Research news

Title Date Description
Researcher Justin Zoppe wins an ERC Consolidator Grant to develop new chiral metamaterials Mar 23, 2023 10:29 AM The European Research Council has awarded a Consolidator Grant to UPC researcher Justin Zoppe from the Materials Science and Engineering Department to develop new metamaterials for detecting molecular chirality. The researcher will receive funding of two million euros to conduct the study over five years.
The UPC participates in a marine regeneration project with industrial waste Mar 23, 2023 10:03 AM The Technological Development Centre for Remote Acquisition and Data Processing Systems (SARTI)—affiliated with the UPC’s EPSEVG —participates in the SEASLAG project, which will provide solutions to fight marine biodiversity loss by developing a new sustainable material for the construction of marine regeneration structures. This material will incorporate by-products from the steel and agri-food industries, thus contributing to circular economy.
The UPC is Spain’s top university in raising funds for European research and innovation projects Mar 22, 2023 04:37 PM The UPC is Spain’s top university in raising Horizon Europe funds for research and innovation projects in 2021-2022, having raised 42 million euros for 66 projects already signed. It is also Spain’s third organisation, behind the Spanish National Research Council and Tecnalia.
ESA BIC Barcelona issues a call to incubate aerospace start-ups Mar 22, 2023 11:32 AM The ESA BIC Barcelona incubation centre has started operating on the UPC’s Baix Llobregat Campus with a call for space technology and infrastructure start-ups. Promoted by the UPC, the Mediterranean Technology Park and the Government of Catalonia as part of the NewSpace Strategy, the programme will allow up to 18 companies to be incubated over three years.
The UPC joins the EIT Manufacturing knowledge and innovation community Mar 15, 2023 12:29 PM The UPC has joined EIT Manufacturing, Europe’s largest manufacturing innovation network. Promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), it pursues the digitalisation of industry in the context of circular economy.
International scientists warn of the serious impact of noise pollution on marine invertebrates Mar 15, 2023 10:21 AM An international scientific study, led by the UPC’s Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB), shows that noise from human operations at sea damages marine invertebrates and ocean ecosystems. Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, the work points out that noise pollution at sea can even cause death in some marine species.
Nimble Diagnostics closes a financing round of one million euros Mar 14, 2023 11:31 AM NIMBLE Diagnostics, a spin-off of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), the UPC and the University of Barcelona (UB), has successfully closed a funding round led by Grow Ventures, together with Namarel Ventures and the Inveniam Group, that has secured more than one million euros. NIMBLE is developing the first medical device to monitor patients with stent implants, thus avoiding serious complications and improving the clinical management of millions of patients each year.
The UPC participates in a €25-million European project to improve the response to climate change-related emergencies Mar 09, 2023 12:12 PM The UPC’s Centre of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology participates in the European project RESIST, which aims to improve preparedness for weather emergencies and thus increase resilience to climate change. RESIST receives EU funding under the Horizon programme.
Artificial intelligence for increased navigational safety Mar 09, 2023 09:40 AM The Centre for Language and Speech Technologies and Applications—part of the UPC’s Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence research centre—and the CIMNE’s Center for Innovation in Transport participate in the OCEAN project, which aims to increase navigational safety. Researchers from these centres will develop algorithms based on signal processing and machine learning to detect obstacles at sea.
Innovative solutions for muscle injuries, autonomous driving and beach safety at MWC 2023 Feb 23, 2023 10:55 AM The UPC, through the Innovation and Technology Centre (CIT UPC), presents its technological capabilities and cutting-edge projects at MWC Barcelona 2023, which takes place from 27 February to 2 March. Its technology will be shown at the University’s stand in the Catalonia pavilion of the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via venue. At the same time, the UPC will be participating in 4YFN, the innovation ecosystem’s international meeting, which features over thirty technology-based spin-offs and start-ups led by UPC students, alumni and research staff.
Barcelona will implement a UPC-designed sustainable construction system Feb 14, 2023 11:18 AM The UPC’s Architectural Rehabilitation and Restoration (REARQ) research group and the Interdisciplinary Group on Building Science and Technology (GICITED) have developed a construction prototype to extend buildings sustainably that will be tested for a year before being implemented on a large scale in apartment blocks in Barcelona. The 'Regenerar Barcelona' proposal has been selected by the Barcelona City Council.
WEAVE spectrograph begins study of galaxy formation and evolution Feb 07, 2023 11:31 AM More than 500 astronomers from all over Europe, including members of Catalan universities and research centres—the UPC and the ICCUB—have designed and planned a total of five years of operations for the WEAVE spectrograph, a powerful instrument recently installed at the Canary Islands observatory. Combined with Gaia’s measurements, it makes it possible to study a wide range of cases in stellar and galactic science. The first observations show unprecedented aspects of the collision between the galaxies at the heart of Stephan’s Quintet, 280 million light-years from Earth.
The UPC participates in 65 of the Horizon Europe projects funded so far, leading 12 of them Feb 06, 2023 10:43 AM The UPC has successfully participated in several calls issued during the first ten months of the Horizon Europe programme. The University takes part in 65 projects—leading 12 of them—which account for almost 47 million euros in funding. Its presence is particularly important in the Digital, Industry and Space cluster and in the Climate, Energy and Mobility cluster. In Excellent Science, it has achieved four awards from the European Research Council (ERC) and nine Marie Curie projects.
