Research news

List of news published in the Press Room on research and innovation

  • Using AI to decodeing the mechanisms that enable plants to adapt to climate change

    An international research team led by the UPC has used advanced machine learning techniques to identify, for the first time, the key genes that enable plants to respond simultaneously to multiple forms of environmental stress. The study, published in Nature Communications, presents a new approach to analysing multifactorial stress at the genomic scale and paves the way for designing crops that are more resilient to climate change.

  • LEIA UPC launched to drive the University’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy

    On 22 April, the UPC presented LEIA UPC, its flagship artificial intelligence building located on the North Diagonal Campus in Barcelona. The launch of this innovation hub, which brings together UPC entities with extensive expertise in AI, is part of the eponymous programme underpinning the University’s AI strategy, which was also launched at the same event. The initiative aims to consolidate the UPC’s position as an international leader in this field by boosting research, knowledge transfer and the integration of AI into teaching and management.

  • Safe and Secure Technologies, the new BSC and UPC spin-off that will design chips for critical sectors in which "failure is not an option"

    The Barcelona Supercomputing Center–Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and the UPC promote the creation of their new spin-off Safe and Secure Technologies S.L., which is born with the purpose of designing chips for critical sectors in infrastructure and emergency services, where a system failure could have significant human and economic consequences.

  • Unite! Pioneer Biodegradable Smart Patches for Precision Drug Delivery

    Develop flexible and biodegradable devices for transdermal drug administration, that offer precise and controlled dosing and high comfort and compatibility with a wide range of drugs. This is the goal of a project coordinated by researcher Sílvia Pérez, from the Barcelona Center for Research in Multiscale Science and Engineering (CCEM), which has been funded by the Unite! Seed Fund 2025 program.

  • The TETRAMAX European project to improve technology transfer in ICT

    The Data Management Group (DAMA-UPC) of the UPC is participating in the European project Technology Transfer via Multinational Application Experiments (TETRAMAX), whose goal is to implement the European Smart Anything Everywhere initiative in the field of ICT technologies, particularly those aimed at the internet, in order to promote innovation based on technology transfer experiences.

  • The UPC, a major player in the development of Industry 4.0

    Of students now attending primary school, 63% will end up working in a job that does not yet exist. This disturbing fact is closely related to what is known as the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, which is transforming industry through a combination of production methods and advanced information technologies to make manufacturing adaptive and flexible. The main challenge is to make all the information available in real time by integrating the entities that make up the value chain.

  • The UPC has conferred an honorary doctoral degree on the Italian mathematician Alessio Figalli

    The Italian mathematician Alessio Figalli, who received a 2018 Fields Medal, has been awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the UPC. He is a professor at ETH Zurich and one of the most outstanding mathematicians worldwide today. The Governing Council approved the award, which was proposed by the School of Mathematics and Statistics (FME), on 24 May. The 'honoris causa' award has taken place on Friday 22 November at 11.30 a.m in the auditorium of the Vèrtex building, in Barcelona, and in live on UPCtv.

  • 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.

  • The WOMEN-UP project launches a MOOC on eHealth applied to female urinary incontinence

    The Female Urinary Incontinence and eHealth MOOC is a free online course on urinary incontinence in women and on the techniques and technologies available to enhance the effectiveness of medical treatments (eHealth). It will be available online from 14 January to 15 March.

  • Scientists create living tissues capable of changing shape in a programmed manner

    Researchers at the UPC, the Institute for Bioengineering for Catalonia (IBEC), and the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) have developed a new strategy for ‘programming’ the shape of biological tissues in vitro. The study, published in the journal Science, opens the door to new applications in tissue engineering, biohybrid robotics and the design of smart living materials.

  • Artificial intelligence for increased navigational safety

    The Centre for Language and Speech Technologies and Applications—part of the UPC’s Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence research centre—and the CIMNE’s Center for Innovation in Transport participate in the OCEAN project, which aims to increase navigational safety. Researchers from these centres will develop algorithms based on signal processing and machine learning to detect obstacles at sea.

  • The UPC steps on the accelerator

    On 11 and 12 November, the six teams of UPC students who have designed and built electric vehicles to participate in university competitions attended Expoelectric, a meeting point to encourage energy saving and efficient driving.

  • UPC, Vall d’Hebron and UAB researchers design an app to help assess the severity of symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome

    The technology uses a chest strap connected to a mobile app that measures heart rate variability. Researchers have shown that heart rate variability is related to the severity of fatigue in women with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

  • 35th worldwide in Architecture and Spain’s leader in innovation according to the 2026 Scimago World Institutions Rankings

    The UPC is ranked among the world’s top 50 in Architecture and the top 100 in five additional categories in the 2026 Scimago World Institutions Rankings (SIR). In the overall ranking, it is placed 240th worldwide and is the leading Spanish university in five categories.

  • 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.

  • Testing a model of sensors to register ocean currents and temperature

    The UPC’s Technological Development Centre for Remote Acquisition and Data Processing Systems (SARTI) participates in developing a model of buoys with sensors to register ocean currents and temperature. The devices are currently being tested. They will be of great scientific value and will provide information on the most dangerous areas of the coast that will help raise awareness of the risks posed to swimmers.

  • 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.

