Research news

Title Date Description
Students from ESADE, IED and the UPC present prototypes and solutions to improve urban mobility at CERNS Jan 22, 2020 12:09 PM Eight teams of students from the UPC —of the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB)—, from Esade and IED Barcelona have presented, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), at Geneva, their projects and prototypes the projects and prototypes created to improve the sustainable development of the cities through the urban mobility, challenge faced in this year's edition of the Challenge Based Innovation (CBI).
Artificial intelligence for the diagnosis of rare diseases related to collagen VI Jan 21, 2020 11:40 AM Researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics—a joint centre of the CSIC and the UPC—and the Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital have developed a system for helping diagnose rare diseases related to deficiencies in the structure of collagen VI.
The VIMAC virtually reproduces the architectural evolution of the medieval complex of Barcelona’s Palau Reial Major Jan 13, 2020 04:39 PM The UPC’s Virtual Innovation Laboratory for Modelling Architecture and the City (VIMAC) has performed laser scanning and drawn up the plans of Barcelona’s Palau Reial Major, a work that has allowed researchers to explore and accurately virtually reproduce the architectural evolution of the medieval complex over the five golden centuries of the city as the capital of the Mediterranean, and unveil previously unknown details. The work is part of the virtual historical restitution projected at the exhibition “La metamorfosi medieval, segles XIII-XV” extended until 5 January 2020 at the Tinell Hall in the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA), on the Plaça del Rei.
Launch of EIT Urban Mobility in Barcelona to transform European cities into liveable spaces Dec 22, 2019 11:25 AM The city of Barcelona launched the European initiative EIT Urban Mobility at the Smart City Expo World Congress. The event marked the official start of the EIT Innovation Community, which aims to finance projects that contribute to mobility solutions that accelerate the transition towards more liveable urban spaces.
Researchers from the UPC and ICFO unveil the finite-temperature thermodynamics of a Bose gas Dec 16, 2019 02:12 PM A team of researchers from the UPC’s Department of Physics and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) develop a new theory to explain the finite temperature properties of bosons in one dimension. The research has been published in the journal Physical Review Research and opens the door to an in-depth understanding of the microscopic nature of Bose gases, which are key for developing future quantum technologies.
Mobile-recycling bacteria star in the new #looopers episode featuring researcher Toni Dorado Dec 11, 2019 09:40 AM Microorganisms found in wastewater are capable of separating metals from electronic waste through a process known as bioleaching, which is cheaper and cleaner than traditional processes and helps recover precious metals such as gold, silver and copper. Researcher Toni Dorado, a professor at the UPC-EPSEM, unveils the secrets of this technology in a new episode in the #looopers series on YouTube.
A study on transforming waste paper into secondary raw materials has received the Best Innovation prize Dec 02, 2019 12:23 PM A scientific study on transforming waste paper into secondary raw materials, presented by a UPC team in collaboration with ACCIONA Construcción’s Technology Centre and TECNALIA, has been awarded the Best Innovation prize by the World Road Association.
The UPC has conferred an honorary doctoral degree on the Italian mathematician Alessio Figalli Nov 22, 2019 02:55 PM The Italian mathematician Alessio Figalli, who received a 2018 Fields Medal, has been awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the UPC. He is a professor at ETH Zurich and one of the most outstanding mathematicians worldwide today. The Governing Council approved the award, which was proposed by the School of Mathematics and Statistics (FME), on 24 May. The 'honoris causa' award has taken place on Friday 22 November at 11.30 a.m in the auditorium of the Vèrtex building, in Barcelona, and in live on UPCtv.
Two researchers from the UPC’s ESEIAAT simulate polar storm formation on Saturn Nov 21, 2019 10:21 AM The research is part of an international scientific collaboration that has observed multiple storms at different latitudes on the second largest planet in the solar system
The UPC, among the world’s top 100 universities in the field of Engineering and in the subjects of Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Electrical and Electronic Engineering Nov 20, 2019 04:38 PM In the latest edition of the Best Global Universities Rankings, the UPC has been ranked among the world’s top 100 universities in the field of Engineering (74th) and in three subjects: Civil Engineering (42nd), Computer Science (53rd) and Electrical and Electronic Engineering (72nd).
