The presentation of two Barrié Foundation-Royal Galician Academy of Sciences Research Awards this year had a very Vigo flavor. It was held this Wednesday afternoon at the Pazo de San Roque in Santiago de Compostela, where the winners from the University of Vigo attended: from CINBIO, the team of Miguel Correa, winner of the Best Research Award in Basic Sciences, and from the Vigo Quantum Communication Center and atlanTTic, the group coordinated by Víctor Zapatero, winner of the Best Research Award in Technical Sciences. They were accompanied by Antía Fernández, researcher at the Center for Research in Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes, Cintecx, runner-up in the technical category.
The event was attended by the president of the RAGC, Juan Lema, who assessed the success of this call, with ten applications submitted, “all of them with an extraordinary quality”, which led to these works “constituting the exponent of the best science that is done in Galicia, with publications in the best specialized journals and with great international projection”. Along with Lema, the president of the Barrié Foundation, Pilar Romero, and various authorities, including the Minister of Health, Antonio Gómez; the president of the Economic and Social Council, Manuel Pérez, and the Secretary General of Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro, also attended.
Basic Sciences Award
The award in the Basic Sciences category went to a project focused on the use of carbon dioxide for the production of chemical products and biofuels as an initiative to fight climate change. Its authors, led by Miguel Ángel Correa, are part of the Center for Research in Nanomaterials and Biomedicine (CINBIO) of the University of Vigo. The winner highlighted that “transferring our research to society is of vital importance to demonstrate that basic science is not only essential to guarantee the future of society, but can also generate short-term benefits”.
A prize and a second prize in the Technical Sciences category
The award in the Technical Sciences category went to the group from the University of Vigo coordinated by Víctor Zapatero that created a secure technology for future satellite communications. In his speech, he highlighted that “a research career is full of uncertainties. A scientist makes many sacrifices without guaranteeing the stability that other jobs offer, and regardless of their vocation, it is common to throw in the towel. For all this, this recognition is a very valuable incentive for me and my team”.
In this category, a prize was also awarded to a team from the UVigo Center for Research in Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes, Cintecx, directed by Antía Fernández, who developed an innovative and sustainable process to eliminate the presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in water. In her case, I would say that “this recognition validates our commitment to developing sustainable solutions to address the main environmental challenges and motivates us to continue innovating to improve water quality”.