre for Remote Acquisition and Data Processing Systems (SARTI), has been awarded a Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation to improve the acquisition and transmission of oceanographic data. The project focuses on integrating emerging buoys into autonomous marine monitoring platforms to provide real- time data access and allow researchers to more effectively address the deterioration of ocean biodiversity.

  • Unite! students present the U!Train Manifesto with key recommendations to improve the European railway system

    Students from the Unite! alliance, which features the UPC and eight other European universities, have produced the U!Train Manifesto. The document calls on policymakers, transport ministers, infrastructure managers and universities to prioritise the revitalisation of railway systems across Europe. Published on 26 November to mark World Sustainable Transport Day, the Manifesto offers key recommendations and is the result of the U!Train initiative, which identified over 200 critical points.

  • Deep tech, world-changing technologies take centre stage in the new ‘Algorrritmes UPC’

    The latest episode of the Algorrritmes UPC podcast delves into deep tech: disruptive solutions to global challenges with immense transformative potential. This episode features Carles Puente, Fractus co-founder and a professor at the ETSETB, and Eneko Ibarlucea, a UPC alumnus.

  • Top Spanish University in Horizon Europe funding

    The UPC heads the list of Spanish universities in terms of funding raised and the number of projects under Horizon Europe. With 161 projects, it has obtained 83 million euros in funding so far.

  • The UPC hooded jumper and T-shirt at exclusive prices for the university community

    The UPC is offering a special discount on the University hooded jumper and T-shirt. This promotion, running until 29 November, allows members of the university community to purchase these items at a special price through the UPCShop store.

  • The Unite! alliance holds its 10th Dialogue in Darmstadt

    Under the theme “Inspiring People - Sparking Innovation”, the 10th Dialogue of the Unite! alliance will be held in Darmstadt, Germany, from 24 to 26 September. A UPC delegation will participate in the event, which will include a branding event, a start-up fair and the celebration of the European Day of Languages.

  • Starting Grant for researcher David Escofet-Martín

    Serra Húnter lecturer David Escofet-Martín, from the UPC’s Department of Heat Engines, has been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council to research flame spread rate. This is the main metric to assess the danger posed by a fire and can help prevent and control non-stationary urban fires and wildfires.

  • Unite! students board the U!Train to analyse the European railway network

    On 2 September, 30 European students —five from the UPC— are boarding a train from Barcelona to Grenoble, in France. The students will participate in a mapathon, write a manifesto on green mobility in Europe and submit it to EU leaders.

  • A predictive tool for personalised psychosis treatment

    The UPC’s SOCO and GREC research groups are developing a personalised medicine platform to improve the psychological treatment for psychosis. Based on predictive models, the tool will predict therapy effectiveness to tailor treatment. The prototype will undergo a year-long clinical trial with patients from around the world.

  • The FNB contributes innovative technology to reduce fuel consumption on the Open Arms rescue vessel

    Developed by the UPC’s Barcelona School of Nautical Studies with the support of the Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub, the project relies on machine learning technologies to reduce fuel consumption while the Open Arms vessel navigates. By minimising the ship’s fuel needs and operational costs, the NGO can redirect some of the savings towards rescue missions.

  • The UPC’s EPSEM is launching a master’s in ICT for the 2024-2025 academic year to train experts in SME digitalisation

    The Manresa School of Engineering (EPSEM) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) will begin teaching the master’s degree in Machine Learning and Cybersecurity for Internet-Connected Systems in the academic year 2024-2025. This unique and innovative programme in ICT, with 15 grants on offer, focuses on the Internet of Things, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, which are key in the digitalisation of SMEs.

  • End-of-year video: The UPC publishes its first-ever audio-described video

    As the academic year draws to a close, the UPC has published a video thanking the entire community for their hard work and welcoming the summer break. Filmed on the Baix Llobregat Campus in Castelldefels, it is the first UPC video featuring audio description for people who are visually impaired: another step towards creating a more inclusive university.