  • The UPC once again at the Mobile World Congress

    Several biotechnology and 5G projects backed by the UPC, as well as a number of spin-offs from the University, were presented at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and the 4 Years From Now (4YFN) event, which took place in Barcelona between 25 and 28 February.

  • For the first time in Barcelona, Sónar, the UPC and betevé will organise the AI and Music Festival

    Sónar, the UPC and betevé will host the AI and Music Festival on site in Barcelona and online on 27 and 28 October. Within the framework of the S+T+ARTS programme of the European Commission, the festival will focus on the applications and challenges of artificial intelligence in creating music. Since the end of April, the UPC is leading an applied research laboratory to explore this relationship.

  • Sónar, the UPC and betevé present, for the first time in Barcelona, the AI and Music S+T+ARTS Festival

    Sónar, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) and betevé are partnering to present the AI and Music S+T+ARTS Festival on 27 and 28 October. The festival will be held live in Barcelona and online and will feature nearly 30 activities, including shows, presentations, talks and roundtables with artists, scientists and other professionals who incorporate artificial intelligence as an essential element in musical projects. UPC students can get a discount (ticket price of 15 euros) by presenting their student card.

  • Terrassa School of Optics and Optometry of the UPC presents Professor Konrad Pesudovs with Best Optometrist of the Year Award

    The UPC’s Terrassa School of Optics and Optometry (FOOT) has recognised the work of Australian professor and researcher Konrad Pesudovs, selecting him as the winner of the 2018 International Award for the Best Optometrist of the Year

  • The UPC entrepreneurial ecosystem shines again at 4YFN

    From 26 to 29 February, the UPC’s entrepreneurial talent once again showcased itself at Four Years From Now (4YFN). Over 40 technology-based companies driven by UPC students, graduates and researchers participated, with 16 of them presenting their entrepreneurial projects at the University’s stand. The other spin-offs and start-ups associated with the University were present at other stands or engaged in scheduled activities.

  • Three CREB UPC projects receive awards in the 2021 CaixaResearch Validate call

    A 3D game-based platform for virtual training in surgical techniques, new software that aids the mechanical ventilation of patients and a certification for artificial intelligence systems in health are the three proposals of the CREB UPC that have been selected in the “la Caixa” Foundation’s 2021 CaixaResearch Validate call

  • The Agricultural Machinery Unit studies the sustainable use of plant protection products in two European projects

    The UPC’s Agricultural Machinery Unit (UMA) coordinates the INNOSETA European project, which aims to establish an innovative thematic network on crop protection and the sustainable use of plant protection products. It also participates in the OPTIMA project for developing intelligent equipment for the safe application of plant protection products. Both are European research projects funded by the H2020 programme.

  • The Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics warns that noise pollution is threatening the natural balance of the oceans

    Within the programme The Winds of Change, the Swiss Ocean Mapping Expedition is making a four-year (2015-2019) journey round the world in the wake of Magellan on board the Fleur de Passion sailing boat. The expedition has already identified many zones of high emission of methane and carbon dioxide between Mactan in the Philippines and Singapore, where the expedition arrived on 13 March. Another project, 20,000 Sounds Under the Seas, is being carried out on board the boat by the Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). One of this project’s findings is that the only area of the globe free of noise pollution is between French Polynesia and Australia.

  • The UPC participates in a European trial of a treatment to reduce mortality of cardiogenic shock

    The EURO SHOCK trial includes the main cardiovascular hospitals in nine European countries. The UPC is participating in the project with CardioSense, a device that provides an early cardiovascular diagnosis in less than 60 seconds. Over 400 patients will participate in the trial, which will begin on 1 February and continue for 34 months.

  • The ETSAV’s model workshop coordinates the production of an interactive model of Barcelona for the World Capital of Architecture

    The Barcelona Plain 2026–2035 model is an initiative led by the Barcelona city council and coordinated by the model workshop of the UPC’s Vallès School of Architecture (ETSAV), marking the start of the celebration of Barcelona as World Capital of Architecture. Printed entirely in 3D, the model becomes an interactive platform to analyse and explain Barcelona’s past, present and future. It will open to the public on 13 March at the former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house in Barcelona.

  • A study commissioned by the Government of Catalonia to the UPC confirms that Antoni Gaudí designed the Xalet del Catllaràs

    A study commissioned by the Department of Culture to Galdric Santana, a professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture and director of the UPC’s Gaudí Chair, confirms that the project for the Xalet del Catllaràs in La Pobla de Lillet was designed by architect Antoni Gaudí.

  • The UPC showcases its technological potential at MWC Barcelona, 4YFN and Talent Arena

    Once again, the UPC has taken part in MWC Barcelona and Four Years From Now (4YFN), running from 2 to 5 March at Fira de Barcelona in Gran Via venue. For the first time, it also has been present at Talent Arena, held from 2 to 3 March at the Montjuïch. All three events are leading international platforms for connectivity, entrepreneurship and digital talent.

  • The UPC’s studies and technological ecosystem will be on display for the first time at Talent Arena

    From 2 to 4 March, the University will take part in the second edition of Talent Arena, a major European meeting point for digital talent and the tech industry. The event complements Mobile World Capital Barcelona and 4YFN, both of which the University also attends. The aim is to highlight the talent developed at the UPC and present its bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and continuing education degrees. Admission to Talent Arena is free with prior registration.