Research news
List of news published in the Press Room on research and innovation
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European grants for excellent research awarded to Ariadna Quattoni, from the Department of Computer Science, and Xavier Oliver, from the UPC-CIMNE
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.
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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.
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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
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).
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Mobile-recycling bacteria star in the new #looopers episode featuring researcher Toni Dorado
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.
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Researchers from the UPC and ICFO unveil the finite-temperature thermodynamics of a Bose gas
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.
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The UPC helps to define a new professional profile for the European textile sector
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.
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Promoting research in mathematics through the creation of the UPC’s IMTech
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.
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UPCommons among the world’s top 30 document repositories
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.
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The UPC, among the world’s top 25 in Architecture and Civil Engineering and among the top 100 in Engineering and Technology
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.
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It was the largest beam tested to rupture in a European laboratory
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.
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The percentage of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Spain rises to nearly 10% of the population infected
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.
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Smallest cavity for light created by graphene plasmons
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.
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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.
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The UPC participates in the new spin-off Smart Tower, a service for monitoring transmission towers remotely and autonomously
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.
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Novel photonic platform capable of producing quantum walks of structured photons in 2D
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.
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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
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.
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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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Apps may detect a maximum of 10% COVID-19 infections, according to a study by the UPC’s BIOCOM-SC group
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.
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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’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.
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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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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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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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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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A round table discussion on art and science in the pandemic launches Hac Te hub
Nine institutions in Barcelona came together last December to create an Art, Science and Technology hub in the city, Hac Te. The first event has taken place, just a few months after the launch of Hac Te: a performance and round table discussion in hybrid format entitled 'Art and science during the pandemic', on 27 April
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The UPC ranked the world’s 23rd in Climate Action and 48th in Affordable and Clean Energy in the THE Impact Rankings
In the third edition of the THE Impact Rankings, which assess the impact of universities’ contributions to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UPC is ranked the world’s 23rd university in Climate Action and the world’s 48th in Affordable and Clean Energy. In the global ranking, the UPC remains in the 201-300 band.
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UPCommons among the world’s top 20 open document repositories
The UPC’s open document repository, UPCommons, is ranked the world’s 20th in the latest edition of the Transparent Ranking of repositories. In the ranking of institutional repositories, UPCommons climbs to the 11th place worldwide and is once again the leader in Spain.
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The UPC’s scientific activity in Architecture, Engineering and Computer Science stands out in Spain
In the 2021 edition of the IUNE Observatory ranking, the UPC is ranked 1st among Spanish universities in scientific activity in five indicators for Architecture, Engineering and Computer Science. It is also the institution with the highest percentage of documents cited in the aggregated result of all the areas of knowledge analysed.
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The UPC among the 100 best universities in the world according to ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
The UPC maintains its position among the 100 best universities in the world in eight subjects and it is the top Spanish university in seven subjects in the 2020 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS).
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The UPC, the best Spanish university in performance according to the U-Ranking
In the 2021 edition of the U-Ranking the UPC climbs to the top position among Spanish universities in performance together with the UPF and the UC3M. The UPC remains the leader among Spanish universities in teaching and the 3rd in research and innovation. The University is above the Spanish average in almost all the indicators analysed in the ranking and stands out in research and innovation.