  • Researcher Sergi Abadal receives a Proof of Concept grant to study wireless communication in integrated computing environments

    Professor and researcher Sergi Abadal Cavallé, from the UPC’s Department of Computer Architecture, has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept grant to emulate wireless communication among chiplets inside a computing system.

  • 3Cat-4, the new UPC nanosatellite, successfully launched from Ariane 6

    The 3Cat-4 nanosatellite, developed by the UPC’s NanoSat Lab, is one of seven payloads that have travelled on the Ariane 6 maiden flight, which took off on the night of 9 to 10 July from French Guiana. 3Cat-4 (read “cube-cat-four”) is the only Catalan instrument and one of two from Spain on board this ESA mission. Developed by students, the nanosatellite focuses on observing the Earth, studying weather and climatic phenomena from space, and locating and tracking vessels to prevent accidents. Some students have been present at the launch site.

  • Researchers from the UPC, the BSC-CNS and the UPV/EHU establish the age and origin of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

    Researchers from the UPC’s Department of Physics on the Terrassa Campus, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) have analysed historical observations since the 17th century and have developed numerical models to explain the longevity and nature of this spectacular meteorological phenomenon in the atmosphere of the gas giant planet.

  • The UPC stands out in research and academic reputation in the Best Global Universities Rankings

    The UPC is ranked among the world’s top 50 in Optics and among the top 100 in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, according to the 2023-2024 Best Global Universities Rankings. It is also the leader among Spanish universities in Engineering, Civil Engineering, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Optics, and Environmental Engineering.

  • The UPC hosts the annual meeting of the Council for Doctoral Education of the European University Association from 26 to 28 June

    The role of data in doctoral education will be the focus of the meeting of the Council for Doctoral Education of the European University Association (EUA-CDE), with representatives from 36 countries.

  • Unite! creates a network of doctoral programmes to boost green hydrogen research in Europe

    The Unite! alliance has created a network of doctoral programmes to explore the integration of hydrogen in the energy sector from the expertise of each university. Coordinated by the UPC and funded through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Unite! Energy project is the seed of the alliance’s future doctoral school. The first 12 PhD positions have already been announced.

  • How do fish choose their leaders? The answer lies in speed

    Researchers from the UPC’s Department of Physics have studied leadership dynamics in schooling fish, discovering that speed is key: individuals tend to align with faster neighbours and ignore slower ones. The study is featured on the cover of the journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ (PNAS).

  • The UPC in the top 25% of the QS World University Rankings

    The QS World University Rankings have ranked the UPC 371st in the world, among the top 25%. It also continues to be the 9th university and the 2nd technical university in Spain, and the 4th university in Catalonia. Regarding indicators, it is ranked in the top 10% for sustainability.

  • Two UPC NanoSat Lab missions, ready to be launched into space

    Students from the UPC’s NanoSat Lab travelled to Berlin and successfully completed the final integration of the 3Cat-4 nanosatellite into the Exolaunch deployer that will bring it to space on the European launcher Ariane 6 maiden flight, scheduled for next July 9. A few weeks earlier, another team at the same laboratory completed the RITA/³Cat-6 payload, which will launch aboard the AlAinSat-1 satellite of the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) at the United Arab Emirates University.

  • The UPC, the best Spanish university in research and innovation according to the U-Ranking

    In the latest edition of the U-Ranking the UPC appears as the top-ranked Spanish university in research and innovation. It has also taken second place among Spanish universities in teaching and in the overall classification.

  • A new edition of the competition '#HiloTesis: your doctoral thesis on social media'

    Publish your thesis with the hashtag #HiloTesis in 20 posts or less on social networks between 1 and 15 June. Use simple, accessible and engaging language!

  • The UPC joins the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza

    In a motion approved by the Governing Council, which includes representatives of the whole UPC community, the University denounces the brutal attacks and the continuous violation of human rights against Palestinians by Israel.