The 2024 National Research Award for Young Talent is awarded ex aequo to researchers Eva Maria Novoa (CRG) and Xavier Ros Oton (Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, UB).
i2CAT and Sateliot receive the National Award for Public-Private Partnership in R&I.
Ecomemb SL, a spin-off from ICRA and UdG, receives the National Innovation Award for the Creation of a Science-Based Company.
The awards, announced on Friday, 21 March, by the Minister for Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, recognise research excellence in Catalonia across various categories.
The 2024 National Research Award has been granted to Professor Núria Sebastián, an expert in Psychology who served as Vice President of CERCA from 2017 to 2022. Professor Sebastián has been recognised for her pioneering research in cognitive neuroscience. Holding a PhD in Psychology from the University of Barcelona (UB), she leads the Speech Acquisition and Processing (SAP) research group at the Center for Brain Cognition (CBC). Her work has positioned her as a global pioneer in the study of bilingualism from a cognitive and neural perspective.
Young Talent: Eva Maria Novoa (CRG), a Global Reference in Epitranscriptomics
The 2024 National Research Award for Young Talent has been granted ex aequo to Eva Maria Novoa, an ICREA researcher and leader of the Epitranscriptomics and RNA Dynamics Research Group at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG). Novoa is an expert in biochemical modifications of RNA and has developed new algorithms to map and quantify these modifications, establishing herself as an international leader in nanopore sequencing technologies.
i2CAT and Sateliot: Positioning Catalonia in the Space Economy
The National Award for Public-Private Partnership in Research and Innovation has been given to the joint work between the i2CAT Foundation and the company Sateliot, which has placed Catalonia at the forefront of the new space economy. Their collaboration has led to milestones such as the launch of the nanosatellites Enxaneta, Menut, and Minairó, which have contributed to improving global Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity.
ICRA: Water Research with Business Impact
The National Innovation Award for the Creation of a Science-Based Company has been awarded to the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) and the University of Girona (UdG) for the founding of Ecomemb SL. This recognition highlights their ability to transform research into innovative solutions in water management and the circular economy.
Finally, the new Award for Promoting Knowledge Transfer has been granted to the paediatric innovation hub i4KIDS at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, led by Arnau Valls, principal investigator at the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute.
The Minister acknowledged the awards as a reaffirmation of Catalonia’s commitment to a diverse, open, and socially driven knowledge system: “This year’s awardees remind us that research and innovation are not the preserve of any single field, but the result of collective efforts between universities, research centres, businesses, social organisations, and citizens. And when this effort is recognised and projected, it becomes a driving force for the transformation of the entire country.”
The National Research Awards are granted by the Government and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI).
