We promote activities linked to research, education, culture and the arts, with a particular interest in young talent.

As part of this commitment, every year we give out the Banco Sabadell Foundation Awards, which recognise knowledge, innovation and talent in different fields, such as economic research, biomedicine, science and engineering, and marine sustainability.

 

 

Banco Sabadell Foundation Prize for Economic Research

The Banco Sabadell Foundation gives out this award in recognition of the work of Spanish researchers in the fields of economic, business and social knowledge, in order to contribute to the analysis and formulation of alternatives that promote social welfare.

Call: open / Terms of the call

Jury 2024

Dr. Teresa Garcia-Milà - Chair of the Panel

Professor of Economics at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), and Director of the Barcelona School of Economics. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Barcelona and holds a PhD in economics from the University of Minnesota. Her main research area is macroeconomics, and within it, public sector economics and regional and urban economics. She was President of the Spanish Economic Association, a Board member of Banco Sabadell and is currently a Board member of Repsol.

Dr. Javier Andrés

Professor of Economics at the University of Valencia (1991) with an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, where he was a guest researcher at the Centre for Economic Performance. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIREF) and an Honorary Member of the Spanish Economic Association (AEE). He was a visiting scholar in the Research Department of the Bank of Spain, Head of the National Socio-economic Research Programme run by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and was director of the journal Moneda y Crédito. His field of research is macroeconomic analysis. He has published numerous works included in books and in national and international journals and has co-authored two books: En busca de la prosperidad (Deusto, Planeta) and La era de la disrupción digital (Deusto, Planeta).

Dr. Antonio Cabrales

Holder of a PhD in Economics from the University of California, San Diego, and Professor at the Universidad Carlos III, Madrid. He was a Professor at University College London, and at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. He is Executive Vice President of the European Economic Association and former President of the Spanish Economic Association. He is also a fellow of the Econometric Society and received the Rei Jaume I award for Economics in 2021. His work encompasses Game Theory, Experimental and Behavioural Economics, the Economics of Education, complex networks, and institutional design. His research works have been published in journals such as American Economic Review, Review of Economics Studies or Journal of Political Economy.

Dr. Bruno Cassiman

Holder of a PhD in Economics from the Northwestern University and professor of strategy at IESE Business School. He is also a professor at KU Leuven. His research areas focus on the economics of strategy and innovation, studying the relationships between science and industry in the innovation process. His academic works have been published in journals such as American Economic Review and Management Science, among others. In addition, he has been a consultant for the European Commission and for the governments of Belgium, Flanders and Catalonia on innovation policy.

Dr. Natalia Fabra

Professor of Economic Analysis at the Universidad Carlos III, Madrid. She is also a researcher at the Centre for Economic Policy Research and an associate researcher at CEMFI, at Norwegian School of Economics and the Toulouse School of Economics. She received the Banco Sabadell Foundation award for Economics in 2014 and is the principal investigator of a European Research Council (ERC) project. Her research focuses on the field of industrial organisation, mainly on issues related to regulation and competition policy, with an emphasis on energy and environmental economics. Her research work has been published in numerous high-impact research journals, including the American Economic Review, Management Science, among others. She is also a member of the economics advisory group of the General Directorate of Competition of the European Commission and president of the European Research Association in Industrial Economics (EARIE) and was president of the Spanish Economics Association (AEE).

Dr. Nagore Iriberri

Nagore Iriberri is Ikerbasque Research Professor at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) since 2012. She holds a PhD from the University of California, San Diego, which she obtained in 2006. She then moved to Spain and worked at Universitat Pompeu Fabra where she obtained tenure in 2012. Her work encompasses Game Theory, Behavioural Economy, Experimental Economics and Gender Economics. Her research focuses on the study of initial responses to games, behavioural responses to relative performance feedback and gender differences in performance. In 2024 she serves as president of the Spanish Economics Association (AEE) and has been head of the Economics area of ​​the State Research Agency (2018-2021).

Dr. Núria Mas

Núria Mas is a professor in the Economics Department at IESE Business School and holder of the Jaime Grego Chair of Healthcare Management. She holds a PhD in Economics from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universitat Pompeu Fabra Núria Mas was until recently a member of the Governing Council of the Bank of Spain. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institut Guttmann Foundation and was a member of the Advisory Committee for the Sustainability and Progress of the Healthcare System of the Government of Catalonia. Her research areas focus on health economics, especially the organization of health systems, and she has been an advisor and consultant in the field of health economics for the European Commission, public institutions and the health sector.

Dr. Diego Puga

Professor of Economics at the Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros (CEMFI), Madrid. He holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics. His research interests include urban economics, economic geography and international trade. He has previously held academic positions at the London School of Economics, University of Toronto, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and IMDEA. He received the Banco Sabadell Foundation award for Economics in 2008 and the Rei Jaume I award for Economics in 2020. He has led two large projects from the European Research Council (Advanced Grants).

Dr. Marta Reynal-Querol

Marta Reynal-Querol is an ICREA Research Professor at the Department of Economics and Business of Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), a Research Professor at the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE) and director of the Institute of Political Economy and Governance (IPEG). She is also Director of the Masters’ Degree programme in Economics at UPF-BSE since 2012. His research areas are applied economics and political economy, the causes and effects of war conflicts, the effectiveness of development aid and ethnic polarization. She received the Rei Jaume I award for Economics in 2022. She won the Banco Herrero prize in 2011. She was awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced grant in 2022, an ERC Consolidator grant in 2014 and an ERC Starting grant in its first edition. She holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and has been an economist at the World Bank. His research works have been published in journals such as American Economic Review, American Political Science Review, and Journal of Development Economics.

