News

Strengthening UPC start-ups and spin-offs and helping them attract funding is the aim of Next Frontier Founders, a programme designed to prepare and connect entrepreneurs with investors to grow their tech-based businesses. UPC entrepreneurs who have launched a company—or are in the process of doing so—can apply to take part in this programme between 2 June and 15 July.

Summary of the news published in the digital version of the newspaper El Periódico, on April 16, dedicated to Fractus, born as a spin-off of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and which exemplifies the transformative potential when academic excellence is combined with entrepreneurial vision. The company’s revolutionary development of the miniature multiband antenna — enabling internal integration into mobile phones at the dawn of their mass adoption — demonstrates the vital role universities play in fostering technological breakthroughs that reshape entire industries.

The video ‘Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub. Towards the most disruptive technology’ showcases the Hub’s efforts to promote and support innovation, student talent and entrepreneurship within the UPC community across the most disruptive fields. This partnership focuses on projects with high potential for social impact, in fields such as healthcare and telecommunications.

A new call for applications is open for the UPC Research Valorisation Award, organised by the UPC’s Board of Trustees in collaboration with Fractus. The award aims to recognise the work of UPC research groups in several valorisation categories. Applications can be submitted electronically until 10 April.

As part of the actions of the Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub, Fractus supports the BCN eMotorsport team, made up of students from the Barcelona Technical School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB) and the Barcelona Technical School of Telecommunication Engineering (ETSETB) of the UPC and which will compete, next summer, in the Formula Student, the biggest university motoring event. It is a competition in which engineering students from all over the world participate by designing and building a Formula 1 style car to pass various tests.

Once again, the UPC and the company Fractus have been very present in the technological event that takes place in Barcelona in the environment of deep tech and that, this year, coincided with the call for the Smart City Expo World Congress. Fractus participated in the sessions titled "Matching corporations with start-ups", which took place on November 5 at the Conectio Event.  In turn, the University presented its entrepreneurial ecosystem

The dissemination of deep tech is also one of the relevant objectives of the Fractus UPC Deep Tech Hub. For this reason, the UPC, in collaboration with the Hub, has just released an episode of the “Algorrritmes” podcast series, which explains what deep tech is and some keys to the creation of the Fractus company. The program featured Carles Puente, co-founder of Fractus and professor at ETSETB, and Eneko Ibarlucea, a young Fractus professional and alumni of UPC,

In its commitment to the development of talent in the technological field, Fractus has awarded two UPC outstanding students. Ignacio Martínez Bañeres, from the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB), has been awarded the Fractus PARS Excellence Scholarship. On the other hand, the student Antonio Alarcón García-Saavedra has received the award for Best Master's Thesis in Cybersecurity.

Researchers from the FNB-UPC are developing a new system based on machine learning technologies, one of the techniques of artificial intelligence, with the aim of reducing fuel consumption and improving the energy efficiency of the boats of the NGO Open Arms, focused on rescuing people at sea. Called FNB-Open Arms, this is the first case of technology transfer carried out under the umbrella of the Fractus-UPC Deep Tech Hub and the UPC to promote innovation and market introduction of deep tech technologies in various fields.

The initiative includes scholarships, prizes and challenges for hundreds of students in various engineering fields. Fractus is also committed to promoting female talent in STEM disciplines and supports the Top Rosies Talent programme, which focuses on incorporating women into the AI sector.