Twelve research projects selected on core questions in three broad areas of knowledge, under the BBVA Foundation Fundamentos Program
The call for proposals under the BBVA Foundation’s Fundamentos Program has been resolved with the award of 12 grants of up to 250,000 euros per project for the conduct of fundamental and interdisciplinary research in the following areas:
30 September, 2025
PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY
Selected projects:
“Reticular enzyme-like catalysis (RETICAT)”
Principal investigators: Miquel Costas Salgueiro (Universitat de Girona) and Daniel Maspoch Comamala (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia, ICN2).
Team members: Arnau Call Quintana (Universitat de Girona) and Xavi Ribas Salamaña (Universitat de Girona).
Amount of funding: 247.687 euros.
“NanoPhotonic-based Quantum Sensing and Simulation (NPhoQuSS)”
Principal investigators: Antonio Isaac Fernández Domínguez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) and Alejandro González Tudela (Instituto de Física Fundamental, CSIC).
Team members: Johannes Feist (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid); Daniel González Cuadra (Instituto de Física Teórica, CSIC); Diego Martín Cano (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid); Alejandro Manjavacas Arévalo (Instituto de Química Física Blas Cabrera, CSIC); Carlos Sánchez Muñoz (Instituto de Física Fundamental, CSIC); and Peter Zoller (Innsbruck University, Austria).
Amount of funding: 249.500 euros.
“Artificial Quantum Matter: From 2D Materials to Spin Lattice Systems (AQM■2MSLS)”
Principal investigators: Francisco Guinea López (Donostia International Physics Center, DIPC) and Iván Brihuega Álvarez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid).
Team members: Dario Bercioux (Donostia International Physics Center, DIPC); Deung-Jang Choi (Centro de Física de Materiales and Donostia International Physics Center, DIPC); Mikhail I. Katsnelson (Radboud University, Netherlands and Constructor University, Germany); and José Ángel Silva Guillén (IMDEA Nanociencia).
Amount of funding: 250.000 euros.
“Chiral Metal Nanorods for Enantioselective (Amino)catalysis (CHIMERA)”
Principal investigators: Luis Manuel Liz Marzán (CIC biomaGUNE) and Maurizio Prato (CIC biomaGUNE).
Team members: Lucía Borrallo López (CIC biomaGUNE); Lucia Cardo (CIC biomaGUNE); Jinyi Dong (CIC biomaGUNE); Isabel García Martín (CIC biomaGUNE); Elisa Sturabotti (CIC biomaGUNE); and Gail Vinnacombe-Willson (CIC biomaGUNE).
Amount of funding: 199.500 euros.
Physics, 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), who participated online. Its members were: Paloma Adeva Ramos, Ad-Honorem Research Professor at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalúrgicas (CSIC); Rafael Bachiller García, Director of the National Astronomical Observatory and the Madrid Royal Observatory, and a member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Doctors; Fernando Martín García, Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; María Teresa Moreira Vilar, Professor of Engineering Chemistry at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela; María Moreno Llácer, Associate Professor of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics at the Institut de Física Corpuscular (CSIC-Universitat de València), who participated online; and Alicia M. Sintes Olives, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Universitat de les Illes Balears.
BIOLOGY AND BIOMEDICINE
Selected proyects:
“Causal methods for understanding and improving health (CAUSALAGING)”
Principal investigator: Nicholas Stroustrup (Centre de Regulació Genòmica, CRG)
Team member: Jeremy Vicencio Gumarao (Centre de Regulació Genòmica, CRG).
Amount of funding: 249.978 euros.
“pH control of phase transitions in biomolecular condensates and neuronal adaptation (pHACETransition)”
Principal investigators: Michael Krieg (Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, ICFO) and Xavier Salvatella Giralt (Institut d’Investigació Biomédica, IRB Barcelona).
Team members: Jesús Garcia Arroyo (Institut d’Investigació Biomédica, IRB Barcelona); Carla Garcia Cabau (Institut d’Investigació Biomédica, IRB Barcelona); Montserrat Porta de la Riva (Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, ICFO) and Neus Sanfeliu Cerdán (Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, ICFO).
Amount of funding: 249.920 euros.
“Descifrando el código epimecánico del cáncer: la red macanómica del nicho leucémico (LEUKONICHE-FBBVA)”
Principal investigator: Manuel Ramírez Orellana (Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús).
Team member: Francisco Monroy Muñoz (Universidad Complutense de Madrid).
Amount of funding: 250.000 euros.
“Discovering activities of anti-microbial resistance genes beyond resistance (Beyond-AMR)”
Principal investigators: José Antonio Escudero García-Calderón (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and Álvaro San Millán Cruz (Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-CSIC).
Team members: Lucía García Pastor (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and Laura Ortiz Miravalles (Universidad Complutense de Madrid).
Amount of funding: 249.980,50 euros.
Biology and Biomedicine evaluation committee
The evaluation committee was chaired by Isabel Varela-Nieto, Research Professor at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Sols Morreale (CSIC – Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). Its members were: Alejo Efeyan, leader of the Metabolism and Cell Signalling Group at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO); Dolores González Pacanowska, Research Professor at the Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra (CSIC); Rubén Nogueiras Pozo, leader of the Molecular Metabolism Group at the Centro Singular de Investigación en Medicina Molecular y Enfermedades Crónicas (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela); Cedric Notredame, leader of the Comparative Bioinformatics Group at the Centre de Regulació Genòmica (CRG); Federico V. Pallardó Calatayud, Professor of Physiology at the Universitat de València; Eugenio Santos de Dios, Professor of Microbiology at the Centro de Investigación del Cáncer (CSIC – Universidad de Salamanca); and M.ª Isabel Sola Gurpegui, Research Professor at the Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CSIC).
ENGINEERING
Selected projects:
“Analog Photonic Information (API)”
Principal investigators: José Capmany Francoy (Universitat Politècnica de València) and Andrés Macho Ortiz (Universitat Politècnica de València).
Team members: Cristina Català Lahoz (Universitat Politècnica de València) and Pablo Martínez-Carrasco Romero (Universitat Politècnica de València).
Amount of funding: 250.000 euros.
“Estrategias de recuperación post-catastrófica. La integración de la simulación de fenómenos climáticos extremos en el diseño urbanístico para la mejora de la resiliencia y la complejidad urbana (URBAN-RECOVERY)”
Principal investigators: Roger Joan Sauquet Llonch (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) and Inés Aquilué Junyent (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya).
Team members: Álvaro Ardura Urquiaga (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid); Ernest Bladé Castellet (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya); Antoni Grau Saldes (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya); Pepa Morán Núñez (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya); José Sergio Palencia Jiménez (Universitat Politècnica de València); Elsa Pastor Ferrer (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya); Javier Ruiz Sánchez (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid); Beniamino Russo (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya); and Pascale Vacca (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya).
Amount of funding: 249.381 euros.
“Architectures and Control for Enhanced Stability in Grid-Integrated Devices (ACES-GRID)”
Principal investigators: Carlos Olalla Martínez (Universitat Rovira i Virgili) and Àngel Cid Pastor (Universitat Rovira i Virgili).
Team members: Francesc Guinjoan Gispert (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) and Oswaldo López Santos (Universitat Rovira i Virgili).
Amount of funding: 249.625 euros.
“Soluciones basadas en microalgas para una agricultura resiliente y circular (ALBOR)”
Principal investigators: Francisco Gabriel Acién Fernández (Universidad de Almería) and Miguel Urrestarazu Gavilán (Universidad de Almería).
Team members: Fernando Marcelo Chiamolera Gallon (Universidad de Almería); Cintia Gómez Serrano (Universidad de Almería); José Luis Guzmán Sánchez (Universidad de Almería); Ainoa Morillas España (Universidad de Almería); and Tatiana Pagan Loeiro da Cunha (Universidad de Almería).
Amount of funding: 250.000 euros.
Engineering evaluation committee
The evaluation committee was chaired by María Henar Miguélez Garrido, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Its members were: José Miguel Adam Martínez, Professor of Construction Engineering at the Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología del Hormigón (Universitat Politècnica de València), who participated online; Pedro Arias Sánchez, Professor of Cartographic and Geodesic Engingeering at the Centro de Investigación en Tecnoloxías, Enerxía e Procesos Industriais (CINTECX-Universidade de Vigo); Amadeo Benavent Climent, Professor of Mechanics of Continuous Media and Theory of Structures at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid; María Belén Benito Oterino, Professor of Applied Physics at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid; Eugenio Giner Maravilla, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València; Antonio Huerta Cerezuela, Director of the Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) and Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya; César Huete Ruiz de Lira, Associate Professor and Director of the Escuela Politécnica Superior of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Isabel Pérez Grande, Director of Science, Technology and Innovation at the Agencia Espacial Española; and Fernando Torres Medina, Professor of Systems Engineering and Automation at the Universitat d’Alacant.
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.