The UPC participates in 65 of the Horizon Europe projects funded so far, leading 12 of them

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Excellence research grants

The UPC is a relevant player in the Excellent Science pillar, in which it has achieved four awards from the European Research Council (ERC) to develop cutting-edge and frontier research projects, and nine projects under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme. The ERC grants, awarded directly to four researchers, account for over 5.5 million euros.

Researcher Maria Pau Ginebra, from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has received the latest of them—an Advanced Grant, the highest ERC award—for the BAMBBI project (read the news).

Other grans have been awarded to Cristina Canal, also from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Proof of Concept), for the TRANSFORMER  project (read the news); Sergi Abadal, from the Department of Computer Architecture (Starting Grant) for WINC  (read the news); and Lluís Jofre Cruanyes, from the Department of Fluid Mechanics (Starting Grant), for SCRAMBLE (read the news). 

The UPC coordinates one of nine Marie Curie projects achieved, which will receive 2.8 million euros in European funding to support young researchers’ training and career development through excellent doctoral programmes, individual postdoctoral projects and collaborative projects.

These projects are: GAP_Noise (coordinated by CITCEA), CO2FOREARM and Vortexons (presented solely by the UPC, acting as monopartner), ADOreD, EXBRINER, EWOC, FRONTIERS, NANOREMEDI.

The UPC has successfully participated in several calls issued during the first ten months of the Horizon Europe programme. The University takes part in 65 projects—leading 12 of them—which account for almost 47 million euros in funding. Its presence is particularly important in the Digital, Industry and Space cluster and in the Climate, Energy and Mobility cluster. In Excellent Science, it has achieved four awards from the European Research Council (ERC) and nine Marie Curie projects.

Feb 06, 2023

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC) participates in 65 of the projects approved from mid-December 2021 until October 2022 in the calls for Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation framework programme for 2021-2027. Its overarching goals are to strengthen the EU’s scientific and technological bases; to boost Europe’s innovation capacity, competitiveness and jobs; to deliver on citizen’s priorities; and to sustain Europe’s socio-economic model and values. 

The UPC’s participation in Horizon Europe is particularly relevant in the pillar Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, one of three pillars of the programme. The University participates in 19 projects under the Digital, Industry and Space cluster, which will receive nearly 10 million euros, and 13 projects under the Climate, Energy and Mobility cluster, which will receive 6.6 million.

CITCEA, the research centre with the largest number of projects
The Centre for Technological Innovation in Static Converters and Drives (CITCEA) is the research centre or group that participates in the most projects awarded to date. It participates in eight projects, coordinating one of them, which will jointly receive 4.3 million euros of European funding. Most of them are linked to the field of energy, such as iPLUG (coordinated by CITCEA; related news), AGISTIN, H-HOPE and OMEGA-X, but some are also related to industry, such as FLEX4FACT and H2GLASS, and to mobility, such as MAXIMA. CITCEA also takes part in ADOreD, a project under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

Other UPC units also participate in some of these projects, such as the Barcelona Fluids and Energy Lab (IFLUIDS) research group, the Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Centre (CTTC) and the Department of Management.

The CCABA in six 6G technology projects
Horizon Europe incorporates complementary actions under which the UPC participates in a large number of projects or relevant initiatives. For example, the Advanced Broadband Communications Centre (CCABA) participates in six projects—leading one—in the first call for the 6G Smart Networks and Services (6GSNS) programme. The i2CAT Foundation and the Telecommunications Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTTC), which are research entities affiliated with the University, are also involved in this programme and participate in joint projects with the CCABA. 

The six projects involving the CCABA will jointly receive 2.7 million euros to promote 5G deployment and achieve Europe’s technology sovereignty in 6G. These projects are VERGE (coordinated by the CCABA and involving the CTTC), BeGREEN (with i2Cat), DESIRE6G, HORSE, PREDICT-6G and SEASON (with the CTTC).

The CTTC participates in the 6GSNS programme with a total of eight projects, which account for 3.5 million euros in European funding, while i2Cat participates with six, which account for 2.6 million.

Adaptation to climate change 
The European programme also includes the missions, which aim to deliver solutions to key global challenges. The Centre of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology (CRAHI) participates in two projects for adaptation to climate change.

The first is CLIMAAX, with 13.3 million euros in European funding. CRAHI co-coordinates the project, which involves interacting with agents from 50 European regions. 

The second is RESIST, with nearly 900,000 euros in European funding. It is supported by the Government of Catalonia, through the General Directorate for Civil Protection and the ACCIÓ programme, and several Catalan organisations.

Towards zero emissions
With an eye on projects to reduce or fully eliminate emissions, the UPC participates in two actions under the call Nextgen EV components: Integration of advanced power electronics and associated controls (2ZERO), also funded by Horizon Europe, which aims to accelerate the transition towards zero-emission vehicles. The University participates in two of three funded EV development projects, coordinating one of them. The first is RHODaS, coordinated by the Motion Control and Industrial Applications Research Group (MCIA) with a budget of one million euros, and the second is SCAPE, involving the UPC’s Power Electronics Research Group (GREP), which has developed the project technology, with a budget of 773,000 euros.

Collaboration between several research groups
Vitamin-V, from the Department of Computer Architecture under the Digital, Industry and Space cluster, and aUPaEU, from the Department of Network Engineering under the WIDERA actions to reform and improve the European research and innovation system, close the list of 12 projects awarded so far within Horizon Europe that are coordinated by the UPC.  

The remaining projects involving the UPC are distributed in a few areas. Many of them are the result of the collaboration between several research groups, which have presented joint or complementary proposals, following the spirit of the new European programme to provide solutions to current challenges and social demands. See the full list online.

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