A thesis on Paulista Avenue in the Brazilian city of São Paulo was awarded the Manuel de Solà-Morales European Prize in the field of urbanism

The architect Renata Priore Lima, a professor at the Architecture and Urbanism College of São Paulo (Brazil), received the Manuel de Solà-Morales European Prize in urbanism in its second edition for her doctoral thesis “Plugin: interfaces urbanas en los nuevos centros lineales: el caso de la Avenida Paulista”, defended at the UPC. Three additional awards were also given to finalist projects at the award ceremony, which took place on 19 March at the UPC’s Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB).

The UPC participates in a new 'spin-off' MiWEndo Solutions, which is to develop a device to improve the early detection of colorectal cancer

Supported by UPF, the UPC, Hospital Clínic and ICREA, it will use microwave technology to automate the detection of polyps during colonoscopies.

The UPC, among the world’s 500 best universities and the top 100 in four subjects

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.

Tuberculosis has shaped human society since the Stone Age

Researchers from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), the Comparative Medicine and Bioimaging 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.

The motility of a unicellular aquatic organism could inspire new robotic crawlers

A team of researchers led by professor and researcher Marino Arroyo, from the UPC and the IBEC, discovered Euglena cells’ ability to crawl remarkably fast in narrow spaces. These unicellular organisms live in water and perform harmoniously coordinated, large-amplitude cell body deformations, in a behaviour known as metaboly. The results of the research, published in Nature Physics, could inspire new applications in the field of medical robotics.

The UPC’s BIOCOM-SC Group explores the use of artificial intelligence to forecast the evolution of COVID-19 in Europe

The UPC’s Computational Biology and Complex Systems Group (BIOCOM-SC) partners with Facebook Artificial Intelligence to train, test and calibrate new artificial intelligence models developed by the company to forecast the evolution of the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and Austria. The aim of the Group, with the collaboration of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute and the support of Facebook, is to check whether the algorithm can be adapted to make one-month predictions, first in Southern Europe and then in Europe as a whole.

Top Spanish University in Horizon Europe funding

The UPC heads the list of Spanish universities in terms of funding raised and the number of projects under Horizon Europe. With 161 projects, it has obtained 83 million euros in funding so far.

Leonardo Grant awarded to researcher Matias Carandell for innovation in marine ecosystem monitoring

Matias Carandell Widmer, a researcher at the UPC’s Department of Electronic Engineering and at the Technological Development Centre for Remote Acquisition and Data Processing Systems (SARTI), has been awarded a Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation to improve the acquisition and transmission of oceanographic data. The project focuses on integrating emerging buoys into autonomous marine monitoring platforms to provide real- time data access and allow researchers to more effectively address the deterioration of ocean biodiversity.

UPC, Esade and IED Barcelona students develop innovative solutions to guarantee access to treated water in conjunction with CERN

Six teams of 34 university students of 14 different nationalities have developed prototypes after months of work with CERN scientists within the framework of the Challenge-Based Innovation (CBI) program.

A UPC-led project to restore European coasts with natural solutions and blue carbon underway

The Maritime Engineering Laboratory (LIM) of the UPC is leading a European project to restore the coast and adapt it to climate change. It is a shock plan for the next four years funded by the European Union under the European Green Deal. Pilot projects will be carried out on the Ebro Delta and other locations in the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the Black Sea and the North Sea.

The FNB contributes innovative technology to reduce fuel consumption on the Open Arms rescue vessel

Developed by the UPC’s Barcelona School of Nautical Studies with the support of the Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub, the project relies on machine learning technologies to reduce fuel consumption while the Open Arms vessel navigates. By minimising the ship’s fuel needs and operational costs, the NGO can redirect some of the savings towards rescue missions.

Unite! students board the U!Train to analyse the European railway network

On 2 September, 30 European students —five from the UPC— are boarding a train from Barcelona to Grenoble, in France. The students will participate in a mapathon, write a manifesto on green mobility in Europe and submit it to EU leaders.

Deep tech, world-changing technologies take centre stage in the new ‘Algorrritmes UPC’

The latest episode of the Algorrritmes UPC podcast delves into deep tech: disruptive solutions to global challenges with immense transformative potential. This episode features Carles Puente, Fractus co-founder and a professor at the ETSETB, and Eneko Ibarlucea, a UPC alumnus.

A study by the UPC’s CPSV suggests that Spain’s climate will become steppe like by 2050

Spain’s climate could shift from a Mediterranean to a steppe-like climate. If the global warming trend experienced in recent years (1973-2022) continues, by 2050 rainfall is predicted to decrease by 14% to 20%, compared to current levels. This is one of the conclusions of a study presented by a team from the Centre for Land Valuation Policy (CPSV) of the UPC at the 2024 EMS Annual Meeting held in Barcelona.

