The recognition from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities demonstrates the connection between excellent research and the transfer of knowledge to the productive fabric. Maria Pau Ginebra, Montserrat Guillén and Sergi Abadal have been awarded for their contributions in biomedical engineering, actuarial sciences and computer architecture, respectively.
Three researchers who have actively participated in the Industrial Doctorate Plan of the Generalitat de Catalunya have been awarded in the latest edition of the National Research Awards 2025 of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the most important recognition in Spain in the field of scientific research. The announcement, made on September 26 by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, distinguishes the careers of Maria Pau Ginebra and Montserrat Guillén, and the emerging talent of Sergi Abadal, highlighting how strategic collaboration between the academic and business worlds is a high-impact knowledge engine.
Maria Pau Ginebra Molins, professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), has received the “Leonardo Torres Quevedo” National Award in Engineering and Architecture. The jury highlighted her “ extraordinary career in the field of biomedical engineering, where she has led pioneering research in the development of biomaterials for bone regeneration ”. This vocation to transfer knowledge to solutions with direct medical impact is reflected in her participation in the Industrial Doctorate Plan, where she directed a project with the company Mimetis Biomaterials, which culminated in the defense of a doctoral thesis in 2020.
For her part, Montserrat Guillén Estany, professor at the University of Barcelona (UB), has been awarded the “Pascual Madoz” National Prize in Law and Economic and Social Sciences. She has been recognized as a “ pioneering figure and international reference in risk economics and actuarial sciences ”, for transforming risk analysis by integrating quantitative methods with Big Data and artificial intelligence. Guillén also supervised an industrial doctoral project in collaboration with the insurance company Zurich, demonstrating the relevance of her research for the financial sector.
In the young researcher category, Sergi Abadal Cavallé, from the Department of Computer Architecture at the UPC, has won the National “Matilde Ucelay” Award. The award recognizes his “ significant advances in massively parallel computing architectures and in the development of efficient next-generation interconnections .” His research work maintains a close link with industry, having directed two industrial doctoral projects with the company Telefónica.
The National Research Awards, endowed with 30,000 euros in each of its 20 categories, distinguish both established researchers and young people under 40 years of age. The 2025 edition stood out for being historic in terms of parity: of the 317 applications accepted, 55% were from women. In addition, six of the ten awards for established careers went to researchers, a milestone celebrated by Minister Diana Morant, who stressed that “ parity in applications has been consolidated ”. These awards not only reward scientific quality, but also highlight the importance of collaborative research models such as Industrial Doctorates, capable of generating cutting-edge knowledge with direct applications to society and industry.
