The University of Barcelona recognizes excellence in research and knowledge transfer at the Social Council and Bosch i Gimpera Foundation Awards
The Aula Magna of the Historic Building of the University of Barcelona hosted, on Tuesday 16 December, the award ceremony for the 21st University of Barcelona Social Council Awards and the 18th Bosch i Gimpera Foundation Awards. These distinctions recognize high-quality research carried out by young researchers, as well as projects and initiatives that promote the return of university knowledge to society.
The awards highlight scientific excellence in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, experimental and health sciences, as well as knowledge transfer, technological innovation, and entrepreneurship emerging from the University of Barcelona.
A digital corpus of over 3,000 texts for studying Ramon Llull’s most famous literary metaphor
The José Manuel Blecua Prize, awarded to the best article published in a recognized journal in the field of humanities and social sciences, went to a study that analyses more than 3,000 fragments of Ramon Llull’s work to study his most famous metaphor, that of the friend and the beloved, which expresses the relationship between human beings and God. The study, led by Arnau Vives, professor at the Faculty of Philology and Communication, was compiled in the article “Una nova interpretació de la imatge lul·liana de l’amic i l’amat a partir de la seva diacronia: metàfora, tema i símbol”, published in the journal Magnificat: cultura i literatura medievals. In his research, Vives created the Corpus Digital d’Amic i Amat (CDAIA), hosted in the Ramon Llull Database, managed by the Ramon Llull Documentation Centre at the UB.
Discovery of a new type of quantum magnetism
The Ramon Margalef Award, given for the best research published in a recognized journal in the field of experimental and health sciences derived from a doctoral thesis, was given to Ivan Morera for the discovery of a new type of quantum magnetism: kinetic magnetism. Conventional magnetism is found in nature in materials such as iron and its properties are difficult to modify, whereas kinetic magnetism can be created in a laboratory by applying electrical charges. This is a discovery with important technological implications. The award-winning article, “Kinetic magnetism in triangular moiré materials”, was published in the journal Nature.
New immunotherapy for multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow
This year, the jury has decided to award a runner-up prize for the Ramon Margalef Prize to Aina Oliver for her research into immunotherapy for multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. Specifically, it is a clinical trial of a more economical and easier-to-produce CAR-T treatment. The paper was published in The Lancet Oncology under the title “Fractionated initial infusion and booster dose of ARI0002h, a humanised, BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapy, for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (CARTBCMA-HCB-01): a single-arm, multicentre, academic pilot study”.
Study on adolescent violence in Spain
The Antoni Caparrós Prize, given to the best project in knowledge transfer, technology and innovation, was awarded to two proposals. The jury decided to award the first nationwide study analysing the experience of victimization and violence among adolescents in Spain. The study provides insight into the impact of violence experienced and perpetrated, with the aim of generating useful knowledge for policies, protocols and preventive programmes. The award-winning project is “La violència engendra violència? Solapament entre víctimes i agressors en adolescents espanyols”, by Noemí Pereda, professor at the UB’s Faculty of Psychology.
A super-resolution microscope
The other proposal worthy of the Antoni Caparrós Prize is the project “Microscopio de superresolución SIM basado en dispositivos acusto-ópticos”, by Mario Montes, professor at the UB’s Faculty of Physics, who has developed a programmable fluorescence microscopy system based on acousto-optical devices that control lasers with great precision and speed, enabling complex lighting patterns to be generated in real time and improving super-resolution SIM microscopy. The technology is versatile and has high potential for application in biomedical research.
Device for monitoring patients with stents
The Senén Vilaró Prize for the best innovative company developed within the UB went to Nimble Diagnostics, which has developed a non-invasive, non-ionizing medical device for monitoring patients with implanted stents. The technology works similarly to an ultrasound scan and detects stent malfunctions in a matter of seconds, without surgery or radiation, improving prevention and monitoring for cardiovascular patients. This pioneering, accurate and safe technology reduces risks, costs and time, and allows for personalized treatment management.
Nimble Diagnostics is also a spin-off of the Germans Trias i Pujol Institute and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC).