Research news

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

  • A low-cost robotic arm created by students as an alternative to conventional prostheses

    The ARM2u biomedical engineering team, from the UPC’s Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB), is working on new functions for their low-cost 3D-printed transradial prosthesis. In addition to developing technology to control the prosthesis using AI techniques, they are working to create a hand with fingers and add it to the robotic arm. The team is looking for funding to start marketing the prosthesis and for new carriers to test the prototype.

  • Researchers from the UPC, the BSC-CNS and the UPV/EHU establish the age and origin of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

    Researchers from the UPC’s Department of Physics on the Terrassa Campus, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) have analysed historical observations since the 17th century and have developed numerical models to explain the longevity and nature of this spectacular meteorological phenomenon in the atmosphere of the gas giant planet.

  • Cosmic Research of the UPC’s ESEIAAT is the first Spanish team ever selected for the Spaceport America Cup

    The ESEIAAT’s Cosmic Research student team has presented LUCID, the rocket that has competed in the Spaceport America Cup in New Mexico, US, in June. It is the first Spanish team to ever participate in this competition, which brings together 1,700 students from universities around the world. The rocket was launched on June 20.

  • First smart ocean monitoring buoy with UPC technology installed in the Corcovado Gulf, Chile

    On 13 October, the UPC’s Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB), the Chilean Ministry of the Environment and MERI Foundation installed the first smart buoy of The Blue BOAT Initiative in the Corcovado Gulf, Chile. Equipped with cutting-edge LIDO technology developed by the UPC, the buoy monitors in real time marine biodiversity and the impact of human activities on the ecosystem. The data obtained will allow to alert vessels of the presence of whales to avoid collisions.

  • The UPC and the BSC-CNS on the first Spanish map of technological capacities in artificial intelligence

    The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has drawn the first map of artificial intelligence capacities in Spain, with public and private institutions that work and conduct research on this area. The map features both the UPC and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS).

  • The UPC in the top 25% of the QS World University Rankings

    The QS World University Rankings have ranked the UPC 371st in the world, among the top 25%. It also continues to be the 9th university and the 2nd technical university in Spain, and the 4th university in Catalonia. Regarding indicators, it is ranked in the top 10% for sustainability.

  • In the world’s top 60 for the SDG Climate Action, according to the THE Impact Rankings

    The sixth edition of the THE Impact Rankings has been published. The rankings assess the impact of universities’ contributions to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UPC is ranked the world’s 58th for the SDG 13 Climate Action and in the 101-200 band for the SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and the SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.

  • Unite! creates a network of doctoral programmes to boost green hydrogen research in Europe

    The Unite! alliance has created a network of doctoral programmes to explore the integration of hydrogen in the energy sector from the expertise of each university. Coordinated by the UPC and funded through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Unite! Energy project is the seed of the alliance’s future doctoral school. The first 12 PhD positions have already been announced.

  • A study led by the UPC and the IEEC has determined the mass and radius of one of the oldest stars in our galaxy for the first time

    A study led by the researcher Alberto Rebassa-Mansergas, from the UPC and the IEEC, has determined the mass and radius of one of the oldest stars in our galaxy for the first time and validated the theoretical mass-radius relations for such stars. The results of this study are published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

  • 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.

  • The analysis of a meteorite reveals secrets about the birth of the solar system

    The study has been carried out by an international team of cosmochemists and astrophysicists, including researcher Jordi José, from the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) and the Department of Physics of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC). Encapsulated in a meteorite collected in Antarctica, the tiny grain – only a few microns in size – has shed new light on the terminal phases of the star’s life and how stars sow the Universe with the building blocks for new stars, planets and life.

  • The UPC joins the EIT Manufacturing knowledge and innovation community

    The UPC has joined EIT Manufacturing, Europe’s largest manufacturing innovation network. Promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), it pursues the digitalisation of industry in the context of circular economy.

  • UPCommons among the world’s top 30 document repositories

    The UPCommons open knowledge portal is listed among the world’s top 30 document repositories, 10th in Europe and 1st in Spain in the latest edition of the Transparent Ranking of repositories. In the ranking of institutional repositories, it climbs to the 19th place worldwide and the 6th place in Europe.

