Five research projects selected on core questions in five broad areas of knowledge, under the BBVA Foundation Fundamentos Program

PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY

Selected project: “An Electronic Quantum Simulator (EQS)”

Principal investigators: Adrian Bachtold, ICFO-Institute of Photonic Sciences; Carmen Rubio, ICFO-Institute of Photonic Sciences; Frank Henricus Louis Koppens, ICFO-Institute of Photonic Sciences.

Team members: Pablo David Jarillo Herrero (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States); Ekaterina Khestanova (ICFO-Institute of Photonic

Sciences); Giulia Piccinini (ICFO-Institute of Photonic Sciences); Amir Yacoby (Harvard University, United States).

Amount of funding: 599,624.00 euros.

Physics and Chemistry evaluation committee

The evaluation committee was chaired by Avelino Corma Canós, Research Professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de València). Its members were: Rafael Bachiller García, Director of the National Astronomical Observatory; Mari Carmen Bañuls, researcher and group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (Munich, Germany); Eugenio Coronado Miralles, Director of the Institute of Molecular Science of the University of Valencia; Fernando Martín García, Professor of Chemistry-Physics at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Scientific Director of IMDEA Nanoscience; Nazario Martín León, Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and IMDEA Nanoscience; María Moreno Llácer, Ramón y Cajal contract researcher at the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (CSIC-University of Valencia); and Alicia M. Sintes Olives, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of the Balearic Islands.

MATHEMATICS, STATISTICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Selected project: “Harnessing Vision Science to Overcome the Critical Limitations of Artificial Neural Networks (VIS4NN)”

Principal investigators: Marcelo Bertalmío, Institute of Optics (CSIC); Jesús Malo López, Department of Optics, Physics Faculty, University of Valencia; Felix Wichmann, Department of Computer Science, Neural Information Processing Group, University of Tübingen (Germany).

Team members: Raúl Luna (Institute of Optics, CSIC), Javier de la Portilla Muelas (Institute of Optics, CSIC), Ilias Rentzeperis (Institute of Optics, CSIC).

Amount of funding: 600,000.00 euros.

Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Committee

The evaluation committee was chaired by Mario Piattini Velthuis, Professor of Computer Languages and Systems and Director of the Alarcos Group at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. Its members were: Eneko Agirre Bengoa, Professor of Computer Languages and Systems at the University of the Basque Country and Director of HiTZ (Basque Center for Language Technology); Wenceslao González Manteiga, Professor of Statistics and Operations Research at the University of Santiago de Compostela; Álvaro Pelayo González, Professor of Geometry and Topology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Justo Puerto Albandoz, Professor of Statistics and Operations Research and Director of the Institute of Mathematics of the University of Seville; David Ríos Insua, Research Professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (CSIC) and a member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences; Albert Satorra Brucart, Professor of Statistics and Operations Research and Emeritus Professor at Pompeu Fabra University; Alicia Troncoso Lora, Professor of Computer Languages and Systems at Pablo de Olavide University; Elena Vázquez Cendón, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Santiago de Compostela; and Luis Vega González, Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the University of the Basque Country and Scientific Director of the Severo Ochoa Accreditation at the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM).

BIOLOGY AND BIOMEDICINE

Selected project: “The Physical Basis of Cell Division in Minimal and Synthetic Cells (MINCELL)”

Principal investigators: Saúl Ares García, National Centre for Biotechnology (CSIC); Germán Rivas Caballero, Margarita Salas Center for Biological Research (CSIC); John Glass, J. Craig Venter Institute (United States).

Team members: James Pelletier (National Centre for Biotechnology, CSIC).

Amount of funding: 593,116.74 euros.

Biology and Biomedicine evaluation committee

The evaluation committee was chaired by Paola Bovolenta Nicolao, Director of the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CSIC). Its members were: José Antonio Enríquez Domínguez, Head of the Functional Genetics Group at the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research; Dolores González Pacanowska, Research Professor at the López-Neyra Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine (CSIC); Cedric Notredame, Head of the Comparative Bioinformatics Group at the Centre for Genomic Regulation; Federico V. Pallardó Calatayud, Professor of Physiology at the University of Valencia; Felipe Prosper Cardoso, Director of the Cell Therapy Area and Co-Director of the Hematology Service at Clínica Universidad de Navarra; Eugenio Santos de Dios, Director of the Cancer Research Center (CSIC-University of Salamanca); and María Luisa Toribio García, Research Professor at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CSIC-UAM).

