The UAB presents the campus' R&I potential in advanced materials
The UAB Campus Advanced Materials R&I Days took place on 13 and 14 May with the aim of presenting the research and innovation potential in advanced materials of the UAB campus' ecosystem.
On 13 and 14 May the Department of Physics of the UAB organised a conference aimed at researchers of the campus to present the potential for research and innovation in advanced materials of the UAB ecosystem. The sessions were attended by different representatives of the European Commission as Javier Sanfélix and Wide Hongenhout, from the Industrial Transformation Unit of the Directorate General for Research and Development of the European Commission; and Nieves González, member of the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) and national representative of Cluster 4 (digital, industry and space) of the Horizon Europe programme.
The contribution of the University was highlighted throughout the conference. From basic research to innovation towards society, the speakers focused on the opportunities to share and promote the different lines of research and potential among the groups, departments and institutes working in the research and innovation pole that makes up the UAB campus. And a special emphasis was put on the very intense and outstanding activity in advanced materials conducted.
Lecturers Xavier Álvarez and Eva Pellicer from the Department of Physics presented the lines that are being developed in the field of advanced materials in the department, as well as the PHYNEST project (PHYsics for a greener world: fostering the NExt generation of talented young researchers in novel materials, innovative strategies and energy solutions), which trains future leaders in the field of advanced materials, innovative strategies and key solutions to facilitate the transition to a new energy paradigm and promote environmental sustainability.
Lecturer Alba Hernández from the Department of Genetics and Microbiology explains the experience of the PlasticHeal project, developed to provide new methodologies and proofs, through the combination of advanced research and the use of reliable methods, to set down the bases of knowledge for an adequate risk evaluation of nanoplastics and microplastics. On behalf of the Department of Chemistry, lecturer Xavier Sala, Félix Busque, Xavier Solans, Jordi Hernando and Carolina Gimbert explained their lines of research in the field of advanced materials.
The conference also include the presentation of an activity organised by the Department of Electronic Engineering in 2DM, CMOS nanomaterials and devices. The presentation was offered by lecturers Montse Nafrià and Xavier Cartoixà. Lecturer Xavier Navarro, from the Institut de Neurociències (INc), presented the lines of research on applying graphene and nanomaterials in neuroscience, as well as challenges in reaching the biocompatibility of these materials. Aspects such as the sustainability of advanced materials were also explained by researcher Laura Talens from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the UAB (ICTA-UAB), and ethical and legal issues were presented by researcher Jorge Fernández Conejero of the Institute for Law and Technology of the UAB (IDT).
After the conference, attendants had the chance to visit the facilities of the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), the Institute of Material Science of Barcelona (ICMAB), the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona - National Microelectronics Centre (IMB-CNM-CSIC), and the ALBA Synchrotron.
The programme ended with a visit to the Parc de Recerca UAB (PRUAB), where attendants were able to discover specific activities conducted thanks to public-private collaborations, entrepreneurial projects and regional strategies proposed by the campus.