  • UPC improves positioning on Webometrics ranking and now holds 280th place globally

    The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) has moved up 32 positions on the Ranking Web of Universities and now ranks 280th in the world. At the European level, the UPC has moved up ten positions, and within the Spanish university system it has held onto its place as the country’s top technical university.

  • UPCommons remains among the world’s top 20 in the Transparent Ranking of 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 10th place worldwide and is once again the leader in Spain.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • A dominant negative sentiment prevails in public perception towards the cruise industry during the COVID-19 outbreaks

    Researchers from the URV and the UPC’s Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (CREB) have analysed more than 34 million tweets and have found a prevailing negative sentiment towards the cruise industry. One of the main conclusions of the study, published in the Tourism Management Perspectives journal, is the need for the cruise industry to reinvent itself and double down on green credentials.

  • Technological cooperation at the UPC to fight COVID-19

    Low-cost ventilators, ICT technology to manage the spread of the pandemic, a campaign to collect tablets and mobile phones for isolated patients in hospitals... The UPC is providing 145,000 euros in funding to support 20 local- and international-scale cooperation projects to tackle the COVID-19 health emergency.

  • 56 cooperation projects under way in year Centre for Development Cooperation (CCD) turns 25

    Fifty-six development cooperation projects are getting under way at the UPC. The projects are supported by the Centre for Development Cooperation, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and 165 members of the university community are directly involved. Part of the funding for these projects comes from voluntary contributions made by UPC students and by academic, administrative and service staff through the 0.7% campaign.

  • The Barcelona Urbanism Laboratory, an observatory of cities

    The UPC’s Barcelona Urbanism Laboratory (LUB) celebrates its 50th anniversary this academic year. The research centre provides a critical and constructive look at the evolution of the metropolis and has become a benchmark in urbanism and regional policy.

  • Semiconductors, at the heart of technology

    The semiconductor ecosystem in Catalonia, a sector that is in a phase of development, comprises around a hundred companies and research entities and some 4,400 professionals. Companies such as Cisco, Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) and Intel have chosen Barcelona as the location for their microchip design centres, and another twenty or so foreign investment projects are expected to follow in the next few years.

  • How do fish choose their leaders? The answer lies in speed

    Researchers from the UPC’s Department of Physics have studied leadership dynamics in schooling fish, discovering that speed is key: individuals tend to align with faster neighbours and ignore slower ones. The study is featured on the cover of the journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ (PNAS).

  • Awards to a new generation of surgical meshes, a program for designing buildings and the Process Talks spin-off

    The jury of the 14th UPC Research Valorisation Award, promoted by the Board of Trustees, has recognised 4DPolysense as the best technology transfer project, the NECADA program as the best invention or work for its application in the market and the Process Talks spin-off as the best technology-based company. The Nimble Diagnostics spin-off has also received a special acknowledgement.

  • A total of 117 UPC researchers in the CSIC ranking of the most outstanding female scientists

    117 UPC researchers are listed in the second edition of the CSIC ranking of Spanish and foreign female scientists who conduct research in Spain. The ranking classifies female scientists with an h-index equal to or greater than 18.

  • A NanoSat Lab project selected for the 4th edition of ESA’s Fly Your Satellite! programme

    Developed by bachelor’s and master’s degree students, PoCat-LEKTRON is a twin satellite mission that will be launched into space as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) training programme.

  • 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.

  • Launch of CYBERCAT, an interuniversity research centre for cybersecurity and data privacy

    The Cybersecurity Research Centre of Catalonia (CYBERCAT) was presented in Barcelona on 8 May. It was set up by seven research groups from six Catalan universities, among them the UPC’s Information Security Group (ISG) and Mathematics Applied to Cryptography (MAK) group. CYBERCAT is intended to become a reference centre that combines the knowledge of all the research groups working in cybersecurity in Catalonia, with over a hundred researchers. The other participating universities are the UAB, the UdL, the UOC, the UPF and the URV, which is the coordinator.

  • 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.

  • 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.