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Selected project: “Unrevealing Co-evolutionary Patterns in Plants and Microbes Under Environmental Stress from Local to Global Scales (EVOLBIOME)”

Principal investigators: Manuel Delgado Baquerizo, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville (CSIC); Francisco Ignacio Pugnaire de Iraola, Arid Zones Experimental Station (CSIC); Rubén Torices Blanco, School of Experimental Sciences and Technology (Rey Juan Carlos University).

Team members: Inés Álvarez Fernández (Royal Botanical Gardens, CSIC); Catalina Garzón Ladino (Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville, CSIC); María José Jorquera Barquero (Experimental Station of Arid Zones, CSIC); Esteban Manrique Reol (Royal Botanical Gardens, CSIC); Pilar Martínez Hidalgo (Rey Juan Carlos University); Luna Medrano González (Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville, CSIC); Luis Merino Martín (Rey Juan Carlos University); Isabel Miralles Mellado (University of Almería); Antonio Jesús Muñoz Pajares (University of Granada); Susana Rodríguez Echeverría (University of Coimbra, Portugal); Tadeo Saez Sandino (Pablo de Olavide University); Pablo Vargas Gómez (Royal Botanical Gardens, CSIC); Tamara María Villaverde Hidalgo (Rey Juan Carlos University).

Amount of funding: 599,284.00 euros.

Environmental Sciences evaluation committee

The evaluation committee was chaired by Miguel Bastos Araújo, Research Professor at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC). Its members were: Laia Alegret Badiola, Professor of Palaeontology at the University of Zaragoza; Jordi Bascompte Sacrest, Professor of Ecology in the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich (Switzerland); Miquel Canals Artigas, Director of the Sustainable Blue Economy Chair at the University of Barcelona; Jordi Dachs Marginet, Research Professor at the Institute of Environmental Diagnosis and Water Studies (CSIC); Pedro Jordano Barbudo, Research Professor at Doñana Biological Station (CSIC); Javier Martín-Vide, Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Barcelona; Montserrat Vilà Planella, Research Professor at Doñana Biological Station (CSIC); and Rafael Zardoya San Sebastián, Research Professor at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC).

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Selected project: “Mapping Cultural Diversity through Personal Networks (MapCDPerNets)”

Principal investigators: Ángel Sánchez Sánchez, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; José Luis Molina González, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona; Christopher McCarty, University of Florida (United States).

Team members: Alberto Antonioni (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Ángel Cuevas Rumín (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Rubén Cuevas Rumín (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Mark Girson (University of Florida, United States); Miguel Ángel González Casado (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Regnar Kristensen (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona); Francesca Lipari (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Ignacio Ortuño Ortín (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Miroslav Pulgar Corrotea (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona); Scott Richards (University of Florida, United States).

Amount of funding: 598,202.35 euros.

Social Sciences evaluation committee

The evaluation committee was chaired by José Ramón Montero Gibert, Professor of Political Science at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Its members were: María Teresa Bajo Molina, Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Granada; Violeta Demonte Barreto, Emeritus Professor of Spanish at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Joaquín Maudos Villaroya, Deputy Director of Research at the Valencian Institute of Economic Research; Manuel Perea Lara, Professor of Behavioral Sciences Methodology at the University of Valencia; Rafael Repullo Labrador, Professor of Economics at the Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros, CEMFI; Violeta Ruiz Almendral, Associate Professor of Financial and Tax Law at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Cristóbal Torres Albero, Professor of Sociology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Montserrat Ventura Oller, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona.

Note on conflicts of interest

In order to safeguard the objectivity of the evaluation process, in cases of conflict of interest, the pre-established protocol has been applied, whereby the conflicted party refrains from participating in either deliberations or voting on the applications concerned.