Winners 2023—2002

2023
Joan Monràs

Research Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Professor of Economics at the Pompeu Fabra University (on leave of absence). Before relocating to San Francisco, Joan was a Kenen Fellow at Princeton University and Professor of Economics at CEMFI (Madrid) and Sciences Po (Paris). Joan obtained his PhD in Economics from Columbia University in 2014. He is also a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), associate researcher at CREI (centre for international economic research where he is currently on leave of absence) and associate professor at the Barcelona School of Economics (on leave of absence). His research falls within the fields of labour economics, urban economics and international trade. He has published in prestigious international journals such as the American Economic Review and the Journal of Political Economy.

2022
Elena Manresa

A graduate in Mathematics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia of Barcelona (2006), in 2014 she obtained her PhD in Economics at the Centre for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI) of Madrid. Since 2017, she has been a professor in the Economics Department of New York University (NYU). Her research focuses on the field of econometrics, with an emphasis on panel data and the inclusion of machine learning and artificial intelligence methods, which enable the treatment of heterogeneity in empirical works in economics. Some examples include the study of the origins of the gender pay gap using Swedish administrative data, the quantification of the indirect effects of R&D among companies in the US, or the rationalisation of savings patterns in the US using the AHEAD survey.

2021
Prof. Mónica Martónez-Bravo

Doctor in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and professor at the Center for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI), for her research work in the field of political economy and economic development and, in particular, for her contribution to the analysis of the factors that determine the degree of success or failure of democratic transition processes.

2020
Dr. Eduardo Morales

He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Law from Universidad Carlos III, Madrid, and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University. In 2006 he was awarded First Prize in the National Awards for Outstanding Law Graduates (“Premio Nacional de Fin de Carrera”), and Second Prize in the National Awards for Outstanding Economics Graduates. He was a professor at Columbia University and is currently a professor at Princeton University.

Dr. Eduardo Morales has been recognised for his research work on companies’ strategic decisions and how they contribute to their export performance and capacity for innovation. His line of research is focused on international trade with a particular interest in companies’ export performance.

2019
Irma Clots-Figueras

A graduate in Economics from the Pompeu Fabra University with a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She developed her academic career in the Economics Department of the Carlos III University in Madrid. She is currently a professor at the University of Kent. She is a prominent figure in the fields of political economy and development economics – areas in which she has covered a wide variety of topics, such as women’s involvement in politics, the importance of education for political leaders, costs and benefits of gender quotas and how education contributes to shaping identity.

2018
Laura Díaz Anadón

Dr Díaz Anadón has a joint honours degree in chemical engineering and German (MEng) from the University of Manchester, and a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Cambridge, Master's Degree in Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard Kennedy School of Harvard University. She currently holds the chaired Professorship of Climate Change Policy at the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge, she is a Bye-Fellow at Peterhouse College and a Fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG). She is also a Research Associate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Dr Díaz Anadón received the award for her work on climate change, a project that combines core research with the development of public policy to guide the work carried out by governments and international organisations.

2017
Mar Reguant

Holder of a degree in Economics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and a PhD in Economics from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) she has previously worked as an assistant professor at the University of Stanford, and she is currently a professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Her line of research is focused on the economics of energy and the environment. Doctor Reguant has studied the function of auctions in wholesale electricity markets from a theoretical and empirical perspective. In these auctions different electricity companies offer their available electricity capacity at different prices. She has also carried out successful research in environmental economics. In particular, she has studied the carbon markets, comparing different mechanisms to reduce pollution. Her research shows that competition policies increase the efficiency of environmental policies.

2016
Nagore Iriberri

Degree in Economics from the University of the Basque Country, and is a Doctor in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. She has been a research professor at the Pompeu Fabra University and is currently research professor at the University of the Basque Country. Her line of research is focused on the area of experimental economics and game theory applied to the study of social behaviour. A theme which stands out in her research is understanding individuals’ reasoning processes in strategic situations when they have not had the opportunity to learn from previous experiences.

2015
Victor Martínez de Albéniz

Holds a PhD from the Operations Research Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) having studied engineering at the Polytechnic School in Paris and a master’s degree in Statistics and Economics at the Paris Graduate School of Economics, Statistics and Finance (ENSAE) in Paris. He is currently associate professor at IESE, where he has been undertaking his academic work since the year 2004. His line of research focuses on the field of operations management and, in particular, on the design and optimisation of global supply chains in the face of demand volatility.

2014
Natalia Fabra

Holds a degree in Economics from the Carlos III University in Madrid and is a doctor in Economics from the European University Institute of Florence. She is professor at the Carlos III University in Madrid and associate researcher at the Centre for Economic Policy Research. Her line of research focuses on industrial economics and, especially, on the analysis of the regulation and competition of the energy markets. Professor Fabra is a reference point on an international level in the electrical sphere, a highlight being her research into the design of auctions for the generation and distribution of electrical energy.

2013
Gerard Padrò i Miquel

Holds a degree in Economics from the Pompeu Fabra University and a PhD in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has been professor of the University of Stanford and is currently Chair Professor at the London School of Economics. The jury underlined his track record of research in the field of Political Economics, in which he has made important theoretical and empirical contributions to the economics of development.

2012
Emilio J. Castilla

A graduate in Economics from the University of Barcelona with a PhD in Sociology from the University of Stanford. He has been professor of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since 2005. The jury highlighted his track record of research in the field of economic sociology and his studies on the organisation of companies incorporating the analysis of social networks, professional careers and discrimination in the assessment of merit in organisations.

