The nanotechnology revolution in Barcelona: innovation & creativity by universities

This paper analyses the state of the art for nanotechnology in Barcelona, focussing on the scientific and economic challenges arising from nanotechnologies and the creative and innovative framework in Barcelona that could be used to meet them. Nanotechnology is an endless source of innovation and creativity at the intersection of medicine, biotechnology, engineering, physical sciences and information technology, and it is opening up new directions in R + D, knowledge management and technology transfer. Given the huge economic investment and cutting-edge research in the field of nanotechnology, a creatively managed and cooperation-based university industry is more in demand than ever before.Ce document analyse l’état de l’art de la nanotechnologie à Barcelone, en mettant l’accent sur les défis scientifiques et économiques et le cadre créateur et novateur de Barcelone, qui pourrait être utilisé pour les atteindre. La nanotechnologie est une source inépuisable d’innovation et créativité à l’intersection de la médecine, la biotechnologie, l’ingénierie, les sciences physiques et les technologies de l’information, en ouvrant de nouvelles directions dans la R + D, la gestion de la connaissance et le transfert de technologie. Compte tenu de l’énorme investissement économique et la recherche de pointe dans le domaine des nanotechnologies, la coopération université-industrie et une gestion créative est plus en demande que jamais.Este documento analiza el estado del arte de la nanotecnología en Barcelona, centrándose en los desafíos científicos y económicos y en el marco innovador y creativo de Barcelona que podría facilitar su alcance. La nanotecnología es una fuente inagotable de innovación y creatividad en la intersección de la medicina, la biotecnología, la ingeniería, las ciencias físicas y las tecnologías de la información, y abre nuevas orientaciones en I + D, gestión del conocimiento y transferencia de tecnología. Dada la ingente inversión económica y la investigación puntera en el campo de la nanotecnología, la cooperación universidad-empresa y una gestión creativa es ahora más demandada que nunca

Cross-fertilization of knowledge and technologies in collaborative research projects

Purpose: This paper aims to explore how the cross-fertilization of knowledge and technologies in EU-funded research projects, including serious games and gamification, is influenced by the following variables: multidisciplinarity, knowledge base and organizations (number and diversity). The interrelation of actors and projects form a network of innovation. The largest contribution to cross-fertilization comes from the multidisciplinary nature of projects and the previous knowledge and technology of actors. The analysis draws on the understanding of how consortia perform as an innovation network, what their outcomes are and what capabilities are needed to reap value. Design/methodology/approach: All the research projects including serious games and/or gamification, funded by the EU-Horizon 2020 work programme, have been analyzed to test the hypotheses in this paper. The study sample covers the period between 2014 and 2016 (June), selecting the 87 research projects that comprised 519 organizations as coordinators and participants, and 597 observations – because more organizations participate in more than one project. The data were complemented by documentary and external database analysis. Findings: To create cross-fertilization of knowledge and technologies, the following emphasis should be placed on projects: partners concern various disciplines; partners have an extensive knowledge base for generating novel combinations and added-value technologies; there is a diverse typology of partners with unique knowledge and skills; and there is a limited number of organizations not too closely connected to provide cross-fertilization. Research limitations/implications: First, the database sample covers a period of 30 months. The authors’ attention was focused on this period because H2020 prioritized for the first time the serious games and gamification with two specific calls (ICT-21–14 and ICT-24–16) and, second, for the explosion of projects including these technologies in the past years (Adkins, 2017). These facts can be understood as a way to push the research to higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) and introducing the end-user in the co-creation and co-development along the value chain. Second, an additional limitation makes reference to the European focus of the projects, missing strong regional initiatives not identified and studied. Originality/value: This paper has attempted to explore and define theoretically and empirically the characteristics found in the cross-fertilization of collaborative research projects, emphasizing which variables, and how, need to be stimulated to benefit more multidisciplinary consortia and accelerate the process of innovation. © 2021, Manel González-Piñero, Cristina Páez-Avilés, Esteve Juanola-Feliu and Josep Samitier

Teragnosis in vivo: Innovación nanomédica fomentada por la convergencia de tecnologías emergentes

El creciente desarrollo y la mejora en cuanto a innovación de dispositivos basados en la convergencia de tecnologías emergentes ha dado lugar a un uso cada vez mayor de los nanosensores en la comunidad biomédica. Sin embargo, los nanosensores implantables aún tienen que afrontar ciertos retos como la biocompatibilidad y la seguridad de datos. En este artículo se abordan el progreso y los principales desafíos para esta clase de dispositivos nanomédicos y se analizan además las principales aplicaciones médicas con especial énfasis en la teragnosis, término que integra el concepto de diagnosis y terapia en un mismo dispositivo. De este modo, se traza el proceso desde la investigación aplicada hasta la comercialización del producto, que es cuando el retorno social puede ser estimado. Finalmente, se contempla la gestión de la tecnología dentro de un ecosistema de innovación, cuya cadena de valor incluye una integración multidisciplinaria y el flujo del conocimiento

Design of a Customized multipurpose nano-enabled implantable system for in-vivo theranostics

The first part of this paper reviews the current development and key issues on implantable multi-sensor devices for in vivo theranostics. Afterwards, the authors propose an innovative biomedical multisensory system for in vivo biomarker monitoring that could be suitable for customized theranostics applications. At this point, findings suggest that cross-cutting Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) could improve the overall performance of the system given that the convergence of technologies in nanotechnology, biotechnology, micro&nanoelectronics and advanced materials permit the development of new medical devices of small dimensions, using biocompatible materials, and embedding reliable and targeted biosensors, high speed data communication, and even energy autonomy. Therefore, this article deals with new research and market challenges of implantable sensor devices, from the point of view of the pervasive system, and time-to-market. The remote clinical monitoring approach introduced in this paper could be based on an array of biosensors to extract information from the patient. A key contribution of the authors is that the general architecture introduced in this paper would require minor modifications for the final customized bio-implantable medical device

