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12 innovative UAB projects recognised by the Industry of Knowledge programme

Last year, the university received €950,000 from the Catalan government's Industry of Knowledge programme to support the valorisation and transfer of 12 research projects.

The Knowledge Industry Programme, promoted by the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia, aims to promote a knowledge-based economic model by encouraging the transfer of research results from the different centres of the Catalan science and innovation system. The programme offers support in the different phases of the valorisation and transfer process, which are specified in the Llavor, Producte and Innovadors modalities.

In 2024, the UAB received funding of 953,625 euros. In the Llavor modality, which aims to support innovative projects with potential for incorporation into the productive sector, a total of six university projects were selected to receive grants totalling 120,000 euros. The projects are as follows:
 

  • PRODIGY: Engineering a Probiotic for Parkinson's Disease, led by Salvador Ventura, from the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB).
  • META-BEAT: Microbial enzyme targeting metabolism for cancer treatment, led by Esther Julian, from the Department of Genetics and Microbiology.
  • Non-volAtile memRisTive swItches For hIgh frequenCy opEration, led by Jorge Andrés Verdú, from the Department of Telecommunications and Systems Engineering.
  • PrevGut: Preventing Toxic Protein Aggregates in the Gut, led by Natalia Sánchez, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
  • LexiCat: Developing tests for receptive and productive vocabulary skills in Catalan, led by Adriana Soto, from the Departament de Filologia Anglesa i de Germanística.
  • PHAGEs_SI: Phage-based solutions to combat Salmonella Infantis in poultry production, led by Susana Campoy, from the Department of Genetics and Microbiology. 

In the Producte modality, aimed at projects for obtaining prototypes and the valorisation of research results generated by research teams in Catalonia, the programme awarded five projects with grants amounting to €749,625:

  • HeliCure: Towards a new therapy for Parkinson’s Disease, led by Irantzu Pallarès, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
  • TAR-NK-UAB: Development of a TGF-ß- and Activin A-Resistant off-the-shelf NK cell product for cancer treatment, with Aura Muntasell, from IBB, as principal investigator.
  • NanoERT: nano-delivery platform for Enzyme Replacement Therapy in Parkinson's and Gaucher's disease, led by IBB's Julia Lorenzo.
  • NEURORESOLVING: Neuroresolving therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, led by Rubèn López, from the Institute of Neurosciences (INc-UAB).
  • e-2PRINT: Sustainable Integration of Molecule-Programmable 2D Semiconductors with 3D Printing Technology: Towards a new era of Post-Moore Electronics, led by Jose Muñoz, from the Department of Chemistry.

In the Innovators modality, which finances projects for the hiring of a person with an entrepreneurial profile to carry out activities for the transfer of technologies or knowledge to the productive sector, one project was selected, with a total of 84,000 €:

  • URBAMETRICS: Urban metrics for the dynamic assessment of liveability conditions, led by Oriol Marquet, from the Department of Geography.