The Ministry of Science and Innovation awards more than 6 million euros to 46 projects led by University researchers.

The Ministry of Science and Innovation has awarded more than 6 million euros to 46 projects led by researchers from the University of Navarra, corresponding to different areas of knowledge. Half of the funding, 3.2 million euros, has been obtained through the call Generation of knowledge 2022, of the State Research Agency (AEI). Another 2.9 million euros corresponds to projects of researchers from the University of Navarra, the Clinic and the Cimamanaged through IdiSNA (Navarra Health Research Institute).

The call Generation of knowledge 2022, whose resolution final was published in December, has as goal to finance the realization of projects aimed at both promoting the significant advancement of scientific knowledge and addressing societal challenges.

Thus, the 27 projects of this call that will be developed at the University of Navarra cover different areas, from archeology; legal sciences, finance, accounting and ESG (environmental, social and governance criteria); the Education, human habits research, engineering and artificial intelligence and the biomedical field.

Paloma Grau, Vice President for Research and Sustainability at the University of Navarra, praised the funding obtained and highlighted the work carried out at the academic center. "Our research seeks to provide solutions - lasting and based on scientific rigor - to current challenges. Focused on caring for people and the environment, from the university we advocate research in all areas of knowledge, of the highest quality and with international scope. Obtaining this competitive funding reflects the effort of our researchers to be at the forefront of science with a clear vocation for social transfer," he said.

By faculties and centers, the Cima has obtained more than one million euros to finance eight research projects, covering, among others, the approach to liver tumors and the application of gene therapy for renal and neurodegenerative diseases. The project on cardiac regeneration through 3D devices, promoted by the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, received 223,125 euros in funding in this call for proposals.

Also noteworthy are the grants awarded to the project of the research center in Nutrition (CIN) of the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, in its study on obesity and metabolic syndrome (200,000 euros). In addition, the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra has obtained a total funding of 224,000 euros for four other projects that address the study of mediation; interdisciplinary research on human habits, from flexibility, cognitive enrichment and creativity; the study of the mind and a final project that analyzes capital flows and monetary policy.

The School of Philosophy and Letters obtains 103,750 euros from financial aid to develop three other works on archaeology in the Basque-Aquitanian foothills; desire and normativity in antiquity, and political utopia in modernity. The two projects of Tecnun-School of Engineering: the prediction of vulnerabilities in cancer through the development of new algorithms, promoted from the Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DATAI); and the study of communication technologies and coding, are also included in this call with a financial aid of 231,250 euros.

IESE University of Navarra will develop four other research projects on common property, bank bailouts and the cascading effects of non-financial information through the supply chain, with total funding of 169,875 euros. 

Research on cancer, Parkinson's disease or depression, through IdiSNA.

In the biomedical field, metabolic alterations in obesity, Parkinson's disease, the development of treatments for the prevention of cervical cancer, new lines of research on depression or the study of chronic urticaria will focus the study of researchers from the University of Navarra, the Clinic and the Cima in the 18 projects developed with IdiSNA.

In addition, the FIS (formerly Instituto Carlos III) will provide an additional 177,000 euros to a project at Cima for research that will address resistance to lung cancer treatments.