Research news
List of news published in the Press Room on research and innovation
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Studying how to reduce the impact of maritime transport noise on marine species
The UPC’s Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB) participates in the European project SATURN, an initiative that brings together partners from ten countries to develop innovative solutions to reduce the negative effects of underwater noise on the ecosystem and move towards a cleaner and quieter maritime sector.
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UPC’s Doctoral School Open Day on 20 May
The event is aimed at people who are interested in continuing their education and are motivated to conduct research. It will be broadcast live on YouTube from 11 a.m. and requires advance registration.
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Your Doctoral Thesis in a Twitter Thread: #HiloTesis
This competition consists of communicating your doctoral thesis in a thread of no more than 20 tweets, taking into account the limitations and possibilities of Twitter.
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Exploring connections between AI and music: Sónar and the UPC introduce the #ThinkingLab
On Thursday 13 May (5 –7 p.m. CET), a panel of groundbreaking artists and leading experts in artificial intelligence will explore the connections between AI and music in a live-streamed event that’s free to join and that marks the first activity of the #ThinkingLab created by Sónar and the UPC, ahead of the S+T+ARTS AI and Music Festival that is taking place in Barcelona this autumn.
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The UPC has developed a payload for a United Arab Emirates satellite
The NanoSat Lab at the UPC has developed one of the payloads for a United Arab Emirates satellite that is being developed by the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC), at the UAE University (UAEU) in Al Ain, to explore new GNSS reflectometry and RF monitoring techniques for the measurement of soil moisture and ionospheric scintillation.
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The UPC among the world’s best universities in Architecture, Civil Engineering and Telecommunications, Electrical and Electronic Engineering in the QSWUR by Subject
In the 2021 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject (QSWUR by Subject), which was published on 3 March, the UPC is ranked the world’s 20th best university in Architecture and Built Environment, 29th in Civil and Structural Engineering and 46th in Telecommunications, Electrical and Electronic Engineering. In the subject area Engineering and Technology, the University climbs from the world’s 76th best university in 2020 to the 67th this year and remains the top university in Spain.
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The UPC participated in the 3rd Unite! Dialogue Grenoble and will host the 4th instalment in Barcelona
The UPC, as a partner university of the Unite! alliance, joined the third instalment of the Unite! Dialogue, which took place from 8th to 10th March 2021 in Grenoble. This regular meeting between the members of the alliance and key guests is a great opportunity to strengthen the links and foster further collaboration within the alliance.
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Scientists sink dead dolphin to study effects on marine ecosystem
The UPC’s OBSEA Underwater Observatory in Vilanova i la Geltrú sunk a dolphin that was found dead a few days ago on a beach in Blanes to study the effect of the carcass on benthic ecosystems and fish communities in the area. It is an experiment by the UPC, the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
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UPC study demonstrates the effectiveness of raloxifene in treating inflammatory processes associated with COVID-19
Researchers from the UPC’s Molecular Biotechnology Centre show that a drug for osteoporosis called raloxifene may inhibit molecules involved in the inflammatory processes associated with COVID-19.
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UPC’s INTE research for improving the detection of radon gas in the atmosphere and soil to monitor its impact on health and climate change
The researchers Claudia Grossi and Arturo Vargas, from the UPC’s Institute of Energy Technologies (INTE), and other European scientists are studying how to improve radon gas measurements in the atmosphere and soil to better control its impact on health and the environment.
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Researcher Antonio González named Fellow by the Association for Computing Machinery
The professor Antonio González, a researcher from the UPC’s Department of Computer Architecture who teaches at the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB), has been named ACM Fellow by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for his outstanding scientific contributions in information technologies.
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UPC researchers reveal why modernist stained glass deteriorates using ALBA synchrotron light
A team of UPC researchers has studied the materials and methods for producing the enamels used in Catalan modernist stained glass windows, with special regards to their degradation mechanisms. The data obtained at the MSPD beamline of the ALBA synchrotron was key to deciphering the structure and composition of the enamels and assessing their state of conservation with the aim of improving the preservation of this cultural heritage.
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The Agricultural Machinery Unit studies the sustainable use of plant protection products in two European projects
The UPC’s Agricultural Machinery Unit (UMA) coordinates the INNOSETA European project, which aims to establish an innovative thematic network on crop protection and the sustainable use of plant protection products. It also participates in the OPTIMA project for developing intelligent equipment for the safe application of plant protection products. Both are European research projects funded by the H2020 programme.
