Research news
List of news published in the Press Room on research and innovation
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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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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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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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Exploring connections between AI and music: Sónar and the UPC introduce the #ThinkingLab
On Thursday 13 May, a panel of groundbreaking artists and leading experts in artificial intelligence have explored the connections between AI and music in a live-streamed event and that has marked 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 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.
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The UPC leads artificial intelligence (AI) research and innovation in Catalonia
The UPC is the most active Catalan entity in artificial intelligence research and innovation according to the report “Analysis of the specialisation in artificial intelligence in Catalonia”, produced by the Government of Catalonia.
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Nimble Diagnostics is founded to monitor stents using microwave technology
Nimble Diagnostics is a spin-off that develops microwave-based technology to monitor stents implanted in patients with cardiovascular, vascular, renal or lung disease. This is a spin-off of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the UPC that has developed a device that will identify possible obstructions to the stents in a fast and non-invasive way.
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UPC technology at the 2022 Mobile World Congress, from 28 February to 3 March 2022, in Barcelona
The UPC presents cutting-edge technologies and initiatives applied to a range of sectors at its own stand in this edition of MWC Barcelona, the international conference on mobile technologies that takes place in the Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition centre, in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. The University is also present at 4YFN, a point of reference for entrepreneurship and technological innovation, which is taking place at the same time in the same venue.
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Five UPC projects to fight pandemics
Identifying risk factors that affect the evolution of COVID-19 patients; analysing the transformation of Barcelona into a “fragile” city during the state of alarm; using drones to control capacity at events; implementing measures to increase the resilience of buildings and adapt them to the new requirements for energy consumption and air quality; and transforming cities into resilient, sustainable and healthier places for future pandemics through local agriculture and recycling and waste reduction. These are the UPC projects that have been selected under the AGAUR’s 2020 PANDÈMIES call for grants.
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UPC researchers will observe 77,000 stars with the Chilean 4MOST telescope
Alberto Rebassa, a professor at the UPC’s Department of Physics and at the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), and Odette Toloza, a researcher at the Federico Santa María Technical University (Chile), will lead a team of 30 researchers from 18 institutions around the world to observe and analyse the spectra of 77,000 binary stars. They will use the European Southern Observatory’s 4MOST telescope, located in Chile.
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The ICM, the UdG and the UPC join efforts to measure the capacity of marine reserves to recover overexploited species
Over the next four years, the research team will evaluate the usefulness of a network of newly created protected marine reserves in waters between 300 and 400 metres deep. The objective is to find out if these protected areas could contribute to the recovery of habitats damaged by fishing and, at the same time, promote the sustainability of this activity.
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The UPC ranked the world’s 22nd best in Optics and in the top 100 in Civil Engineering and Computer Science in the 2022 Best Global Universities Rankings
In the 8th edition of the Best Global Universities Rankings, the UPC climbs 167 positions and ranks 367th globally and regains the leading position among Spanish technical universities. As for subjects, the University stands out in Optics (22nd in the world), Civil Engineering (57th) and Computer Science (89th).
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Dyeing irrigation water to study the impact of freshwater on bivalve farming in the Ebro Delta
A team of UPC and IRTA researchers have developed a model to determine the dispersion of freshwater discharges that reaches the El Fangar bay by using rhodamine, a tracer dye that is water soluble and harmless. The experiment will provide further knowledge on water dispersion, to eventually reorganise aquaculture activities and to apply protective measures in other Catalan regions.
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Reusing 1 kg of clothing saves 25 kg of CO2 according to a study by INTEXTER
The UPC’s INTEXTER has conducted a pioneering analysis to calculate the share of fibres used in the clothes that are dumped in textile collection bins. The study uses an innovative methodology and is therefore more accurate than other approaches so far. It is part of a report by Cáritas cooperative Moda re- and the consulting company LAVOLA on the collection of used clothing in Spain.