Research
With the support of the EU's Next Generation Funds, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, Public University of Navarre is involved in numerous projects and activities related to the development and improvement of research capabilities, knowledge transfer, retention and attraction of research talent, and collaboration with the productive sector in R&D matters.
The operational objectives of these projects and activities are aligned with challenges as diverse as:
- Institutional reform and strengthening the capacities of the national science, technology, and innovation system.
- The development of a new scientific career to retain and attract talent and improve the research career path.
- Intensifying research activity and enhancing the transfer of research results to society..
- Funding for research infrastructures and the acquisition of scientific-technical equipment.
- Conservation and restoration of ecosystems and their biodiversity.
- Promoting sport and its digitalisation.
- Training young researchers and technologists.
By resolution of 18 August by the President of the Spanish High Council for Sport, grants were announced for research projects in science and technology applied to physical activity beneficial for health (AFBS) and sports medicine, funded by the European recovery, transformation, and resilience funds.
The initial investment from Component 26 consists of a series of actions that make up the Digitalisation Plan, which has among its objectives improving the analysis of data resulting from sports practice, specifically for promoting healthy lifestyles and for research purposes.
Component: C26.I1 Promotion of Sport – Sport Sector Digitalisation Plan.
Call: 2888440 Ayudas europeas a proyectos de investigación en actividad física y medicina deportiva
Summary: The promotion of research in physical activity and sport is an objective of the Spanish High Council for Sport, through which it aims to contribute to the existing scientific knowledge and technological means in the field by providing new studies, materials, elements, and conclusions that strengthen the thesis attributing a key role to physical activity in improving the quality of life of the population, particularly regarding health across different age groups, and to sport as a 'driving force' in the development of contemporary societies, both from a cultural and an economic perspective. All of this is expressly reflected in Component 26 'Promotion of Sport' of the 'Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan of the Spanish Government.
Funded project: EXTREME Project - Effects of physical exercise and time-restricted feeding on hepatic steatosis and cardiometabolic health in adults with obesity. Efficacy, feasibility, and mechanism.
Amount funded: EUR 143,423.91
Funded by:
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the Biodiversity Foundation, approved Order TED/1014/2021, dated 20 September, which established the regulatory bases for granting subsidies to large transformative scientific-technical projects aimed at promoting the bioeconomy and contributing to the ecological transition, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.
Component: C4.I2 Conservation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
Call: Call for grants to promote bioeconomy and ecological transition 2021
Summary: Call for grants from the Biodiversity Foundation, under a competitive bidding process, for large transformative scientific-technical projects that contribute to the promotion of the bioeconomy, ecological transition, demographic challenge, and the strengthening of capabilities. Promoting participation, gender equality, and the generation of green jobs, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (RRP).
Funded project: COMPAS: Regional development models on pyric herbivory, a tool for environmental conservation and population retention and protection.
Project coordinated by Public University of Navarre, which also includes the following entities:
- CSIC – Estación Experimental del Zaidín
- Asociación Pastores por el Monte del Mediterráneo
- Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
- Asociación Forestal de Galicia.
Amount funded: EUR 1,363,222.57 € (EUR 519,816.99 € for UPNA)
Funded by:
The Digital Europe Programme, regulated by Regulation (EU) 2021/694 of the European Parliament and Council, dated 29 April 2021, foresees, during its first year of implementation, the creation of an initial network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) offering global and balanced geographical coverage across the European Union.
In line with the above, the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan of Spain (hereinafter, the Recovery Plan) includes, among the measures under Investment 3 of Component 13 (C13.I3), the so-called 'Support Programme for Digital Innovation Hubs' (hereinafter, PADIH), with a budget allocation of EUR 37,590,000.
Component: C13.I3 Digitalisation and Innovation.
Call: Grants for digital innovation centres within the Digital Innovation Hubs Support Programme (PADIH)
Summary: Digital Innovation Centres (DICs) or 'Digital Innovation Hubs' (DIHs) are conceived as 'one-stop shops' through which information, services, and experimentation facilities are offered, free of charge, to businesses to successfully tackle their digital transformation processes. For this reason, they are expected to play a very significant role in the coming years in the implementation of public programmes supporting the digitalisation of these groups, both at the national and European levels.
