The UPC remains the leading university in Spain for the Horizon Europe programme

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) continues to lead the ranking of Spanish universities in terms of funding obtained from Horizon Europe, the European Union's framework programme for research and innovation for the 2021-2027 period. UPC is consolidating its competitive excellence with a total of €103.37 million raised since the start of the programme. It stands as the third entity in terms of funding attraction, following the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation, according to data updated this March and published by the Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI). Furthermore, UPC is among the Spanish entities with the highest return, according to provisional results of Spanish participation in Horizon Europe released by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

The areas in which UPC particularly excels include civil security for society; digital, industrial, climate, energy, and mobility sectors; as well as excellence projects under the European Research Council (ERC) — the Horizon Europe pillar to which the most funding has been allocated in Spain.

UPC’s sustained leadership is the result of constant knowledge transfer activity and international collaboration. In 2025 alone, UPC has added 28 new projects from the Horizon Europe programme, five of which it leads.

Featured Projects of 2025 Over the last year, UPC has secured three new projects distinguished by the European Research Council (ERC), the Horizon Europe sub-programme that funds excellence projects aimed at achieving disruptive results of high scientific and technological value:

• Enhancing Resilient Refugee Settlements through Innovative Spatial Information Contributions (CAMPS): Funded with €1.5 million, this is a pioneering initiative aiming to generate, for the first time, comprehensive spatial information on long-term refugee camps on a global scale. Given the current lack of data on these settlements, an open-access atlas will be developed to collect both the physical characteristics of the territory and the perspectives of the resident populations. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining architecture, urban planning, geography, and ethnography, the CAMPS project — involving researcher Nerea Amorós from the Department of Architectural Design — uses participatory methodologies and new mapping technologies to understand how these spaces influence the resilience and sustainability of ecosystems and people.

• It takes three to tango: semiconductors with three bands for a new generation of optoelectronic devices (TANGO): With funding of €2.71 million, this project, involving researcher Íñigo Ramiro from the Department of Electronic Engineering, aims to transform the technological base of electronic devices and solar panels by developing new materials capable of managing energy far more efficiently than at present. Unlike current semiconductors, which operate on a two-band model, this research uses nanotechnology to create an innovative solution that allows for processing more data and capturing more sunlight at room temperature.

In addition to the projects distinguished by the ERC, other Horizon Europe-funded initiatives of high value in artificial intelligence and sustainability also stand out:

• Intelligent, innovative, integrative Water Systems (I3waterS): Led by researcher Karina Gibert from the Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Center, this project applies advanced data analysis and AI to optimise water distribution networks.

• Re-designing the construction sector: Sustainable and functional bio-based construction products and building elements (BIOS MATER): This is UPC’s first project within the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). It develops bio-based construction products that prioritise circularity and thermal insulation. The principal investigator is Nikola Tosic, from the Construction Engineering research group (TECNIO Network).

Spanish Participation in Horizon Europe Spain is currently the second country with the highest participation and the first in terms of led projects within the Horizon Europe programme. Regarding funding, Spain has been the third country to achieve the largest grant, with €4,507.6 million and a return rate of 11.4%.

Information on UPC's participation in the framework programme can be found on the UPC Horizon Europe website.