The UPC, among the world’s 500 best universities and the top 100 in four subjects Nov 20, 2019 11:42 AM In the 2019 edition of the Taiwan Ranking, the UPC ranks among the world’s 500 best universities and 138th in the field of Engineering, in which it remains the leader among Spanish universities. The University is also listed among the world’s top 100 in four subjects: Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Computer Science.
The UPC and the BSC-CNS on the first Spanish map of technological capacities in artificial intelligence Nov 08, 2019 01:54 PM The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has drawn the first map of artificial intelligence capacities in Spain, with public and private institutions that work and conduct research on this area. The map features both the UPC and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS).
The new European university UNITE! takes off Nov 06, 2019 10:00 AM The first joint meeting of UNITE!, the University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering, will be held in Darmstadt (Germany) on 5 and 6 November. UNITE! is the new technological university campus promoted by the European Commission with the participation of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC), the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, the Grenoble Institute of Technology, the Politecnico di Torino, TU Darmstadt, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and Aalto University.
ANYWHERE successfully develops tools and services to tackle the climate emergency Nov 04, 2019 04:48 PM ANYWHERE’s tools and services for preventing and managing extreme weather phenomena are now available in Europe. They were created in the framework of a European project coordinated by the UPC’s Centre of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology (CRAHI) and presented on 29 and 30 October in Brussels to an audience of 200 experts and European civil defence officers.
The UPC co-drafts a pilot plan to improve tuberculosis control in Nigeria based on mathematical models Nov 04, 2019 02:30 PM Researchers from the Barcelona School of Agricultural Engineering (ESAB) on the Baix Llobregat Campus in Castelldefels are co-drafting a pilot plan to improve the diagnosis and control of tuberculosis in the city of Gombe, north-east Nigeria. The project, lasting ten months, received funding in the latest call for grants from the UPC’s Centre for Development Cooperation (CCD).
A researcher from the UPC’s ESEIAAT leads a European project to create four advanced support centres for the textile industry in Morocco and Jordan Oct 31, 2019 11:28 AM Mònica Ardanuy, a professor of textile engineering at the Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT) and a researcher in the TECTEX research group at the UPC, is leading the European project FOSTEX, which aims to create four advanced support centres for the textile industry in Moroccan and Jordanian universities. FOSTEX received one million euros in funding from the European Commission and aims to have these centres operational by 2022.
The UPC participates in a new 'spin-off' MiWEndo Solutions, which is to develop a device to improve the early detection of colorectal cancer Oct 31, 2019 11:13 AM Supported by UPF, the UPC, Hospital Clínic and ICREA, it will use microwave technology to automate the detection of polyps during colonoscopies.
ICFO researchers design new health monitors that are flexible, transparent and based on graphene Oct 30, 2019 05:00 PM Researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) have developed a new class of flexible, transparent and low-power wearables based on graphene to monitor multiple vital signs, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pulse oxygenation and exposure to UV radiation. The study has been recently published in the Science Advances journal.
European grants for excellent research awarded to Ariadna Quattoni, from the Department of Computer Science, and Xavier Oliver, from the UPC-CIMNE Oct 28, 2019 01:31 PM The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded a Starting Grant to Ariadna Quattoni, a researcher at the Department of Computer Science, to develop a machine learning project, and a Proof of Concept grant to Xavier Oliver, a professor and researcher at the CIMNE, to launch a computational design project. In addition, researchers Dmitri Efetov, from the ICFO, and Loris Rizzello, from the IBEC, which are UPC-affiliated institutes, will receive Starting Grants to carry out cutting-edge research in the fields of Physical and Engineering Sciences and Life Sciences, respectively.
ICFO and spin-off Quside team up to create a new quantum processing lab Oct 03, 2019 09:54 AM The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), a university research institute affiliated to the UPC, and its spin-off Quside Technologies are teaming up to create a facility for developing quantum processing technologies. The joint lab will use concepts and models in advanced quantum physics to solve emerging problems that cannot be solved with current computers and hardware.
