Research news
List of news published in the Press Room on research and innovation
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200 ‘ICT women’ from around the world meet at the womENcourage conference
The UPC has hosted the 2017 international womENcourage conference, a scientific and networking meeting in which over 200 students, researchers and professionals linked to the field of computer science have participated. The conference, which took place in Spain for the first time, aims to be a meeting point for sharing professional experiences, success stories and debate on fostering vocations, especially those of women, in the field of computer science.
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Ricoh España and the UPC’s CIM Foundation inaugurate a cutting-edge centre for 3D printing technologies
On 19 September, Ricoh España, a leader in technology and digital transformation, and the UPC’s CIM Foundation, an organisation whose mission is to generate and transfer knowledge of engineering and technology management to professionals and companies, opened the Ricoh Additive Manufacturing Centre in Barcelona. This is Ricoh’s first 3D printing and additive manufacturing centre in Spain, and will serve the international industrial market.
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The UPC is among the 300 best universities in the world in Arts & Humanities in the THE WUR ranking
In the same field, the UPC is also ranked among the 165 top universities in Europe and is the top technical university in Spain and the fifth university in Catalonia.
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The Besòs Coast Sustainable Territory project receives a grant from the ERDF
Besòs Coast Sustainable Territory, a regional specialisation and competitiveness project in which UPC researchers are participating, will receive a subsidy of €555,500 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) that will cover half the cost.
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The UPC proposes key actions to advance towards a new energy paradigm
The UPC has developed a roadmap that sets out the strategic lines it will pursue in research and technological development to help move beyond the energy paradigm that has prevailed for the last 150 years, which is based on growing use of non-renewable resources.
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The UPC and the Barcelona City Council present a book on a new form of architectural design for accessible environments
On 11 December, Laia Ortiz, deputy mayor for Social Rights of the Barcelona City Council, and Ramon Carbonell, president of the UPC's Board of Trustees, presented the book 4 Wheelchair-User Architects (4WUA) in Space 4 of the Palau de la Virreina in Barcelona. The book was written by four graduates of the Vallès School of Architecture (ETSAV) who aim to improve people's quality of life by transforming the built environment.
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LIVE_FOR, a European project for judicial cooperation on cybercrime
The UPC’s Network Security Emergency Coordination Unit (esCERT-UPC) will become an information centre for police, prosecutors and judges in Western Europe, advising them on the application of European Investigation Orders in the fight against cross-border cybercrime and cyberterrorism. The initiative is part of the European LIVE_FOR project, funded by the European Union’s Directorate-General for Justice, which wants to facilitate the application of a new European directive on judicial cooperation in tackling crimes of this kind.
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A nanophenomenon that triggers the bone-repair process
The researcher Amir Abdollahi of the UPC’s Numerical Calculus Laboratory (LaCàn) participated in a study that found that flexoelectricity may be responsible for regenerating bone tissue damaged by microfractures.
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New Marie Curie grants for five projects in the fields of civil and environmental engineering, mathematics and chemistry
Five new UPC projects have been selected in the latest Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) call for individual fellowships under the European Horizon 2020 (H2020) research programme. The aims of these projects are to create numerical methods to make more precise simulations; to create systems for assessing the threats of climate change to the seafront; to create surgical meshes that repair hernias and abdominal and thoracic tissue; to improve satellite navigation at times of scintillation; and to create a tool for earthquake risk assessment.
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CREB researcher Maria Pau Ginebra selected as a finalist for the EU Prize for Women Innovators
Researcher Maria Pau Ginebra, full professor of Materials Science and director of the Biomaterials Division of the UPC’s Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (CREB), has been selected as one of the 12 finalists for the 2018 EU Prize for Women Innovators.
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The UPC maintains its position among the top 300 universities in the world and as the top technical university in Spain
In the 2019 edition of the QS World University Rankings, the UPC has maintained its position among the top 300 universities in the world, in 275th place. It is again in 120th place in Europe and is the top technical university in Spain. It is also the top European university in Mathematics and Computer Science in the Leiden Ranking 2018.
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The UPC, among the top 30 young universities in the world in the QS Top 50 under 50 ranking
The UPC is placed 26th in the world in the QS Top 50 under 50 ranking of universities under 50 years old. It has maintained its 8th place in Europe and has moved up one position to second place in Spain. It is also ranked first in Catalonia.
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A researcher at the UPC's Terrassa Campus discovers a climate change pattern thanks to a new method
Dario Zappalà, a member of the Nonlinear Dynamics, Nonlinear Optics and Lasers (DONLL) research group of the UPC on the Terrassa Campus, recently published a study in the scientific journal Earth System Dynamics revealing great anomalies in temperature variations in zones near the North Pole and the Amazon. By studying the variations in the amplitude and frequency of temperatures using a new method, Zappalà discovered a pattern.
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Five young Marie Curie researchers will join the UPC with European funding
Four new UPC projects were selected in the latest Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) call for Innovative Training Networks, and will allow five young researchers to be contracted for a period of three years. The aims of these projects are to train a new generation of researchers specialised in new robotic surgical techniques, in the prediction of extreme meteorological phenomena, in the adaptation of optical fibre communications to deal with increasing data traffic, and in the development of bimetallic catalysts.
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Barcelona hosts the International Conference on Atomic Physics (ICAP) with the presence of 6 Nobel laureates in physics
From July 22-27, the Palau de Congressos of Barcelona will host the most important conference in atomic physics, which will count on the presence of 6 Nobel laureates and physicists from all over the world. In parallel to the main conference, two special events will take place, which are also open to the public: on July 24th at 6:00 p.m., a round table with 6 Nobel Laureates in physics and on July 26th at 7:30 p.m., a public lecture on the change of the international system of units (SI).
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UPC cements position as leading Spanish university in Horizon 2020 funding
According to provisional results reported by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) for the period 2014–2017, the UPC remains the top university and the third Spanish institution when it comes to attracting funds under Horizon 2020 (H2020), the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
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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
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An international team of physicists carry out quantum simulation of the physical effects of disorder in topological insulators
A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States, the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) and the UPC uses experiments with ultra-cold atoms trapped and driven by lasers to create a new disorder-induced topological insulator. The unusual properties of this material open new technological applications in quantum computing, next-generation miniaturised data storage and spintronics.
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The UPC scores well in Computer Science and Engineering in the 2019 Best Global Universities Rankings
In the fifth edition of the Best Global Universities Rankings, also known as the US News Rankings, the UPC is 36th in the world in Computer Science and 60th in Engineering. In the global ranking, the UPC is among the top 500 in the world.
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The UPC’s Maritime Engineering Laboratory develops a system to protect beaches from erosion and flooding
The UPC’s Maritime Engineering Laboratory (LIM) is testing a project at the Maritime Research and Experimentation Channel to determine the feasibility of adapting sand-filled geotextile bags for use on beaches.
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Artificial intelligence will improve quality of life for Alzheimer's patients
The UPC is coordinating the European eHealth research project CaregiversPRO-MMD, in which a virtual health platform has been created to support people with Alzheimer's disease, their caregivers and health professionals.
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The CIMNE, technological partner in the REALQUIRUR project
The International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) is participating in a project promoted by the J. Torrent Institute at the El Pilar Hospital to apply augmented reality in open liver surgery.
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Quantum mechanics explains how superfluid helium films grow in carbon nanotubes
Research by an international team of researchers led by scientists from the ICFO, with the participation of Jordi Boronat, a researcher at the UPC’s Department of Physics, reports on the controlled, layer-by-layer growth process of superfluid helium on the surface of carbon nanotubes. The experiment opens the door to studying new phenomena at the nanoscopic scale and, in particular, in topological phase transitions.
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The UPC maintains its position among the 150 best young universities in the world
In the Times Higher Education’s 2019 Young University Rankings, the UPC maintains its position among the 150 best young universities in the world (101-150 band) and ranks in the 58-82 band in Europe. It is the top technical university in Spain.
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Microgravity does not affect frozen sperm according to a study by Dexeus Mujer in collaboration with the UPC
A study conducted by Dexeus Mujer in collaboration with the UPC reveals that gravity conditions outside the Earth do not affect frozen human sperm. The results of this study were reported in late June at the 35th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology held in Vienna.
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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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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.