Research news
List of news published in the Press Room on research and innovation
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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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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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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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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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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 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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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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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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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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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.
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ICFO researcher Maciej Lewenstein received the 2021 Catalonian National Research Award
For his theoretical contributions to atomic physics and quantum optics. Presented by the Government of Catalonia, the awards have also recognised the BSC’s Som Investigadores initiative, in the Scientific Communication category.
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The UPC’s CD6 participates in the construction of the world’s largest telescope
The UPC’s Centre for Sensors, Instruments and Systems Development (CD6) participates with IDOM in the construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), promoted by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The ELT will be the world's largest ground-based optical and near-infrared telescope and is being built at an altitude above 3,000 m, on the Armazones Hill (Atacama Desert, Chile). It is expected to come into operation in 2027.
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The Vallès School of Architecture presents a construction prototype made from corn and sunflower stalks
The Interdisciplinary Group on Building Science and Technology (GICITED), linked to the UPC’s Vallès School of Architecture (ETSAV), participates in the cross-border project SAVASCO, which aims to develop new bio-based materials to minimise the environmental impact of construction. In this context, the ETSAV has developed a sustainable building prototype made from corn and sunflower stalks, which was presented on 6 May.
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The UPC is the top technical university in Spain and ranks among the 350 best universities in the world in the latest edition of the QS Rankings
The UPC maintains its leading position among Spanish technical universities in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings, in which the UPC also ranks 343rd in the world and 146th in Europe.
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The UPC is the top Spanish university in Engineering according to the 2021 NTU Rankings
In the latest edition of the NTU Rankings, the UPC is the top Spanish university in Engineering in terms of research productivity, impact and excellence. The University is also the top Spanish university in four subjects: Mathematics, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.
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The UPC is ranked the world’s 15th best university in Architecture and the top Spanish university in seven subject areas in the 2022 Scimago Institutions Rankings
In the 2022 edition of the Scimago Institutions Rankings, the UPC is ranked the world’s 15th best university in Architecture and the top Spanish university in seven subject areas: Architecture, Computer Science, Building and Construction, Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Energy and Mathematics.
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The UPC, among the world’s top 100 in the SDGs Climate Action, Life Below Water and Life On Land according to the THE Impact Rankings
In the 2022 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 71st university in Climate Action, 74th in Life Below Water and 85th in Life On Land. In the global ranking, the UPC remains in the 201-300 band.
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Starting Grant for UPC researcher Sergi Abadal to develop a new generation of faster and more efficient processors with wireless communication systems and quantum computing
Professor and researcher Sergi Abadal, from the UPC’s Department of Computer Architecture, has won a European Research Council Starting Grant to study new ways to build faster and more efficient processors, based on wireless communications, massively parallel processing, specialised accelerators and disruptive technologies such as quantum computing.
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The UPC’s Baix Llobregat Campus will host the business incubator ESA BIC Barcelona for three more years
The UPC’s Baix Llobregat Campus in Castelldefels will host ESA BIC Barcelona for three more years to accelerate start-ups based on innovative space technologies or infrastructures. The incubator will continue to be located in the RDIT building of the Parc UPC with the support of the Government of Catalonia, the Mediterranean Technology Park, the Baix Llobregat County Council, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and the Barcelona City Council.