The Besòs Coast Sustainable Territory project receives a grant from the ERDF

Besòs Coast Sustainable Territory, a regional specialisation and competitiveness project in which UPC researchers are participating, will receive a subsidy of €555,500 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) that will cover half the cost.

A predictive tool for personalised psychosis treatment

The UPC’s SOCO and GREC research groups are developing a personalised medicine platform to improve the psychological treatment for psychosis. Based on predictive models, the tool will predict therapy effectiveness to tailor treatment. The prototype will undergo a year-long clinical trial with patients from around the world.

Starting Grant for researcher David Escofet-Martín

Serra Húnter lecturer David Escofet-Martín, from the UPC’s Department of Heat Engines, has been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council to research flame spread rate. This is the main metric to assess the danger posed by a fire and can help prevent and control non-stationary urban fires and wildfires.

A European project led by the UPC involves citizens in the control of air quality

The UPC is leading the H2020 CAPTOR project, through which a network of low-cost sensors has been installed to measure tropospheric ozone (a contaminant that mainly affects rural areas) in private homes of volunteers from Spain, Italy and Austria. The programme also encourages collaboration between local communities, citizens, NGOs and scientists to stimulate environmental awareness and social and political responsibility in this area.

3Cat-4, the new UPC nanosatellite, successfully launched from Ariane 6

The 3Cat-4 nanosatellite, developed by the UPC’s NanoSat Lab, is one of seven payloads that have travelled on the Ariane 6 maiden flight, which took off on the night of 9 to 10 July from French Guiana. 3Cat-4 (read “cube-cat-four”) is the only Catalan instrument and one of two from Spain on board this ESA mission. Developed by students, the nanosatellite focuses on observing the Earth, studying weather and climatic phenomena from space, and locating and tracking vessels to prevent accidents. Some students have been present at the launch site.

Researcher Sergi Abadal receives a Proof of Concept grant to study wireless communication in integrated computing environments

Professor and researcher Sergi Abadal Cavallé, from the UPC’s Department of Computer Architecture, has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept grant to emulate wireless communication among chiplets inside a computing system.

The Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub and the FNB with Open Arms

A device with mobile games and remote medical monitoring for at-home pelvic floor rehabilitation

As part of the European WOMEN-UP project, the UPC and the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (Spain), along with the Academic Medical Center (the Netherlands) and Kuopio University Hospital (Finland), will soon carry out the clinical trial of a system designed to improve pelvic floor muscle training, a recommended treatment to prevent or treat urinary incontinence. This technological solution incorporates serious games for mobile phones that are driven by muscle movement and remote medical monitoring through a web platform.

The UPC continues promoting technology-based companies by backing six new spin-offs

In the last few months, the UPC has launched and partnered with six new spin-offs, namely: Elem Biotech, Mitiga Solutions, NearbyComputing (these three with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación as a shareholder), e-Health Technical Solutions, Icaria Medical and ARD.

The UPC co-drafts a pilot plan to improve tuberculosis control in Nigeria based on mathematical models

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).

Three Unite! laboratories work to reduce the presence of microplastics in aquatic environments

The project 'Microfluidics meets water treatment methodologies to tackle microplastics' has received funding from the Unite! Seed Fund. It is led by Jasmina Casals. a researcher at the UPC’s MicroTech Lab.

3D cinema for treating lazy eye in children

A pioneering study conducted by the UPC’s Terrassa School of Optics and Optometry, the Centre for Sensors, Instruments and Systems Development, and the MútuaTerrassa University Hospital provides new data on the effect of 3D movies on visual function in amblyopia or lazy eye. The conclusions have been published in the leading scientific journal Plos One.

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.

Two UPC NanoSat Lab missions, ready to be launched into space

Students from the UPC’s NanoSat Lab travelled to Berlin and successfully completed the final integration of the 3Cat-4 nanosatellite into the Exolaunch deployer that will bring it to space on the European launcher Ariane 6 maiden flight, scheduled for next July 9. A few weeks earlier, another team at the same laboratory completed the RITA/³Cat-6 payload, which will launch aboard the AlAinSat-1 satellite of the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) at the United Arab Emirates University.

The UPC, the best Spanish university in research and innovation according to the U-Ranking

In the latest edition of the U-Ranking the UPC appears as the top-ranked Spanish university in research and innovation. It has also taken second place among Spanish universities in teaching and in the overall classification.

A low-cost robotic arm created by students as an alternative to conventional prostheses

The ARM2u biomedical engineering team, from the UPC’s Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB), is working on new functions for their low-cost 3D-printed transradial prosthesis. In addition to developing technology to control the prosthesis using AI techniques, they are working to create a hand with fingers and add it to the robotic arm. The team is looking for funding to start marketing the prosthesis and for new carriers to test the prototype.