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UPC, Esade and IED students join forces with CERN to create innovative solutions to the challenges of the pandemic
Eight university teams consisting of 42 students from the UPC, Esade and the IED Barcelona present their prototypes after months of work with CERN scientists researching new solutions for the future of humanity.
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Patient successfully implanted with the world’s first antitumour biomembrane, created by Cebiotex, the UPC’s INTEXTER and the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital
For the first time ever, an antitumour biomembrane made up of nanofibres, biocompatible and biodegradable has been implanted into a patient and has proved safe. This medical and technological milestone is the result of the collaboration between the biotech company Cebiotex, the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, the UPC’s INTEXTER and the Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona. Cebiotex is now going to launch a funding round to raise 1.6 million euros to continue clinical trials.
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UPC researcher Clara Prats and other scientists alert of the need for detailed COVID-19 data in Spain
Researchers from the UPC, the CED-UAB, the Max Planck Institute and the IDAEA-CSIC alert of the need for detailed population data on COVID-19 in Spain in the scientific journal The Lancet Public Health.
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The UPC leads a project to develop faster, lower-power processors for artificial intelligence
The European Commission grants three million euros in funding to the WiPLASH project within the framework of the FET-Open call. It aims to prototype miniaturised wireless graphene antennas in the terahertz band to provide future computing platforms with plasticity and reconfigurability. The project involves seven European universities and companies, under the supervision of Sergi Abadal, a researcher at the UPC’s Department of Computer Architecture.
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Nearby Computing, a spin-off from the BSC and the UPC, completes a funding round
Cellnex, Elewit and Lenovo have led a funding round in Nearby Computing, a spin-off from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the UPC specialising in edge computing and 5G networks. The two million euros raised in this seed round will support the company’s growth by boosting its global sales.
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16 novel compounds of cannabis identified
Researchers from the Smart Sustainable Resources research group at the UPC Campus in Manresa have characterised 16 novel compounds of cannabis that had not been identified so far. The discovery has been published in the journal Planta Medica. Characterising novel compounds of cannabis opens the door to discovering new medicinal uses of the plant’s active ingredients.
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Scientists support the use of ultraviolet light to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission indoors
An international team of researchers advocates the use of UV-C light in indoor spaces as a way to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 viruses. This solution meets the requirement for fast, scalable and affordable implementation to fulfil the need to disinfect work spaces such as offices, schools, healthcare facilities and public transport, to name a few.
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The UPC joins the Planetary Health Alliance
The UPC, through its Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB), is a new member of the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA), a consortium that promotes the planet’s health. The LAB will contribute technology to monitor biodiversity and alert of potential threats from climate change and human pressure on natural habitats.
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The UPC selected by the European Commission to build the new European university UNITE!
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.
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The new European university UNITE! takes off
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.
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UPC researchers participate in the transformation of the European energy system to adapt to renewables
Within the framework of the European project FEVER, the UPC’s Centre for Technological Innovation in Static Converters and Drives (CITCEA-UPC) will develop bidirectional EV chargers and solutions for leveraging the flexibility of energy storage resources and meeting the demand for specific services for the electricity grid to make it safe, efficient and resilient.
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International cooperative agreement aims to fast track advanced material solutions to solve global challenges
ICFO and Advanced Material Pandemic & Future Preparedness Taskforce sign MoU to facilitate solving global challenges using advanced materials.
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The UPC, the 36th best young university in the world in the QS Top 50 Under 50 ranking
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.
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Two UPC nanosatellites in orbit to study polar regions and provide Earth observation images by using artificial intelligence
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.
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QuantumCAT, the quantum technology hub led by the ICFO, launched
The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), which is linked to the UPC, leads the new Catalan quantum technology hub QuantumCAT, a consortium of research institutions and industry partners for promoting technology transfer and innovation projects.
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The Doctoral School welcomes new students and presents the special awards
A total of 31 doctoral degree holders have received the 2020 special doctoral awards, with which the UPC’s Doctoral School recognises the best doctoral theses defended in the 2017–2018 academic year. The awards have been presented during the welcome event for new doctoral students, broadcasted live on the UPCtv channel.
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A team of bioengineering and computing experts outlines how the creation of text mining and artificial intelligence tools can advance biomaterials research and development
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.