By taking part in the fair, UIC Barcelona strengthens its commitment to knowledge transfer and to fostering entrepreneurial talent through start-ups that apply advanced, competitive technologies to create solutions with social impact. Alfonso Méndiz, rector of UIC Barcelona, visited the stands on Wednesday to meet the teams presenting their work and emphasised the importance of transferring knowledge.

The four initiatives attracted considerable interest at the fair, and during their two days at 4YFN they received numerous enquiries from people keen to learn more about each project.

Noelia Galán, director of the Centre for Knowledge Generation and Transfer, notes, “Taking part in fairs such as 4YFN positions us as a university that believes in, and is committed to, entrepreneurship, innovation and knowledge transfer. It offers an opportunity to connect with both the business and academic ecosystems, and to demonstrate the talent and creativity of our community. We are convinced that our presence here will enable us to continue growing and to strengthen our position as a benchmark in innovation and entrepreneurship”

Innovation in agritech, sustainable modular construction and AI for sales

RawData, an agritech start-up, offers a B2B SaaS platform that digitalises and optimises the operational workflows of agricultural companies. Its comprehensive software includes tools such as a digital field notebook, crop forecasting and human resources management for field teams.

Another initiative from graduates is AtomModular, a modular construction start-up that industrialises 3D wooden housing modules using zero-emission processes and advanced digitalisation. The company manufactures homes from standardised modules and industrial processes, reducing construction times and environmental impact. Its core aim is to address the housing crisis through large-scale industrialisation of modular wooden structures.

Voiceb.ai is another notable start-up created by UIC Barcelona graduates. The company focuses on AI-driven voice agents that interact with customers in real time, qualify demand and integrate seamlessly into sales workflows. Its primary clients include global firms in telecommunications, insurance, banking, utilities and the automotive industry. The objective is to enable more effective customer conversations, reduce costs and achieve scalable sales operations.

Innovation in ALS detection

Biomedical Sciences students Estel Gubianes, Estel Massip and Roger Solsona have developed ALSense, an aptamer-based blood biosensor capable of detecting specific biomarkers associated with ALS using non-invasive samples. The project aims to support the early diagnosis of the disease.

The platform under development enables detection of a panel of three blood biomarkers with high analytical sensitivity, correlation with the different clinical stages of the disease and rapid response times. ALSense is intended for healthcare professionals and hospitals seeking faster, more reliable and cost-effective ALS diagnoses.

 4YFN: a commitment to the future

UIC Barcelona took part in the 4YFN fair for the first time last year with eight entrepreneurship and research projects. With this year’s participation, presenting a further eight new projects, UIC Barcelona consolidates its presence at this leading technological event.

According to Dr Román Pérez Antoñanzas, the vice‑rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer, “Being here, as we were last year, is a way of positioning ourselves and of making our commitment to entrepreneurship visible to the world; not only over these days, but also through the dissemination and development of projects that may have a strong social impact in the long term”.

The Vice‑Rector added, “It is remarkable to see students and former students already capable of launching projects at such a young age, supported by the University. This is exactly our mission.”

Once again, UIC Barcelona’s participation in 4YFN has been driven by the Department of Research and Knowledge Transfer, the Alumni Community and the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, together with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for projects from university units dedicated to knowledge transfer and valorisation.