2011
Marta Reynal Querol

Holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE), a master’s degree from the Pompeu Fabra University and has worked as an economist for the World Bank. Since October 2009 she has been a researcher for ICREA and is a professor at the Pompeu Fabra University. Her research analyses the importance of the personal and psychological characteristics of leaders in corporate and country financial results, which allow a more comprehensive explanation of macroeconomic and corporate results as well as of the probability of observing conflicts.

2010
Jesús Fernández Villaverde

Holds a degree in Economics and Law from ICADE and a PhD in Economics from the University of Minnesota. He is a researcher for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). He is the director of the FEDEA-Caja Madrid Chair and, since 2007, he has been professor in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. His line of research includes important contributions to macroeconomic analysis in the sphere of growth models, the labour market and fiscal policy, among others.

2009
Pol Antràs Puchal

Holds a degree in Economics from the Pompeu Fabra University and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is a researcher for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), and has been visiting professor at the MIT and at Princeton. Since 2007, he has been Chair Professor of Economics at Harvard University. His research work has been based on the analysis of factors that lead companies to externalise and relocate their production, creating their own subsidiaries rather than contracting out to local suppliers.

2008
Diego Puga

Holds a degree in Economic and Business Studies from the Autonomous University of Madrid and a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE). He has been professor at the University of Toronto and at the London School of Economics, researcher for the CREI (Pompeu Fabra University’s Centre for Research into the International Economy) and researcher at the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (IMDEA). He is professor at the Centre for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI) and co-director of the programme in International Commerce and Regional Economics at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). He has incorporated, for the first time, the effects of general equilibrium and establishes the ways in which industrial concentration leads to salary differences between regions.

2007
Luis Garicano

Holds a degree in Economics and Law from the University of Valladolid, a master’s degree in Economic Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges and a PhD from the University of Chicago. He is currently professor of Economics and Strategy at the London School of Economics and director of the McKinsey Chair at the Fundación de Economía Aplicada (FEDEA). His theoretical and empirical approaches to knowledge acquisition and transmission within companies, as well as his contribution to the design of offshoring models in the knowledge economy, earned him recognition from the jury.

2006
Javier Suárez

Javier Suárez holds a degree in Economics from the Complutense University and a PhD from the Carlos III University of Madrid. He has held the post of professor at the London School of Economics and is currently professor at the Centre for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI). The jury acknowledged his research record in the field of economic knowledge, fundamentally in the areas of banking economics and business finance, and his merit as an economist of prestige who has developed his teaching and research career at Spanish academic institutions.

2005
Mauto F. Guillén

Holds a PhD in Economics and Business Studies from the University of Oviedo and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Yale. He is currently director of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute, a research and teaching programme that combines business administration and international relations. He holds the Dr. Felix Zandman Endowed Professorship in International Management at the Wharton School and is also Chair Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, and is on the Board of Advisors of Princeton University’s Sociology Department and at the Escuela de Finanzas Aplicadas. The Prize was awarded to him for his track record of research in the field of economic sociology and business administration.

2004
Roberto Serrano

Holds a degree in Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid and a PhD from the University of Harvard. He is professor of Economics at the Brown University (Providence), and has been visiting professor at the Pompeu Fabra University, professor of Economics at the Complutense University of Madrid, associate researcher for the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (IMDEA) and a visiting researcher at the CEMFI. The jury valued his research in the field of economic knowledge. Serrano is a world leader in his specialist area of game theory, where his work has consolidated him as one of the principal researchers.

2003
Jose Manuel Campa Fernández

Holds a degree in Economics and Law from the University of Oviedo and a PhD in Economics from Harvard. He was professor at the University of New York’s Stern School of Business, holder of the Grupo Santander Chair in Financial Institutions Management and professor in Corporate Governance at the IESE. He has worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Bank for International Settlements and has been Secretary of State for the Economy. He is currently chair professor of Management of Financial Institutions and Corporate Governance at the IESE (University of Navarra). The jury agreed to award him the prize for his brilliant track record in research in the field of economic knowledge, as well as his contribution to the analysis and the formulation of alternatives that promote social welfare.

2002
Xavier Sala i Martin

Holds a Degree in Economics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Harvard. He has been visiting professor at the universities of Harvard and Pompeu Fabra, and associate professor at the University of Yale. He is currently Economics professor at the University of Columbia. The jury highlighted his outstanding research record in the field of the economics of economic growth and underlined his contributions to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Sala i Martín’s research focuses on public finances, social security and the monetary and international economy.

Banco Sabadell Foundation Prize for Biomedical Research

The Banco Sabadell Foundation gives out this award in order to recognise young researchers with an outstanding track record in the fields of biomedicine and health sciences who stand out in their respective specialties for their ability to innovate.

Call: open / Terms of the call

Jury 2024

Dr. Óscar Marín – Chair

PhD in Biology from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is the Director of the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at King’s College London. Winner of the ‘Banco Sabadell Award’ in 2008; the ‘Jaime I Basic Research’ award, granted by the Generalitat Valenciana; the Roger de Spoelberch Prize in 2014, and the Cajal Medal from the Royal Academy of Science in 2017. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society since 2022.

Dr. Amparo Cano

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). Key contributions to the field of invasion and metastasis: identification of the loss of E-cadherin as a biomarker of the progression of carcinoma cells; characterisation of mechanisms responsible for the loss of E-cadherin in carcinoma cells and identification of Snail1 as a repressor of E-cadherin and an inductor of EMT (EMT-TF) (together with Dr Angela Nieto), characterisation of other EMT-TF factors and their regulating mechanisms; identification of LOXL2 y LOXL3 (lysyl oxidase-like 2/3) as modular proteins of EMT and their role in the progression and metastasis of carcinoma cells (LOXL2) and the survival of melanoma (LOXL3).

