Research news

Title Date Description
The ICFO and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute create a joint laboratory Sep 23, 2020 11:03 AM The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute have created a new joint laboratory that focuses on advancing the use and development of photonic technologies to understand, diagnose, monitor and treat paediatric diseases. The alliance seeks to provide innovations that improve the quality of life of children with severe pathologies and is made possible thanks to the support of the Joan Ribas Araquistain Foundation, the Cellex Foundation and the Torró Solidari RAC1 by Torrons Vicens.
The BSC and the Hospital Clínic will use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the evolution of COVID-19 patients Sep 10, 2020 10:58 AM They will create an AI model based on information from more than 3,000 clinical reports generated by the Hospital Clínic during the acute phase of the pandemic. The project, promoted by the Spanish government, is open to the collaboration of more hospitals.
Two UPC cutting-edge research projects selected under the MIT-Spain ”la Caixa” programme Sep 03, 2020 12:01 PM Quantifying vegetation response to climate change with statistical models and studying atmospheric electricity using small uncrewed aerial vehicles. These two projects involving UPC researchers have been selected under the third MIT-Spain ”la Caixa” Foundation Seed Fund, an initiative to foster knowledge and cutting-edge research between Spanish universities and research centres and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
New forms of cell division that are caused by protein waves discovered Sep 03, 2020 11:34 AM Researchers from the UPC’s Department of Physics and the University of Potsdam, Germany, have discovered a new form of cell division that is caused by protein waves in the framework of an international collaboration project. This discovery opens the way for new applications in synthetic biology and may serve as a paradigm for implementing a self-organised proliferation strategy in artificial cells.
Two UPC nanosatellites in orbit to study polar regions and provide Earth observation images by using artificial intelligence Sep 03, 2020 09:30 AM Two small satellites created at the UPC’s Nanosat Lab have travelled to space from Kourou, French Guiana, on 2 September (at 3.51 a.m. on 3 September Spanish time) to carry out the FSSCat mission, which received the ESA Sentinel Small Satellite (S^3) Challenge award in 2017. The main objective of the mission is to monitor polar ice and soil moisture while testing intersatellite communication systems in order to create a future network of federated satellites. The ɸ-sat-1 technology demonstrator is also on board, it is ESA’s first artificial intelligence in space and it will filter out images of the Earth that are not suitable for use because of cloud cover.
Apps may detect a maximum of 10% COVID-19 infections, according to a study by the UPC’s BIOCOM-SC group Jul 31, 2020 12:41 PM A study conducted by the UPC’s Computational Biology and Complex Systems Group (BIOCOM-SC) reveals that Bluetooth-based apps are able to detect a maximum of 10% of infections. The study reports that apps could help detect some cases but they are under no circumstances the main tool for fighting the virus. According to the research team, primary attention and public health services are the most suitable to trace the potentially infected contacts that a person has had after testing positive for COVID-19 by conducting direct interviews.
BSC and UPC researchers study mobility in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic period using data from the Facebook and Google apps Jul 24, 2020 02:55 PM The work demonstrates how the correct use of these data can provide a detailed interpretation of mobility, for epidemiological and socio-economic analysis. In retrospect, the confinement measures applied and their duration were adequate for the situation and evolution of the pandemic in Spain.
The UPC, the 36th best young university in the world in the QS Top 50 Under 50 ranking Jul 09, 2020 10:18 AM In the 2021 edition of the QS Top 50 Under 50 ranking, which lists the world’s best universities under 50, the UPC is ranked 36th in the world. The University climbs two positions among European universities to the 11th place. It also remains the 3rd best young Spanish university and the top Spanish technical university.
A UPC research group and the company B. Braun investigate new inactivation strategies against SARS-CoV-2 virus through modified nanoparticles and activation of heat nanosources Jun 26, 2020 12:44 PM The research group Innovation in Materials and Molecular Engineering - Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies (IMEM) of the UPC will investigate, in collaboration with B. Braun, the detection, blocking and elimination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus using modified nanoparticles and activation of nanosources of heat. To carry out the research, the Joliot-Curie supercomputer at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in Paris, France will be used.
Novel photonic platform capable of producing quantum walks of structured photons in 2D Jun 26, 2020 12:24 PM A team of researchers from the UPC’s Department of Physics, the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (Italy) and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) have discovered a novel photonic platform, capable of producing quantum walks of structured photons in two spatial dimensions and exhibiting a quantum Hall effect.
The UPC participates in the new spin-off Smart Tower, a service for monitoring transmission towers remotely and autonomously Jun 22, 2020 12:06 PM The UPC’s new spin-off Smart Tower, led by the researcher Lluís Gil, provides remote and autonomous monitoring of transmission towers. The technology-based startup has received the support of The Collider, the Mobile World Capital Barcelona innovation programme that connects scientific and entrepreneurial talent to create technology-based startups.
The UPC’s Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics studies ocean noise pollution in Antarctica Jun 22, 2020 11:48 AM The UPC’s Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB) is leading a scientific expedition to Antarctica to deploy permanent acoustic sensors for monitoring the effects of climate change and human activities on polar ecosystems.
A team of bioengineering and computing experts outlines how the creation of text mining and artificial intelligence tools can advance biomaterials research and development Jun 19, 2020 12:40 PM The application of text mining technologies will increase the ability to extract information from the growing biomaterials literature, and deep learning tools will help to identify implicit links between substantiated information, as well as make predictions and recommendations. This comment article by authors from the BSC-CNS, the UPC and the IBEC has been published today in 'Nature Review Materials' magazine.
A robotic wheelchair helps to improve the physical condition of people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy Jun 17, 2020 11:45 AM How can care robotics help patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)? This inherited neuromuscular disorder affects one in 3,500 children worldwide. It causes the progressive loss of muscle function and therefore leads to progressive disability. Despite advances in treatment, patients have an average life expectancy of 35 years and already need an electric wheelchair in their teens.
The UPC, 1st in Spain and among the world’s top 100 in SDG Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Jun 16, 2020 09:16 AM The UPC is ranked among the world’s best universities in its commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) according to the 2020 THE Impact Rankings. It stands out specifically in SDG 7, Affordable and Clean Energy (27th in the world) and SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, in which it is ranked 1st in Spain and among the world’s top 100 (84th). It achieves a high score in these goals and in SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Smallest cavity for light created by graphene plasmons Jun 14, 2020 10:25 AM Researchers from the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) –a research institute affiliated to the UPC—, MIT, Duke University, Paris-Saclay University and the Universidade do Minho report on the smallest cavities ever achieved for infrared light using graphene and metallic cubes of nanometric size. The study was published in Science.
UPC researchers create an app to monitor outings with children during the lockdown May 29, 2020 09:52 AM The Data Management Group (DAMA-UPC) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) and the spin-off Sparsity have developed the app SafeWalkNearby to help to monitor the distance and the duration of outings with children under 14 to public spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Technological cooperation at the UPC to fight COVID-19 May 13, 2020 11:45 AM Low-cost ventilators, ICT technology to manage the spread of the pandemic, a campaign to collect tablets and mobile phones for isolated patients in hospitals... The UPC is providing 145,000 euros in funding to support 20 local- and international-scale cooperation projects to tackle the COVID-19 health emergency.
The percentage of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Spain rises to nearly 10% of the population infected May 11, 2020 10:14 AM A multidisciplinary research group of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) has analysed the diagnostic delay between the development of symptoms of COVID-19 and the registration of a positive case in ten countries in the European Union. From this they have been able to calculate the percentage of cases that each country is capable of detecting with respect to the total number of infections and to give a more accurate figure for the real number of cases of COVID-19.
The Barcelona Urbanism Laboratory, an observatory of cities May 06, 2020 12:02 PM The UPC’s Barcelona Urbanism Laboratory (LUB) celebrates its 50th anniversary this academic year. The research centre provides a critical and constructive look at the evolution of the metropolis and has become a benchmark in urbanism and regional policy.