Funded project: European Digital Innovation Hub of Navarre (IRIS). Polo IRIS, one-stop shop for digital transformation in Navarre
It is a starting point, a reference place, and an operational base from which to support and advise businesses, professionals, and society at large in their innovation and digital transformation projects. The IRIS Consortium is chaired by Government of Navarre, and it includes the most relevant actors in the region's innovation ecosystem, such as universities, technological and research centres, ICT providers, professional associations, and sectoral business clusters.
Specifically, IRIS EDIH is made up of 22 beneficiaries and 3 associated entities, providing advanced digitalisation services that are unique and complementary to those commercially available, fully aligned with the European Digital Programme, the Digital Navarre 2030 strategy, the Personalise Navarre strategy, and the regional specialisation strategy S4. Public University of Navarre (UPNA) is one of the beneficiary entities.
Amount funded: EUR 70,235.67
Funded by:
Component: C15.I6 Development of 5G: networks, technological change and innovation.
Summary: The main objective of the UNICO R&D Programmes is to strengthen research, development, and innovation activities that help consolidate Spain as a leader in European and national projects related to cloud infrastructure, edge computing technology, semiconductors, and quantum communication.
Funded project: 6G Channel Sounder and Sensing Platform
The project involves the acquisition of a 6G Channel Sounder and Sensing Platform (6GCSSP) for Beyond 5G and 6G communications, as well as joint communications and sensing capabilities. This system consists of a high-bandwidth programmable vector generator, a multichannel receiver based on an oscilloscope with a very high instantaneous bandwidth (BW>20GHz), operating over a frequency range from scalable RF to THz in a synchronous manner, with modular capability and external transceivers in the 500GHz-750GHz band, scalable up to the WM-250 band (1.1Thz). As such, it is feasible to perform precise radio-electrical characterisation measurements, both in the time domain (delay power profiles, delay dispersion, coherence bandwidth) and the frequency domain (power detection, time/frequency spectrograms, interference, characterisation of dispersive material properties).
The results enable the design and optimisation of subsystems/devices (optimisation of TRX at the radiant systems level, design of new metasurfaces-RIS configurations or incorporation of energy harvesting multi-spectral) as well as the complete wireless network architecture (coverage/capacity, QoS/QoE, security vulnerabilities). The equipment request is promoted by a multidisciplinary team, in fields such as intelligent transport systems, electric, autonomous, and connected vehicles, smart health, Industry 4.0/cyber-physical systems, radio over fibre, quantum radio, smart grid, next-generation haptic systems, and contextual environments in Smart Cities/Regions. The 6G Channel Sounder and Sensing Platform will complement existing equipment (characterisation of devices, materials, and circuit blocks in BB/IF), enabling the existence of internationally competitive combined resources, supporting technology transfer processes.
Amount funded: EUR 1,793,423.00
Within the reforms and investments proposed in Component 23 'New Public Policies for a Dynamic, Resilient, and Inclusive Labour Market,' Investment 1, 'Youth Employment,' includes the 'Investigo Programme,' which provides operational support to the strategic objective of improving the employability of young people as the final beneficiaries.
The purpose of the 'Investigo Programme' is to hire young individuals, aged 16 to 30, as researchers, technologists, technical staff, and other professional profiles in R&D+i, as well as, where applicable, research support staff, in public research and knowledge dissemination organisations, public universities, technological centres, science and technology parks, public entities subject to private law, and non-profit private entities, such as foundations, alongside companies investing in research and innovation.
Component: C23.I1 Employment for Young People.
Call: Investigo Programme call
Summary: : A call managed by the State Employment Service (SEPE) for the employment of young job seekers aged 16 or older, and who have not yet turned thirty at the time of starting the contractual relationship, by research and knowledge dissemination organisations, public universities, technological centres, science and technology parks, public entities subject to private law, and non-profit private entities, along with companies investing in research and innovation from the public or private sectors, to carry out research and innovation initiatives outlined in the regulatory framework of the mentioned programme (Order TES/1267/201, of 17 November).
Funded project:
Grant for 10 12-month-long contracts.
Amount funded: EUR 331,088.40