Dr. Ángel Carracedo

Professor of legal medicine at the University of Santiago. Director of the Public Galician Foundation of Genomic Medicine (SERGAS) and the Kaertor Foundation. The Genomic Medicine group that he created and directs consists of 8 research groups, various technological platforms and more than 130 staff. He has published eight books and around 800 articles in international journals. He is President of the International Academy of Legal Medicine (IALM) and member of the board or advisory board of several national and international research centres. He has received numerous awards, including the Rey Jaime I award for research, the Adelaide Medal, the Prix Galien, and the National Genetics Award, among others. He is an honorary doctor in 8 universities.

Dr. Isabel Fariñas

Neurobiologist and professor of cellular biology at the Universidad de Valencia, her group researches mother cells of the adult human brain and their potential use in regenerative medicine, and is part of the Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED). Fariñas is a member of the management board of several scientific societies and belongs to the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). She has been a researcher in the science program of the Botín-Banco Santander Foundation and president of the Biosciences and Biotechnology area of ​​the State Research Agency (AEI).

Dr. Borja Ibáñez

Cardiologist and Researcher at CNIC and FJD. Translational researcher dedicated to the study of myocardial disease, from the mechanisms of the disease to the development of treatments, leading multinational clinical trials. His research focuses on acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and the study of cardiovascular toxicity associated with cancer and its treatments. He has published more than 350 articles and has received uninterrupted competitive research funding since 2010, including an active ERC consolidator grant and active H2020-HEALTH funding, as coordinator. Chairman of the European Society of Cardiology’s clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Associate Editor of various high impact journals. Numerous awards, including the Banco Sabadell Foundation Award for Biomedical Research in 2017, the Princess of Girona Foundation Scientific Research Award in 2010, Constantes y Vitales award in 2020, and the Jesús Serra Research award in 2021.

Dr. Nuria Malats

Doctor in Medicine, since 2007 she has been leading the Genetic & Molecular Epidemiology Group at the National Cancer Research Centre. She has wide-ranging experience in these fields of research. Her research focuses on pancreatic and bladder cancer, leading international epidemiological studies which integrate different levels of information, including omics data, in both the development and progression of cancer. Dr. Malats has published more than 300 articles and is external reviewer for national and international funding agencies and leading scientific journals. She has been a member of the management board of the European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR), the European Association of Urology (EAU) Research Foundation, and the Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium (PanC4). She chaired the EUPancreas COST Action platform (BM1204) with more than 250 members. She is currently President of ALIPANC, an alliance for research into pancreatic cancer in Spain, and the Research Work Stream of the Pancreatic Cancer Europe (PCE) platform.

Dr. Pura Muñoz

Holder of a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Valencia. PhD in Science from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She is Lead Researcher at Altos Labs, in San Diego. Previously, she was an ICREA lecturer, professor of cellular biology at UPF (Barcelona) and a senior researcher at CNIC (Madrid). She is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO). She studies tissue regeneration mechanisms in illness and ageing.

Dr. Manuel Palacín

Group leader at the Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB Barcelona), Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona (UB). Head of Unit 731 of the CIBERER (Centre for Biomedical Research into Rare Diseases Network).

Dr. Francisco Sánchez-Madrid

PhD in Biochemistry from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Professor of Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Autonomous University of Madrid since 1990 and Head of the Immunology Service of Princesa University Hospital since 2009. He is currently the Scientific Director of the health research institute Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa. His scientific work notably includes his contribution to knowledge of adhesion, migration and activation of leukocytes, which has been greatly beneficial to the study of chronic inflammatory diseases. His contributions to research are reflected in more than 525 international publications, which have been quoted over 48,000 times by other authors (WOS), as well as an H Index of 105 (Google Scholar: 61,500 quotations and Factor H.125), demonstrating his interest and general impact. Lastly, as part of his scientific management activities, he has been President of the Immunology Commission of the Spanish Health Research Fund (1998-2000), Manager of the National Biomedicine Plan (2001-2005) and Member of the ERC Grants Evaluation Panel for Young European Researchers (2007-2010). He has been Scientific Director of the Princesa Health Research Institute since its foundation in 2009 until 2023.

Dr. María Luisa Toribio

PhD in Biology from the Complutense University of Madrid. She is Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Head of the ‘Interactions with the Environment’ department of the Severo Ochoa Centre for Molecular Biology, CSIC-UAM of Madrid. She was joint manager of the National Biomedicine Plan and evaluator of the ERC Grants Evaluation Panel. She is a member of various national and European evaluation panels, as well as the Scientific Advisory Board of the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and the IMIM-Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute. His research focuses on deciphering the mechanisms involved in the development of human T lymphocytes, whose deregulation leads to the generation of T-ALL leukemia, in order to develop new immunotherapies against specific tumor targets.

Dr. Eduard Batlle

Research Lecturer at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA). Coordinator of the Oncology Programme and Principal Researcher at the Barcelona Institute of Biomedical Research. His most recent research focuses on the characterisation of the mechanisms that drive colorectal cancer. He received the Banco Sabadell Award for Biomedical Research in 2010 and, more recently, the Rey Jaime I award for medical research, in 2021, and the National Research Award from the Generalitat of Catalonia.

Winners 2023—2006

2023
Dr Manuel Valiente

Dr Valiente studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zaragoza (1998-2003), receiving the Extraordinary Prize and the second-class National Graduation Award. He did his doctorate at the Alicante Institute of Neurosciences, tutored by Dr Oscar Marín (2004-2009), obtaining the Extraordinary PhD Prize. He completed his PhD training at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York (2010-2014), in Dr Joan Massagué’s laboratory. In 2015, he joined the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) to conduct research into brain metastasis; this work earned him a place among international leaders in this field.

