Research news
List of news published in the Press Room on research and innovation
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Unite! will work with Ukrainian universities on the green transformation of campus
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.
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The UPC participates in the research programme for the future quantum internet
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.
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Climate change adaptation plan for ports of general interest in the Balearic Islands submitted and prepared by the LIM of the UPC
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.
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1-minute exposure to monochromatic light modifies neural connections
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.
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Unmasking the microscopic fingerprint in finite-temperature features of a one-dimensional Bose gas
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.
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The UPC joins EIT Manufacturing
The University joins forces with the largest innovation network in Europe, EIT Manufacturing, to collaborate in future endeavours and share knowledge and expertise.
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Power electronics solutions to modernise the power grid
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.
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The UPC and the Castelldefels City Council inaugurate DroneLab, a unique laboratory and flight facility for UAVs
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.
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A study demonstrates the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater and the cumulative incidence over waves during the pandemic
Cetaqua and the BIOCOM-UPC research group develop a mathematical model to predict SARS-CoV-2 incidence in Catalonia using wastewater-based epidemiology.
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First smart ocean monitoring buoy with UPC technology installed in the Corcovado Gulf, Chile
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.
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New magnetometer designed to be integrated into microelectronic chips
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.
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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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Collaborative robots to harvest table grapes developed
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.
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Researchers discover a catalyst to remove emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas
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.
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European award for the ANYWHERE project, coordinated by the UPC’s CRAHI
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.
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UPC researchers coordinate the creation of a compact magnetic sensor to reduce noise on large space missions
The UPC’s Space Science and Technology Research Group (CTE) has coordinated the development of a compact and low-power magnetic sensor to reduce noise based on magnetic field modulation using microelectromechanical resonators (MEMS). Created jointly with the ICE-CSIC and the ICCUB, it is the result of the MELISA project, promoted by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), and will serve as a sample to validate the feasibility of this technique on the LISA mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) to detect gravitational waves in space.
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The BSC selected to host one of the first European quantum computers
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.
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Fractus and the UPC create a technological hub to develop deep tech solutions
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.
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The UPC, among the world’s top 100 in four subjects according to the 2022 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
The UPC maintains its position among the world’s 100 best universities in four subjects (Instruments Science and Technology, Atmospheric Science, Mathematics and Civil Engineering) and is the top Spanish university in two (Atmospheric Science and Water Resources) in the latest edition of the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.
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Researchers find that chemical communication between living beings obeys the linguistic law of brevity
A recent study shows that the chemicals used by living beings to communicate obey the linguistic law of brevity: just as the most used words in human language are shorter, the most frequent infochemicals in ecosystems tend to be shorter carbon chains. The study is co-authored by UPC researcher Antoni Hernández-Fernández and it delves into interspecies chemical communication.
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Researcher Maria Pau Ginebra awarded an Advanced Grant by the European Research Council
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded UPC researcher Maria Pau Ginebra an Advanced Grant to study the mechanisms of biomaterial and bacteria interaction and to develop surfaces that can fight infections and promote bone regeneration. The study will also have a great scientific and technological impact in very diverse fields such as catalysis, water purification and protein separation.
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Digital twins for a more efficient, reliable and safe construction industry
Researchers from the UPC’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is linked to the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering, are leading one of the work packages of the European project ASHVIN, an initiative that aims to make a more efficient, reliable and safe European construction industry by using digital twins. The project is already being implemented on a bridge on the Plasencia-Badajoz high-speed line and in several buildings in Barcelona.
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Engineering students from the UPC create a 3D-printed functional robotic arm
The Arm2u biomedical engineering team, from the UPC’s Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB), has designed and manufactured using 3D printing technology a customisable transradial prosthesis that responds to the user’s nerve impulses.
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Boosting new gas plasma-based treatments for cancer
Exploring the possibilities of atmospheric-pressure plasmas to develop and consolidate new medical therapies is the main objective of the PlasTHER network, an initiative funded by the European Union under the COST Actions. Led by the UPC, the network brings together research groups, the medical community, industry and patient associations from 24 European countries who will work in the coming years to launch new treatments for cancer, tissue regeneration and repair, emerging infectious diseases and others.
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Unite! receives more EC funding for its deployment
The Unite! alliance, made up of the UPC and other leading European technological universities, will receive more funding from the European Commission, under the Erasmus+ programme, to become a driving force for the advancement of a green and digital Europe. The implementation of future European degrees, a new mobility model and the development of a Unite! European Doctoral School are some of the key projects to be deployed in the new stage.
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Fireball from a stellar explosion detected for the first time by eROSITA X-ray telescope
When Sun-type stars use up all their fuel, they shrink to form white dwarfs. Sometimes these dead stars come back to life in a thermonuclear explosion and produce a fireball of intense X-ray radiation. A research team led by the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) was able to observe, for the first time, this type of X-ray light explosion. Glòria Sala, a researcher in the UPC’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Group and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), participates in this study, which made the cover of Nature.
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Europe committed to bringing to market an innovative treatment for bone cancer created by UPC researcher Cristina Canal
The European Research Council has awarded professor Cristina Canal a Proof of Concept grant, which aims to bridge the gap between frontier research and the market. With this grant, the researcher from the UPC’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering will assess the feasibility of bringing to market a novel therapy to treat osteosarcoma with fewer side effects and that also aids bone regeneration.
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PLOME, a research project to monitor marine ecosystems
Within the framework of the PLOME project, a scientific team will develop an underwater platform to intelligently monitor marine ecosystems in real time. Led by the University of Girona (UdG), the initiative involves the UPC’s Technological Development Centre for Remote Acquisition and Data Processing Systems (SARTI), the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and Iqua Robotics SL.
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The UPC maintains its leading position in the 2022 U-Ranking
In the 2022 edition of the U-Ranking the UPC is still the top Spanish university in performance.
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The UPC, SEAT and Volkswagen Group Innovation look for new strategies to improve the performance of the powertrain and batteries of future electric vehicles
The UPC’s inLab FIB collaborates with SEAT and Volkswagen Group Innovation (Wolfsburg, Germany) in the Predictive eBoost project, focused on designing new strategies, based on machine learning algorithms and data analysis, to improve the efficiency and performance of electric vehicle motors and batteries.