During his visit to the University’s stand, Alfonso Méndiz, rector of UIC Barcelona, commented that “the presence of our researchers and their projects at an event with such visibility strengthens the research and knowledge transfer with social impact that characterises our university community.”
Over the two days, many visitors, particularly those interested in health-related research, stopped by the stand, giving researchers the opportunity to explain their projects in detail to companies and investors.
The University plans to return next year. As Noelia Galán, director of the Centre for Knowledge Generation and Transfer, explained, “This edition has been an excellent opportunity to connect with potential investors for our projects. The quality of our proposals has sparked considerable interest, and we have established valuable contacts that we hope will lead to future collaborations. As was the case last year, the visibility that 4YFN gives us is key to positioning UIC Barcelona as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Catalonia. Overall, we are very satisfied with the outcome and are already thinking ahead to the next edition.”
Treating eating disorders with virtual reality
Bruno Porras, psychologist and principal researcher at the BrainXRLab of UIC Barcelona, together with researcher Patrícia Pons and her team at ITI València, has developed a pioneering project to prevent eating disorders in young people and adolescents through mixed reality, using immersive and interactive experiences in real settings.
The project, PrevED, is designed for group interventions using mixed-reality headsets that simulate weather phenomena such as snow and wind and is based on dysfunctional emotional regulation strategies such as rumination, emotional suppression and catastrophising. This innovative approach is expected to open up new possibilities for prevention in educational and community environments.
Improving the mental wellbeing of healthcare professionals
Isabella Meneghel, psychologist and researcher at UIC Barcelona specialising in mental health in organisational contexts, has developed MedMind, a pioneering digital platform to assess and improve the mental wellbeing of healthcare professionals. By monitoring data in real time, the tool will help identify potential sources of stress and analyse working conditions in order to improve emotional wellbeing.
Sensor-equipped gloves for practising resuscitation in virtual reality
Researchers from UIC Barcelona, led by Jordi Castillo from the Department of Nursing, have developed a new generation of gloves designed to improve the teaching and learning of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques using virtual reality, while also reducing costs. The next step will be to refine the initial prototype presented at 4YFN, making it lighter and more compact.
A new bioactive gutta-percha for advanced endodontics
Researchers from the Faculty of Dentistry and the Bioengineering Institute of Technology at UIC Barcelona have developed a new bioactive gutta-percha for advanced endodontics. The project, BioSphereGutta, focuses on creating next-generation materials for filling root canals.
According to Bárbara Giordano, researcher in endodontics at UIC Barcelona, the new gutta-percha offers an improved therapeutic approach by incorporating silica-based bioactive microspheres into traditional gutta-percha. This increases adhesion to dentine and promotes biomineralisation, making treatments safer and longer-lasting for patients.
UIC Barcelona consolidates its presence at 4YFN
This year, UIC Barcelona presented eight projects with innovative proposals in fields such as health, architecture, and business. The University first took part in the event last year, with projects from both researchers and start-ups created by graduates.
According to the vice-rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer at UIC Barcelona, Dr Román Pérez Antoñanzas, “The presence of researchers at this kind of fair, and the interest their projects generate, as we have again seen this year, confirms that we are moving in the right direction to achieve greater social impact. It is also a clear sign of the high level of research and entrepreneurship within our university community.”
The Vice-Rector went on to say, “It is a privilege to accompany not only our researchers, but also our students and former students who are here these days, and to witness their ability to engage with others and to generate interest in their work. This interest is due not only to their presence here now, but also to the work they carry out before and after the MWC.”
Once again, UIC Barcelona’s participation in 4YFN has been coordinated by the Department of Research and Knowledge Transfer, the Alumni Community and the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for projects from university units dedicated to knowledge transfer and valorisation.
