The University of Barcelona receives €1.3 million in funding to boost fifteen innovative projects towards the productive sector
The University of Barcelona (UB), through the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG), its Knowledge Transfer Office (OTC), has received a total of €1,295,100 in funding to develop fifteen innovative projects under the 2025 Knowledge Industry Grants Call of the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia.
The fifteen projects funded at the UB reflect its ability to generate innovative solutions to the major challenges facing society. The initiatives cover diverse areas such as health, food, sustainability, new materials, and digital technologies, showing the university’s commitment to promoting advances that improve people’s quality of life.
Through these projects, the UB works to bring knowledge to society, with proposals ranging from new disease treatments to strategies for improving food or decontaminating water and air. This applied research demonstrates how knowledge can be transformed into real impact and clearly illustrates the university’s leadership in knowledge transfer and its commitment to economic and social progress.
The call, promoted by the Catalan Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR), aims to drive knowledge generated in the scientific environment so that it reaches the productive sector.
Innovative projects to integrate into the productive sector
The 2025 Knowledge Industry Grants program is divided into three categories according to the maturity of the projects and innovative ideas: Seed, Product, and Innovators.
Among these fifteen projects, two will be developed in collaboration with other institutions within Catalonia’s research and innovation system, highlighting the University of Barcelona’s capacity to establish synergies and promote high-impact joint projects.
Of the fifteen projects selected in this call, four belong to the Seed category, each funded with €20,000; seven belong to the Product category, each receiving approximately €150,000; and four belong to the Innovators category, each with €84,000 in funding.
The Seed category aims to finance innovation projects in the early stages of technological maturity. The four UB projects selected in this category total €80,000 and are as follows:
Faculty of Chemistry
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Dr. Irene Garcia Cano, Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, with the project FotoDescon. Photocatalytic decontaminating panels for urban environments based on recycled material.
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Dr. Ignacio Sirés Sadornil, from the same department, with the project CYANH3. Selective capture of nitrates in contaminated waters and green valorization as ammonia.
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences
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Dr. Raimon Sabaté Lagunas, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry, with the project AmyloVi. Amyloid-Based Viral Entry Inhibitors: A Targeted Strategy Against SARS-CoV-2 and Emerging Respiratory Viruses.
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Dr. M. Carmen Vidal Carou, Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy, with the project LegSprout-Tech. Technological Valorization of Legume Sprouts to Improve the Safety and Quality of Plant-Based Fermented Foods.
The seven UB projects included in the Product category total €879,110 and will finance projects aimed at developing prototypes to reduce uncertainties regarding the technical and commercial viability of the technology under development. The selected projects are:
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences
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Dr. Christian Griñán, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, with the project EpiAD. Pioneering a first-in-class epigenetic therapy through RNA modulation for Alzheimer’s Disease.
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Dr. Santiago Vázquez Cruz, same department, with the project DS1RsEH. Development of a first-in-class dual-acting analgesic for severe acute pain.
Faculty of Biology
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Dr. Jordi Garcia Fernández, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, with the project EpiAD. Preclinical development of a first-in-class treatment for autism spectrum disorder.
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Dr. Sergi Munné Bosch, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, with the project CAFPROM. Validation of CAFPROM, a circular economy-based biostimulant for improving yield and quality of tomatoes.
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Dr. Antonio Zorzano Olarte, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, with the project VariantX_Prototyp. Prototyping a new gene therapy for the treatment of AATD.
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Dr. Miquel Martin Perez, Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, with the project PalmitoLeads. New Palmitoylation Inhibitors to Hit Metastatic Cancer. This project is coordinated by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona).
Faculty of Physics
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Dr. Mario Montes Usategui, Department of Applied Physics, with the project XL-SIM. Redefining Limits in Biological Imaging: Structured Illumination Microscopy at Extra-Large Field of View. Project in collaboration with the Computer Vision Center (CVC).
Finally, the four UB projects selected in the Innovators category total €336,000 and will fund knowledge valorization and transfer projects developed by innovators during stays at institutions within Catalonia’s research and innovation system. The selected projects are:
Faculty of Psychology
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Dr. Carles Escera Micó, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, with the project OnaKids. A neonatal EEG biomarker for predicting the risk of language acquisition delay.
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
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Dr. Sergio Escalera, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, with the project VirtualDraping. A Virtual Clothing Try-on System based on 3D Body and Garment Reconstruction and Animation.
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences
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Dr. Santiago Vázquez Cruz, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, with the project DS1RsEH2. First-in-class Dual-acting molecule for acute pain treatment: path to market.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
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Dr. Concepció Soler Prat, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, with the project TREX2i. Advancing first-in-class TREX2 inhibitors for skin diseases: pathway to commercialization via a spin-off.