2022
Dr. María Mittelbrunn

Holder of a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid, she is a tenured scientist at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and lead researcher with the “Immunometabolism and Inflammation” laboratory at the Severo Ochoa Centre for Molecular Biology (CSIC-UAM) where she researches the contribution of immune cells to age-related diseases. She received an award for her research on the key role of the immune system in the control of organ and tissue ageing. Specifically, she demonstrated the early ageing of the entire body as a result of an alteration in cellular immunity.

2021
Dr. Guadalupe Sabio Buzo

A graduate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Extremadura with a PhD from the University of Extremadura in collaboration with the British Medical Research Council in Dundee (Scotland), recognised for her contribution to understanding why obesity causes cardiometabolic diseases.

2020
Dr. Guillermina López-Bendito

Undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Alicante. PhD in Neurosciences. Since 2007, she has been leading her own laboratory and research group as CSIC scientific researcher at the Institute of Neurosciences within the Developmental Neuroscience Unit. Dr. López-Bendito has been recognised for her innovative contribution in the field of developmental neurobiology, making pioneering contributions to understanding the formation and plasticity of nerve connections during brain development, under normal conditions and in sensory deprivation models. Her research may inspire the design of tools capable of repairing defective neuronal connections in patients with congenital or acquired sensory deficits, such as some cases of blindness.

2019
Dr. Arkaiz Carracedo Pérez

Holder of a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Complutense University of Madrid. After a first postdoctoral stage at the New York and Boston lab of Prof Pier Paolo Pandolfi, he returned to Spain in 2010 to start his own independent research at CIC bioGUNE, with the initial support of the Ramón y Cajal programme and, since 2011, as Research Professor at Ikerbasque.

2018
Dr. Daniel López Serrano

Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Murcia. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University (United States), he led an independent research group at Würzburg University (Germany), with the prestigious role of ‘Young Investigator Group Leader’. Since 2014 he has led his own laboratory as a senior scientist at CSIC at the National Centre for Biotechnology.

2017
Dr. Borja Ibáñez

Graduate in medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid, and Doctor in Medicine at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Currently, he combines scientific activities by leading a research group at the Cardiovascular Research Centre (CNIC for its acronym in Spanish), with clinical activity through his role as an interventional cardiologist at the Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz. Furthermore, he also leads a group at the recently inaugurated CIBER for cardiovascular illnesses (CIBERCV for its acronym in Spanish). He has won awards in recognition of his contributions in the fight against cardiovascular diseases.

2016
Dra. Nuria López-Bigas

Holder of a degree in Biology from the University of Barcelona. She is currently an ICREA researcher professor at the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, where she leads and directs a laboratory dedicated to researching cancer genomes. Winner of awards for her contribution to the development of new bioinformatics methods for the study of cancer genomes. Her work has paved the way towards classifying patients suffering from cancer in accordance with mutations in their tumours, and to making progress in the implementation of individual therapies which are more closely adapted to each patient.

2015
Dr. Xavier Trepat

A physicist and engineer, researcher at ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies) at the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC). He was the first to describe a new mechanism of physical relations between cells that can promote metastasis in cancer. With his team, formed by some 15 people, he has developed a new technology capable of measuring forces on a nanometric scale.

2014
Dr. Salvador Aznar-Benitah

Holds a degree in Biochemistry from McGill University in Montreal (Canada). Since 2013 he has been principal investigator at the Stem Cells and Cancer Laboratory of the Biomedical Research Institute (IRB Barcelona). The prize recognised his discovery of the influence of the circadian cycle on the behaviour of adult stem cells. A finding that has important implications in the fields of ageing and cancer.

2013
Dra. Almudena R. Ramiro

Graduate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid. PhD in Sciences and Extraordinary Prize for her Doctoral Thesis. Since 2011 she has led the B Lymphocytes Biology Laboratory at the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC). Her research in molecular and cellular immunology has clarified fundamental processes in lymphocyte differentiation and biology, facilitating the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

2012
Ben Lehner

PhD in Biology from the University of Cambridge. Since 2006 he has been a researcher at the Genomic Regulation Centre of Barcelona (CRG) and has become one of the youngest group directors at the centre and one of the most brilliant scientists working in our country. Lehner and his team have contributed to understanding the causes of genetic mutations that cause diseases and the role that chance plays in their appearance.

2011
Dr. Óscar Fernández-Capetillo Ruiz

PhD in Biochemistry from the University of the Basque Country. Head of the Genomic Instability Group of the National Centre for Oncology Research (CNIO) in Madrid. Awarded the prize for his contribution to establishing the origin of cancer and, in particular, the mechanisms of damage to DNA caused by oncogenes.

2010
Dr. Eduard Batlle Gómez

PhD in Biology from the University of Barcelona. Research Professor of ICREA and Coordinator of the Oncology Programme and principal investigator of the Biomedical Research Institute (IRB Barcelona). Awarded the prize for his research work focusing on colon cancer.

2009
Dr. Joan Seoane Suárez

PhD in Biochemistry from Barcelona University. Research professor at ICREA and director of the Programme for Translational Research at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital Institute of Oncology (VHIO). He received the prize for his study of strategies for diagnosing and treating patients with cancer and, above all, brain tumours.

2008
Dr. Óscar Marín Parra

PhD in Biology from the Complutense University of Madrid. Since 2014 he has been director of the MRC Developmental Neurology Centre at King’s College London. He was awarded the prize for his work on the biological origins of mental diseases, based on knowledge of the development of the cerebral cortex.

