The Government Awards the Creu de Sant Jordi to Marta Sanz-Solé, Vice-President of I-CERCA, and Eudald Carbonell, Founder of IPHES

An Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, Marta Sanz-Solé was appointed Vice-President of I-CERCA in June 2023.

The Government has also honoured Eudald Carbonell, founder of the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA).

Today marks the ceremony for the presentation of the Creu de Sant Jordi to Dr Marta Sanz-Solé (Sabadell, 1952) in recognition of her outstanding contributions and career in the fields of science and mathematics.

With an extensive professional trajectory, Marta Sanz-Solé specialises in probability theory. Her research focuses on stochastic analysis, particularly stochastic differential equations and partial differential equations.

A PhD graduate of the University of Barcelona (UB), she served as a lecturer at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) before becoming a professor at UB, where she joined the research group on stochastic processes. Between 1993 and 1996, she served as Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics at UB and later as Vice-President of the Division of Experimental and Mathematical Sciences (2000–2003) at the same institution.

Dr Sanz-Solé was President of the European Mathematical Society (2011–2014), becoming the first woman to hold this position. She has also served on scientific and management committees for various mathematics research centres across Europe and chaired the PE1 (Mathematics) panel for the Consolidator Grants in the 2019 and 2021 calls of the European Research Council.

Her academic excellence has been recognised with numerous awards and honours, including the Narcís Monturiol Medal for Scientific and Technological Excellence from the Government of Catalonia (1998), Fellowship of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (2011), membership of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (2016) and the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona (2019), and honorary membership of the College of Economists of Catalonia, among others.

In the same ceremony, the Government will honour Eudald Carbonell, an archaeologist, professor of Prehistory, and founder and director of the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA) from 2004 to 2015, for his significant scientific and outreach contributions in archaeology and prehistory.

Dr Carbonell has led numerous excavations, most notably his role as co-director of the Atapuerca archaeological site, one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites. He has also directed excavations at the Abric Romaní site, a key resource for understanding Neanderthal life. In 1997, he received the Prince of Asturias Award and, in 2009, the National Culture Award.

Of the twenty individual medals awarded this year, seven have been granted to professionals in science and research. Today, the Creu de Sant Jordi is also presented to:

– Claudi Alsina, Professor of Mathematics;
– Pilar Bayer, Emeritus Professor of Algebra;
– Carme Torras, mathematician, computer scientist, and writer;
– Elia Torroella, pharmacist;
– Jordi Camí, Third Vice-President of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, founder of the CRG and PRBB, and Director of the IMIM (now the Hospital del Mar Research Institute) from 1985 to 2005.

 

The CERCA Institution Presents the 2024 Pioner Awards

Nanobots to treat cancer, sustainable management of electric vehicle batteries, a new gene therapy for ALS, and an innovative approach to democratising access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were the projects recognised this year.</h3)

Today’s ceremony brought together award winners, institutions, and collaborating companies. Laia Pellejà, Director of CERCA, highlighted the quality of the works and the importance of ensuring that science transcends the laboratory to generate economic, social, and industrial value.

This year, in a special feature, the event included a talk by Damià Viana, a systems architect at INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, a spin-off from the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and a 2020 Pioner Award winner. Viana spoke about the impact of science on innovation.

This edition’s awarded works:

  • Dr Meritxell Serra for her thesis “Design and Evaluation of Enzyme-Powered Nanobots for Crossing Biological Barriers and Treating Cancer.” The thesis develops the concept of enzyme-powered nanobots: self-propelled nanoparticles for treating bladder cancer and mucinous tumours. The jury praised the innovation and high commercial potential of these results, which have industrial relevance as new agents for radiopharmaceuticals and advanced drug delivery systems. Dr Serra’s thesis was supervised by Dr Samuel Sánchez Ordóñez at the Smart Nano-Bio-Device research group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).
  • Dr Maite Etxandi Santolaya for her thesis “A new approach for End of Life Estimations in Electric Vehicle Batteries: Maximizing Battery Usage.” The thesis proposes a novel method for estimating battery lifespan, incorporating historical driving requirements to define tailored end-of-life thresholds. This approach offers more informed decisions on maintenance, replacement, or reuse, contributing to sustainable mobility models. Dr Etxandi’s work was supervised by Dr Cristina Corchero Garcia at the Energy Systems Analytics group at the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC).
  • Dr Sergi Verdés Franquesa for his thesis “Gene therapy overexpressing Klotho for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.” The thesis introduces a therapeutic approach for ALS using the multifunctional protein α-Klotho, opening pathways for improving neuromuscular function and quality of life for patients. This advancement has been patented and licensed, paving the way for innovative treatments. Dr Verdés’s thesis was co-supervised by Dr Assumpció Bosch and conducted within the Gene Therapy in the Nervous System group led by Dr Miguel Chillón at Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR).
  • Dr Sven Bodenstedt for his thesis “Optically Detected Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Above and Far Below Earth’s Magnetic Field.” The thesis develops an innovative approach to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MRI applications, aiming to democratise access by reducing costs and infrastructure needs. Dr Bodenstedt’s thesis was co-supervised by Dr Morgan W. Mitchell and Dr Michael Tayler at the Atomic Quantum Optics group at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO).

The jury included professionals from various fields: Núria Martí (Biocat), Marta Portalés, Rita Salabert (Mobile World Capital Barcelona), Jordi Alba (Government of Catalonia), Stefano Lacaita (Spin-Off Partners), Manuel Palacín (TECNIO), and Roger Cabezas (I-CERCA).

This year’s edition was supported by private sector entities, exemplifying a successful public-private initiative to promote innovation. The collaborators were Caixa d’Enginyers and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI).

 

 

First Steps towards the Transition to Open Research Metadata

CERCA hosts a workshop to advance the Barcelona Declaration work plan

This Monday, representatives from across the Catalan research system gathered to discuss the roadmap of the Barcelona Declaration and establish the work plan that will guide the centres’ open data strategy in the coming months. The meeting brought together CERCA centres, universities, research infrastructures, and research evaluation and funding agencies.

Bernardo Rondelli, from the SIRIS Foundation, one of the driving forces behind this initiative along with Curtin University (Australia), Leiden University (Netherlands), and Sorbonne University (France), explained the process of drafting the declaration and outlined its four main commitments:

– Promoting the use of open research data
– Using services and systems that facilitate open access
– Supporting the sustainability of the necessary infrastructures
– Encouraging collective action to accelerate the transition towards open research information

Examples such as Sorbonne University, which has chosen to rely solely on open metadata to evaluate its research, and the Open Metadata Leiden Ranking for bibliometric analysis created by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University, were presented as models for the Catalan research system.

The ultimate goal of this initiative, which complements others like COARA, is for research metadata to be open, accessible, and transparent. To date, the Barcelona Declaration has been signed by 98 institutions from 25 countries.

Key Areas of Interest and the Work Plan

Núria Benítez, head of CERCA’s open science unit, outlined the roadmap developed during the meeting of the Declaration’s signatory institutions last September at Sorbonne University. This document identifies several key actions to begin working on.

During the workshop, participants focused on the following priority topics:

– Journal article metadata (Topic 1)
– Replacing closed systems (Topic 6)
– Evidence of benefits (Topic 9)

The conclusions of the workshop will serve as the starting point for efforts over the coming months, culminating in the next meeting of the Declaration’s signatories on 28 May in Bologna.