UPC performing well in the latest international rankings Sep 30, 2019 04:38 PM In the 2019 edition of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, the UPC remains in the 601-700 range—in which it has been ranked since 2017—in the Top 1000 list. In the recently published 2019-2020 CWUR World University Rankings, the UPC ranks 443rd out of nearly 20,000 universities analysed around the world. Additionally, in the SIR Iber ranking it takes 16th place among the best Ibero-American universities. In the Ranking Web of Universities (Webometrics), the UPC climbs from the 297th to the 275th place worldwide and is the top Spanish technical university.
Acoustic map of underwater noise pollution made by the crew of the Fleur de Passion Sep 17, 2019 12:28 PM The Ocean Mapping Expedition, which has returned to Seville after a four-year world tour aboard the Fleur de Passion sailing boat, mapped acoustic pollution in the ocean. The research project was led by the UPC’s Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB).
Microgravity does not affect frozen sperm according to a study by Dexeus Mujer in collaboration with the UPC Sep 02, 2019 02:31 PM A study conducted by Dexeus Mujer in collaboration with the UPC reveals that gravity conditions outside the Earth do not affect frozen human sperm. The results of this study were reported in late June at the 35th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology held in Vienna.
The UPC maintains its position among the 150 best young universities in the world Jul 26, 2019 11:10 AM In the Times Higher Education’s 2019 Young University Rankings, the UPC maintains its position among the 150 best young universities in the world (101-150 band) and ranks in the 58-82 band in Europe. It is the top technical university in Spain.
The UPC selected by the European Commission to build the new European university UNITE! Jul 25, 2019 11:47 AM The University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering - UNITE! is now a fact. The new technological university campus promoted by the European Commission with the participation of the UPC, the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, the Grenoble Institute of Technology, the Politecnico di Torino, TU Darmstadt, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and Aalto University is an alliance that aims to create a common space for multidisciplinary training, cooperation in teaching and research, and knowledge transfer between regions.
The UPC is still the top Spanish university in obtaining funds from the H2020 programme Jul 25, 2019 10:48 AM The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) continues to be the first Spanish university in raising funds from the European framework programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020 (H2020), according to the provisional results of the latest reports by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) for the period 2014–2018.
A new H2020 project led by the UPC aims to improve the production of hydroelectric power Jul 25, 2019 10:15 AM Xavier Escaler, a researcher at the UPC’s Centre for Industrial Diagnostics and Fluid Dynamics, is leading the European project AFC4Hydro, which aims to design and validate an active flow control (AFC) system for hydraulic turbines to monitor the structural health of turbines in real time and improve their performance. The idea is to develop technologies that allow the growth of renewables in the European integrated electricity generation system.
Quantum mechanics explains how superfluid helium films grow in carbon nanotubes Jul 16, 2019 11:15 AM Research by an international team of researchers led by scientists from the ICFO, with the participation of Jordi Boronat, a researcher at the UPC’s Department of Physics, reports on the controlled, layer-by-layer growth process of superfluid helium on the surface of carbon nanotubes. The experiment opens the door to studying new phenomena at the nanoscopic scale and, in particular, in topological phase transitions.
Microchips manufactured at the UPC will measure the wind on Mars Jul 08, 2019 10:37 AM The UPC’s Micro and Nanotechnologies Research Group has participated in the design, manufacture and calibration of the wind sensor of the MEDA instrument, which will travel to Mars on board NASA’s Mars 2020 mission to measure wind direction and speed, relative humidity, pressure and properties of suspended dust on the Red Planet. It will be the third time that UPC technology travels to Mars. On this occasion, it is 60 silicon dice that make up the heart of the sensor and that were recently delivered to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Testing a drone to save lives in the Mediterranean Jul 02, 2019 12:32 PM Three students from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) are participating, together with the Hemav Foundation, in the FREEDA project, in which they are developing an offshore reconnaissance drone to search for people and boats. The aim is to improve Proactiva Open Arms rescue missions. The first test to check the operation of the drone on the NGO’s ship was recently carried out offshore from Borriana (Castellón).