Combined dielectrophoresis and impedance systems for bacteria analysis in microfluidic on-chip platforms

Bacteria concentration and detection is time-consuming in regular microbiology procedures aimed to facilitate the detection and analysis of these cells at very low concentrations. Traditional methods are effective but often require several days to complete. This scenario results in low bioanalytical and diagnostic methodologies with associated increased costs and complexity. In recent years, the exploitation of the intrinsic electrical properties of cells has emerged as an appealing alternative approach for concentrating and detecting bacteria. The combination of dielectrophoresis (DEP) and impedance analysis (IA) in microfluidic on-chip platforms could be key to develop rapid, accurate, portable, simple-to-use and cost-effective microfluidic devices with a promising impact in medicine, public health, agricultural, food control and environmental areas. The present document reviews recent DEP and IA combined approaches and the latest relevant improvements focusing on bacteria concentration and detection, including selectivity, sensitivity, detection time, and conductivity variation enhancements. Furthermore, this review analyses future trends and challenges which need to be addressed in order to successfully commercialize these platforms resulting in an adequate social return of public-funded investments

An Instantaneous low-cost point-of-care anemia detection device

We present a small, compact and portable device for point-of-care instantaneous early detection of anemia. The method used is based on direct hematocrit measurement from whole blood samples by means of impedance analysis. This device consists of a custom electronic instrumentation and a plug-and-play disposable sensor. The designed electronics rely on straightforward standards for low power consumption, resulting in a robust and low consumption device making it completely mobile with a long battery life. Another approach could be powering the system based on other solutions like indoor solar cells, or applying energy-harvesting solutions in order to remove the batteries. The sensing system is based on a disposable low-cost label-free three gold electrode commercial sensor for 50 μL blood samples. The device capability for anemia detection has been validated through 24 blood samples, obtained from four hospitalized patients at Hospital Clínic. As a result, the response, effectiveness and robustness of the portable point-of-care device to detect anemia has been proved with an accuracy error of 2.83% and a mean coefficient of variation of 2.57% without any particular case above 5%

Recomendaciones del Grupo Español de Trabajo en Enfermedad de Crohn y Colitis Ulcerosa (GETECCU) sobre el tratamiento de pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal asociada a espondiloartritis

Las manifestaciones extraintestinales en general, y entre ellas las articulares en particular, suponen un problema frecuente en los pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal. De hecho, la relación entre ambas entidades parece estrecha y cada vez hay más datos que sugieren que el intestino desempeña un importante papel en la patogenia de las espondiloartritis. La asociación de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal con algún tipo de espondiloartritis supone un escenario clínico complejo. Es necesario, por tanto, que gastroenterólogos y reumatólogos puedan trabajar juntos y establecer una comunicación fluida que permita a cada paciente recibir el tratamiento más adecuado para cada situación concreta. El objetivo de esta revisión es el de establecer unas recomendaciones sobre el tratamiento de los pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal y espondiloartritis asociada, en cada uno de los distintos escenarios clínicos

Lipoatròfia semicircular: protocol d'actuació 2015

Lipoatròfia semicircular; Prevenció; Procediments d'actuacióLipoatrophia semicircularis; Prevention; ProceduresLipoatrofia semicircular; Prevención; Procedimientos de actuaciónRecull detallat de les mesures preventives, de les actuacions en cas de lipoatròfia semicircular i tot allò relacionat amb l'obtenció de dades per a la notificació i seguiment de la malaltia

Aula de innovación educativa

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónTítulo, resumen, palabras clave en español e inglesSe descrbe cómo en el marco del proyecto Erasmus+ Think Global, la escuela de educación infantil y primaria Pembroke Dock Community School de Gales ha contribuido al desarrollo de la competencia global y al logro de los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible por medio del proyecto La vida submarina, que promueve la adopción de medidas para el bienestar colectivo y el desarrollo sostenible, la participación, la igualdad de género y las interacciones interculturales.Biblioteca del Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional; Calle San Agustín, 5; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

Multi-disciplinarity breeds diversity: the influence of innovation project characteristics on diversity creation in nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is an emerging and promising field of research. Creating sufficient technological diversity among its alternatives is important for the long-term success of nanotechnologies, as well as for other emerging technologies. Diversity prevents early lock-in, facilitates recombinant innovation, increases resilience, and allows market growth. Creation of new technological alternatives usually takes place in innovation projects in which public and private partners often collaborate. Currently, there is little empirical evidence about which characteristics of innovation projects influence diversity. In this paper we study the influence of characteristics of EU-funded nanotechnology projects on the creation of technological diversity. In addition to actor diversity and the network of the project, we also include novel variables that have a plausible influence on diversity creation: the degree of multi-disciplinarity of the project and the size of the joint knowledge base of project partners. We apply topic modelling (Latent Dirichlet allocation) as a novel method to categorize technological alternatives. Using an ordinal logistic regression model, our results show that the largest contribution to diversity comes from the multi-disciplinary nature of a project. The joint knowledge base of project partners and the geographical distance between them were positively associated with technological diversity creation. In contrast, the number and diversity of actors and the degree of clustering showed a negative association with technological diversity creation. These results extend current micro-level explanations of how the diversity of an emerging technology is created. The contribution of this study could also be helpful for policy makers to influence the level of diversity in a technological field, and hence to contribute to survival of emerging technologies.The financial support of SENESCYT - Ecuador National Secretary of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (Grant Convocatoria Abierta 2013 - No. AR2Q) is gratefully acknowledged