2007
Dr. Benedicto Crespo-Facorro

PhD in Psychiatry from the Complutense University of Madrid. Director of the Psychosis Programme at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital and consultant in the Psychiatry Service. He was awarded the prize for his capacity for innovation and his numerous studies related with the biological origins of schizophrenia making use of neuroimaging techniques.

2006
Dr. Manuel Serrano Marugán

PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Head of the Molecular Oncology Programme of the National Centre for Oncology Research (CNIO). Awarded the prize for his track record and contributions in the field of tumoural suppression to understand the phenomenon of cellular ageing linked to the production of tumours.

Banco Sabadell Foundation Award for Science and Engineering

The Banco Sabadell Foundation gives out this award, created in collaboration with BIST (Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology), to recognise the work and careers of young researchers who stand out in their respective fields, such as mathematics, chemistry, physics and engineering.

Call: open / Terms of the call

Jury 2024

Dr. Lluis Torner – Chair

Professor of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, founding director of the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), a global benchmark in its field. He is a member of several international panels and advisor to public and private entities in a number of countries on prospective research in scientific and technological matters. He received the Monturiol Medal for Scientific Merit (2009), the Optical Society of America Leadership Award (2011), the National Research Award of Catalonia (2016) and the Saint George’s Cross Distinction of the Generalitat de Cataluña (2022), among other awards in recognition of his work.

Dr. Xavier Barcons

Xavier Barcons is general manager of the ESO (European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere) since September 2017. He graduated with a degree in physics from the University of Barcelona in 1982 and obtained his PhD at the University of Cantabria in 1985. Since 2022, he has been research lecturer at CSIC. He was the first director (1995-1999) and founder of IFCA (Cantabria Institute of Physics), where he set up the first research group on X-ray astronomy in Spain. He has been involved in ESA’s (European Space Agency) main X-ray space observatories, where he was also member of the SSAC (Space Science Advisory Committee, 2004-2006). From 2001 to 2014, he collaborated with various ministries to manage the astronomy programme and worked as advisor for large installations. He was delegate (2007-2011), Deputy Chair (2011) and Chair (2012-2014) of the ESO Council. The President of Chile awarded him the Grand Cross of the Bernardo O’Higgins Order in 2020, and he was foreign corresponding scholar of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences and of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona.

Dr. Avelino Corma

Studied chemistry at the University of Valencia and obtained his PhD at the Complutense University of Madrid in 1976.
Researcher since 1990, founded the Institute for Chemical Technology (Instituto de Tecnología Química, or ITQ), the joint research centre created by Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). During the last thirty years, he has developed his research work in both basic and applied heterogeneous catalysis. He works in molecular design for catalytic converters and in sustainable catalytic processes in fields such as hydrocarbon refining and biomass derivatives, as well as fine chemicals. He has worked in key aspects of acid-base and redox catalysis in order to understand the nature of the active centres and reaction mechanisms. Leveraging this knowledge, he has developed a set of catalytic converters that are being used in various industrial processes. He has published a myriad of works in prestigious international magazines. He has co-written around 200 patents, 20 of which are under industrial use. He is member of the Royal Academy of Engineering in Spain, of the Academy of Europe, of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Spain, of the National Academy of Engineering (USA), of the French Academy of Sciences, of the Academy of Europe (Chemical Sciences Section) and the Royal Society. He has received numerous national and international awards, such as: Mexico’s National Award for Science and Technology (2006), the Somorjai Award of the American Chemical Society (2008), the Chemistry Centenary Prize and Spiers of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2010 and 2016), the Catalysis European Award “François Gault” (2001), the Breck Award of the International Zeolite Association (2004), the Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis (2009), as well as the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research (2014), among others.
He has been awarded 18 honorary doctorates.

Dr. Anna Fontcuberta

PhD, Full Professor in Materials Science and Engineering and in Physics, Associate Vice-President for Centers and Platforms at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). She is member of the EPFL-WISH foundation and former President. The goal of this foundation is to support female students in accomplishing their professional dreams. She is also a member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation and President of the Specialized Committee for International Cooperation. She is part of the Swiss National Quantum Commission of the Swiss Academy of Sciences.
Anna studied physics at the University of Barcelona. She then moved to Paris where she obtained a PhD in Materials Science from the Ecole Polytechnique (France). She performed a postdoc at CalTech with Prof. Harry Atwater, with whom she also co-founded the start-up company Aonex Technologies. After a brief period as CNRS researcher at Ecole Polytechnique, she moved to TU Munich as a group leader. She has been professor at EPFL since 2008. Among the awards she has received are the Marie Curie Excellence Grant, ERC Starting Grant, the SNSF-backup schemes Consolidator Grant and the EPS Emy Noether prize.

Dr. Maria Pau Ginebra

Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), where she directs the Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Group. She is also an Associate Researcher at the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). Her research focuses on the development of biomaterials for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. She has directed numerous research projects, including one that received ERC Advanced Grant funding, as well as technology transfer projects, and in 2013 she founded the company, Mimetis Biomaterials. She received the City of Barcelona Award in 2006, the Narcís Monturiol Medal in 2012, and was recognised by the ICREA Academia in three editions of its awards. In 2019 she received the Klaas de Groot award from the European Society for Biomaterials. She is a Fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering.