It was the largest beam tested to rupture in a European laboratory Apr 29, 2020 12:03 PM On 29 January, the construction laboratory of the Center for Technological Innovation in Construction and Civil Engineering (CITEEC) conducted a controlled rupture test on a beam 12 meters long, 2 meters wide and 24 centimetres thick that weighed 14 tonnes. It was the largest beam tested to rupture in a European laboratory. The experiment was part of the HORVITAL project, coordinated by the UPC.
The UPC is contributing to the fight against COVID-19 with several research projects and 3D printing of medical supplies Apr 09, 2020 09:20 AM In response to the COVID-19 health emergency, UPC research groups and centres are working on several scientific projects to tackle the spread of the virus. Additionally, a number of professors, researchers and students are sharing their knowledge and 3D-printing equipment to make masks, respirators and face shields for hospitals.
Researchers at the UPC and the IGTP use mathematical models to evaluate the evolution of the COVID-19 epidemic and the effectiveness of the control measures Mar 27, 2020 09:45 AM A team of researchers from the UPC’s Computational Biology and Complex Systems Group (BIOCOM-SC) and the Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre of Catalonia (CMCiB) of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) has developed a mathematical model to monitor the epidemic of COVID-19 with the support of La Caixa Foundation. The report that they have produced for the European Union Strategy Office is updated every day and includes predictions for Catalonia, Spain and the European Union. The model also serves to analyse the efficiency of the measures being implemented in several countries.
Testing a model of sensors to register ocean currents and temperature Mar 26, 2020 02:15 PM The UPC’s Technological Development Centre for Remote Acquisition and Data Processing Systems (SARTI) participates in developing a model of buoys with sensors to register ocean currents and temperature. The devices are currently being tested. They will be of great scientific value and will provide information on the most dangerous areas of the coast that will help raise awareness of the risks posed to swimmers.
The UPC, among the world’s top 25 in Architecture and Civil Engineering and among the top 100 in Engineering and Technology Mar 10, 2020 06:40 PM The UPC ranks higher in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings (WUR) by Subject. It is now ranked the world’s 21st in the subject Architecture (climbing 8 positions) and in the broad subject area Engineering and Technology it has climbed from 85th place in the 2019 edition to 76th place this year. The University is also ranked as one of the world’s top 25 universities in the subject Civil and Structural Engineering, remaining the world’s 23rd.
Tuberculosis has shaped human society since the Stone Age Feb 24, 2020 03:31 PM Researchers from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), the Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre (CMCiB-IGTP), CIBERES and the UPC have discovered, by means of a mathematical model that combines biological, anthropological and historical data, that not only have humans continued to survive despite tuberculosis infections, but tuberculosis has probably played a key role in shaping human society as we know it. The article has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
UPCommons among the world’s top 30 document repositories Feb 23, 2020 12:35 PM The UPCommons open knowledge portal is listed among the world’s top 30 document repositories, 10th in Europe and 1st in Spain in the latest edition of the Transparent Ranking of repositories. In the ranking of institutional repositories, it climbs to the 19th place worldwide and the 6th place in Europe.
Promoting research in mathematics through the creation of the UPC’s IMTech Feb 18, 2020 10:01 AM With the aim of promoting and fostering research in mathematics, the UPC’s Governing Council has approved the creation of the Institute of Mathematics of the UPC-BarcelonaTech (IMTech), which will be located at the School of Mathematics and Statistics.
Researchers manage to perform biomechanical simulations up to 20 times faster Feb 11, 2020 12:30 PM A team of researchers from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Stanford University (United States) and the UPC have improved the efficiency of biomechanical simulation software systems to perform simulations up to 20 times faster. The results of this research have been published in the journal ‘PlosOne’.
The UPC helps to define a new professional profile for the European textile sector Feb 07, 2020 01:14 PM A team of researchers from the Terrassa Institute of Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation (INTEXTER) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) have updated the professional technical profile needed by the European textile sector in the framework of the European project Skills4Smart TCLF Industries 2030. The project, which has received four million euros in funding from the Erasmus+ programme, involves 22 entities from nine European countries.