ICFO awarded the National Innovation Award Feb 02, 2023 04:16 PM The award from the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia and the Foundation for Research and Innovation of Catalonia (FCRi) recognizes the creation of ICFO’s technology spin-off, LuxQuanta.
Adriano Camps and Marta Guardiola win the Duran Farell Technological Research Award Feb 01, 2023 11:20 AM Professor Adriano Camps, director of the UPC’s NanoSat Lab, and MiWEndo founder Marta Guardiola have won the 13th Duran Farell Technological Research Award. The jury also presented an honourable mention to IBEC researcher Zaida Álvarez.
Unite! will work with Ukrainian universities on the green transformation of campus Jan 26, 2023 10:43 AM The Unite! alliance, of which the UPC is a member, will work with Ukrainian universities on developing a green campus model. The aim of the collaboration is to contribute to Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction process and its integration into the European Union.
Power electronics solutions to modernise the power grid Jan 24, 2023 09:37 AM The UPC’s CITCEA coordinates the European iPLUG project, under the Horizon Europe programme, to develop power electronics solutions to allow a smooth integration of multiple renewable sources, energy storage systems and loads in the distribution grid.
Unmasking the microscopic fingerprint in finite-temperature features of a one-dimensional Bose gas Jan 19, 2023 09:57 AM A team of researchers from the UPC in Barcelona and the EPFL in Lausanne have built a new theory to explain finite-temperature properties in terms of microscopic excitations of bosons in one dimension.
1-minute exposure to monochromatic light modifies neural connections Jan 16, 2023 04:20 PM A study led by researchers from the UPC’s Terrassa School of Optics and Optometry (FOOT) shows that 1-minute stimulation with blue, green or red light activates several visual and non-visual brain regions. The study opens new avenues for better understanding the impact of light stimulation on brain function and its use to treat visual dysfunction, depression symptoms, circadian rhythm disruption, migraine and memory or attention disorders.
Climate change adaptation plan for ports of general interest in the Balearic Islands submitted and prepared by the LIM of the UPC Dec 14, 2022 12:05 PM The plan commissioned by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) proposes adaptation measures and pathways to prevent possible risks from the rise in sea level as a result of climate change.
The UPC and the Castelldefels City Council inaugurate DroneLab, a unique laboratory and flight facility for UAVs Dec 13, 2022 09:59 AM On 11 November, the Drone Research Laboratory (DroneLab) was opened on the UPC Baix Llobregat Campus in Castelldefels. Pioneering in Spain and Europe, it is a multidisciplinary facility for conducting tests and validating and training UAV-based applications. The new laboratory, which is part of the Mediterranean Technology Park, is intended for research and teaching purposes but also for the business sector.
The UPC participates in the research programme for the future quantum internet Nov 24, 2022 12:02 PM The new research programme coordinated by the ICFO, in which the UPC and other entities participate, aims to develop technologies for the future quantum Internet.
New magnetometer designed to be integrated into microelectronic chips Nov 23, 2022 02:52 PM Researchers at the UPC’s Department of Electronic Engineering have developed a new type of magnetometer that can be integrated into microelectronic chips and that is fully compatible with the current integrated circuits. Of great interest for the miniaturisation of electronic systems and sensors, the study has been recently published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering, a Nature Publishing Group journal.
A study demonstrates the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater and the cumulative incidence over waves during the pandemic Nov 15, 2022 02:20 PM Cetaqua and the BIOCOM-UPC research group develop a mathematical model to predict SARS-CoV-2 incidence in Catalonia using wastewater-based epidemiology.
First smart ocean monitoring buoy with UPC technology installed in the Corcovado Gulf, Chile Nov 14, 2022 12:52 PM On 13 October, the UPC’s Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB), the Chilean Ministry of the Environment and MERI Foundation installed the first smart buoy of The Blue BOAT Initiative in the Corcovado Gulf, Chile. Equipped with cutting-edge LIDO technology developed by the UPC, the buoy monitors in real time marine biodiversity and the impact of human activities on the ecosystem. The data obtained will allow to alert vessels of the presence of whales to avoid collisions.
Researchers discover a catalyst to remove emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas Nov 13, 2022 11:15 AM Researchers from the UPC, the University of Udine (Italy) and the ALBA Synchrotron have discovered a palladium and platinum catalyst, the first to eliminate methane emissions from transport and other human activities to reduce global warming. The study has been recently published in Nature Communications.
European award for the ANYWHERE project, coordinated by the UPC’s CRAHI Nov 13, 2022 11:15 AM The 2022 Resilience Award of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs went to ANYWHERE, a project coordinated by the UPC’s Centre of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology (CRAHI) that strengthens societal resilience to extreme climate-induced events through innovative technology.
Fractus and the UPC create a technological hub to develop deep tech solutions Oct 24, 2022 12:06 PM Fractus and the UPC have agreed to create the Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub, a research centre where deep technologies will be designed and improved so as to develop disruptive technological solutions based on scientific challenges with great potential and social impact. Fractus is one of the first spin-offs that emerged from the UPC.
Collaborative robots to harvest table grapes developed Oct 20, 2022 01:03 PM Researchers from the UPC’s Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics (IRI) and the Agricultural Machinery Unit (UMA) are working with other research centres and European companies to develop collaborative robots to harvest and prune table grape vines.
The BSC selected to host one of the first European quantum computers Oct 11, 2022 11:48 AM The European Union’s supercomputing consortium has chosen the BSC-CNS as one of six centres that will host the first European quantum computing network.