Dr. Rolf Tarrach

Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Barcelona, where he was Vice-Chancellor. He was President of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and an advisor to European committees, namely: the European Union Research Advisory Board and the Group of Experts attached to the European Commission (5-year-assessment). He has evaluated universities and research centres in Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Finland and Kuwait. He has been a member of university governing boards and of the Search committee of the DG of ESA (European Space Agency).
He is an honorary doctor of the University of St Petersburg and the University of Liege. He is advisor to various companies. He was Chancellor of the University of Luxembourg, Chairman of the “University Strategy 2015”, Vice-President of the Initiatives d’excellence and President of the European University Association

Dr. Carme Torras

Research Professor at the Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (CSIC-UPC) in Barcelona, where she directs a research group on assistive robotics. A mathematics graduate from the University of Barcelona (1978), she has a master’s degree in Computational Science from the University of Massachusetts (1981) and a PhD in Informatics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (1984). She has co-authored eight scientific books and around 400 articles about neural models, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics. She has supervised 20 doctoral theses and 17 European projects, including the ERC Advanced Grant funded CLOTHILDE project on robotic garment handling.
She is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), European Association for Artificial Intelligence (EurAI) and the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), and is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona. She received the Narcís Monturiol Medal in 2000, the National Research Award of the Generalitat de Cataluña in 2020, and the Julio Rey Pastor National Research Award in mathematics and ICT, awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, also in 2020. She is a member of the Observatori d’Ètica en Intel·ligència Artificial de Catalunya and is Vice-President of the Ethics Committee of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

Dr. María Vallet Regí

María Vallet-Regí, lecturer in inorganic chemistry and founder of the Research Group for Smart Biomaterials at the Pharmacy School of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). Her research work focuses on bioceramics for the replacement, repair and regeneration of hard tissues. She also works in nanomedicine and she pioneered the use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles for controlled release in selective drug delivery. She is an academic at the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAI) and the Royal Academy of Pharmacy (RANF). Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) and of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Stanford University ranks the top 2% world scientists, and Ms Vallet-Regí ranks as the first Spanish woman in this list. She has received numerous national and international awards and has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Universities of the Basque Country, Jaume I, Rovira i Virgili and Murcia.

Dr. Enrique Zuazua

Since 2019, he has held the Chair for Dynamics, Control and Numerics (Alexander von Humboldt Professorship) at the Erlangen-Nürnberg Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) in Germany, which he combines with his affiliations with the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and the Deusto Foundation, in Bilbao, where he also works with artificial intelligence specialists, Sherpa AI.
He received the Euskadi (Basque Country) Award for Science and Technology in 2006, and the Julio Rey Pastor National Award for Mathematics and ICT in 2007. He also received Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) to fund NUMERIWAVES research in 2010, the DyCon (Dynamic Control) applied mathematics project in 2016 and the CoDeFeL (Control for Deep and Federated Learning) project in 2023. In 2022 he was awarded the W.T and Idalia Reid Prize in mathematics, presented by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

Winners 2023—2017

2023
Dr Juan Miguel Morales

Dr Morales holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Castilla-La Mancha. After a first postdoctoral position as a Hans Christian Oersted Research Fellow, he went on to work as Senior Lecturer for the department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at the Technical University of Denmark, before returning to the University of Malaga in 2016, where he founded and currently heads the research group Optimisation and Analytics for Sustainable Energy Systems (OASYS). His research focuses on the development of algorithms, models and techniques based on mathematical optimisation, statistics and machine learning to allow the large-scale deployment of distributed renewable energy resources for power production systems.

2022
Dr. Samuel Sánchez

Holder of a PhD in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, he is a professor at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), team leader and deputy director at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona, Honorary Professor at HIT in Harbin, China, and Associate Professor at POSTECH, South Korea. He previously worked at Max Planck and Leibniz in Germany and Japan. He has received many accolades for his pioneering work in nanorobotics, and has been awarded four European Research Council (ERC) grants, including the Consolidator Grant that he currently receives. He has published more than 150 articles, presented more than 130 conferences and holds 7 patents, one of them licensed to the spin-off of which he is a founder.

2021
Dr. Ana Tajadura - Jiménez

Tenured professor at the Carlos III University of Madrid and holder of a PhD in Psychoacoustics from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, recognised for her research in the fields of engineering and applied acoustics. Her research focuses on the design of sensory technology to change people’s perception of their own bodies in real time, creating Body Transformation Experiences.

2020
Dr. Nanda Rea

PhD in Astrophysics from the Tor Vergata University of Rome. Since 2016, she has been a CSIC scientist at the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC-IEEC) in Barcelona. Her research focuses on theoretical observations and simulations of neutron stars –the compact and highly magnetic remnants of relatively massive star supernova explosions.

Dr. Rea has been recognised for her contribution to the field of astrophysics, focusing her research on the study of a class of neutron stars with extremely intense magnetic fields: magnetars, a particular type of pulsars.

2019
Prof. David Pérez García

Holder of a PhD in Mathematics from the Complutense University of Madrid and member of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT). After a few years at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, following his PhD, where he started to work on quantum information theories, he went back to the Complutense University in 2006 to establish the “Mathematics and Quantum Information” research team, which currently has 14 researchers. In 2018, he was appointed Corresponding Academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

2018
Prof. Rubén Martín

Prof. Martín has a Degree and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Barcelona. After five years working on his postdoctoral research in the field of organometallic catalysis, in 2008 he began his professional career at the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ, Tarragona). In 2013 he was promoted to Associate Professor and subsequently to ICREA Research Professor. He is currently leading a research team of 17 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers at ICIQ in Tarragona.

2017
Dr. Romain Quidant

Doctor in Physics at the University of Dijon (France). Since 2002 he has worked at The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona (ICFO for its acronym in Spanish) in the field of nanoplasmonics, and since 2008 he has worked as a professor at ICREA, and is also the leader of a tenured group at ICFO. His area of research is focused on the study of the optical properties of nanostructures, known as nanophotonics. He has won awards for his contributions in the field of nanophotonics, which includes the creation and development of ‘nano optical tweezers’ which can trap particles as small as molecules and viruses without modifying them, which offers a very wide range of uses in the field of biomedicine.

Banco Sabadell Foundation Marine Sustainability Award

The Banco Sabadell Foundation gives out this award in order to recognize the work of Spanish scientists in the field of sustainability, in the sustainable exploitation of marine resources and in the regeneration of its natural capital.

Call: open / Terms of the call

Jury 2024

Dr. Isabel Cacho - Chair of the Panel

Professor at the University of Barcelona with research experience at Kiel University (Germany), Cambridge University (UK) and Columbia University (USA). Since 2013, she has received the prestigious recognition from the ICREA Academia programme funded by the Catalan government for her intensive and productive research activity. She specialises in the study of natural climate variability through the application of different geochemical techniques in natural archives, mainly in the marine environment.

Dr. Rafael Sardá

PhD., MBA. Ecologist. Scientific Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (www.csic.es ) since 1991. Academic collaborator for the Operations, Innovation and Data Sciences Department of ESADE Business School (www.esade.edu ) since 1990. Co-founder of the “Business and the Environment” group of the Global Business School Alliance (CEMS) (www.cems.org).

Dr. Emma Cebrian

Degree in Marine Biology from the University of Laguna, PhD in Biology from the University of Barcelona, lead scientist at CEAB-SCIC and Associate Lecturer at the University of Girona. Researcher specialising in conservation ecology. Her research has focused on finding new techniques that contribute to the conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems, especially those dominated by invasive macroalgae. She has also participated in the first successful restoration of a macroalgal forest to have been conducted in the Mediterranean. Her current work involves researching strategies that will allow restoration methods to adapt to climate change.

Dr. Conxita Àvila

Lecturer for the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and member of the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) and of the Biology and Benthic Ecology Research Group of the University of Barcelona, a research group recognised by the Government of Catalonia. Previously, she was a scientist at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC-CEAB) for 15 years. She is a research expert in marine biology and the ecology of invertebrates, Antarctic benthos, biodiversity and chemical diversity, and bioactive marine natural products.

Dr. Ángel Borja

PhD in Life Sciences (UPV-EHU, 1984); PhD in Sciences (Honorary Degree) (University of Hull, 2015). Lead Researcher at AZTI (Spain, 1989) and Distinguished Associate Professor at King Abdulaziz University (Saudi Arabia, 2020). His main aim is to make marine ecology research useful for policymakers and consultants, studying how human activities affect marine ecosystems, how seas recover following these impacts, and monitoring and assessing sea conditions.

Dr. Jorge Miguel Terrados

PhD in Biological Sciences (University of Murcia, 1991) and Head Scientist at the Scientific Research Council (2000) following postdoctoral stays at the San Diego State University (1993-94), the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, CSIC (1995-99) and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA) (CSIC-UIB) (1999-2000). His research area is the ecology of marine macrophytes (macroalgae, marine angiosperm, mangroves) and their response to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Most recently, his research has focused on the ecology of marine angiosperm seedlings and the restoration of posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. Head of IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) between 2016 and 2020.

Dr. José Luis Sánchez Lizaso

PhD in Biological Science and lecturer for the Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology at the University of Alicante, where he is currently Secretary and Coordinator of the PhD programme. President of the Scientific Forum for Spanish Fisheries in the Mediterranean and member of the Scientific Council of the Spanish Committee of the MaB Programme. His main interest has been researching the effects of human activities on the marine environment and how these can be prevented or mitigated. Among other areas, he has worked on the conservation of species, fisheries management and advice on how to minimise environmental impacts in marine ecosystems.

Dr. Emilio Fernández

PhD in Biology from the University of Oviedo (1990), for which he received the extraordinary prize. He carried out postdoctoral research at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. After joining the CSIC’s Marine Research Institute, he obtained a position as Senior Lecturer in Ecology at the same university. Since 2011, he has been a Professor in Ecology at the University of Vigo.

Dr. Stefano Pogutz

Professor of Corporate Sustainability at SDA Bocconi School of Management; Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Management of the Bocconi University. Since September 2021, he has been Director of MBA SDA Bocconi FT. Since 2019, he has been Head of Vertical on Sustainability at Bocconi for Innovation, Bocconi’s startup pre-accelerator and accelerator.

Dr. Núria Montserrat

PhD cum laude in Biology from the University of Barcelona, Master’s in Experimental Biology and recipient of a number of awards, including the Award for Basic Research in Nephrology from the Íñigo Alvárez de Toledo Foundation, the “Constantes y Vitales” Award for the best biomedical publication (2020) and the Young Investigator EMBO Award (2020), among others. Research Professor at ICREA and Group Leader at the Catalan Institute of Bioengineering in Barcelona.

Winners 2023—2022

2023
Elena Ojea

Researcher specialized in the sustainability of marine socio-ecological systems at the CIM (University of Vigo), where she leads the Future Oceans Lab group. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Salamanca and a PhD in Economics. During her postdoctoral career, Elena Ojea had a stay at the BC3 and at the University of California in Santa Barbara where she specialised in the adaptation to climate change. He publishes in leading journals, receiving prestigious international funds such as the ERC Starting Grant. His research has a high impact on decision-making thanks to his participation in United Nations reports, such as the latest IPCC report.

2022
Oihane C. Basurko

A graduate in Environmental Sciences from the University of Girona, and holder of a PhD in the field of sustainability of marine technologies from Newcastle University (United Kingdom, 2010). Since 2010 she has been part of the team at AZTI where her work has focused on the development of solutions for the fisheries, aquaculture and shipping sectors, and for the regional, national and European authorities. Through her research she seeks to help others to adopt new patterns of behaviour, aimed at fostering sustainability and the circular economy, in relation to both marine litter pollution and decarbonisation.