Valorising Agro-Industrial Waste and Beyond: UAB’s Innovative Projects Shine at MSCA-Staff Exchanges Event
June 26, 2024 – Barcelona, Spain – The MSCA-Staff Exchanges event at the Facultat de Ciències showcased groundbreaking projects aimed at advancing research and innovation. Among the highlighted success stories were three remarkable projects from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), demonstrating the university’s commitment to solving global challenges through innovative research.
International Project Office Presentation: The event commenced with a presentation by the International Project Office, highlighting UAB’s impressive achievements in the Horizon Europe program. UAB stands out as a leader among Spanish universities in Horizon Europe participation, particularly excelling in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Ms. Nuria Claver from UAB presented the MSCA RISE results, emphasizing that UAB coordinates 7 MSCA RISE projects and 3 MSCA Staff Exchange projects, showcasing the university’s robust engagement in international research collaborations.
Presentation of the MSCA Programme: Jesús Rojo, National Contact Point (NCP) of MSCA, provided an overview of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme. His presentation highlighted the significance of the MSCA in fostering research excellence through international and intersectoral mobility. Mr. Rojo emphasized the opportunities available for researchers at all career stages to enhance their skills and competences.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchanges Actions: Dr. Sotirios Kiokias, REA Research Program Officer, provided an insightful overview of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchanges Actions. Dr. Kiokias’s presentation emphasized the importance of international collaboration in research and the pivotal role of the MSCA program in fostering innovative scientific endeavors across Europe.
VALZEO Project: Led by Professor Roberto Boada from the Chemical Department, this project focuses on transforming agro-industrial waste into valuable zeolite-based composite materials, which can be used in environmental remediation and biofuel production. Professor Boada’s work exemplifies the potential of circular economy principles, turning waste products into valuable resources.
K-Reporters Project: Angelina Sanchez from the Department of Applied Pedagogy presented this project, which focuses on reassembling politics across children’s cultures to scale intersectional pedagogies. The K-Reporters initiative aims to create inclusive educational environments that reflect diverse cultural and social realities, promoting equity and justice in education.
RECYCLES Project: David Gabriel from the Chemical Engineering Department discussed the RECYCLES project, which seeks to recover carbon from contaminated matrices by exploiting the nitrogen and sulphur cycles. This innovative approach aims to address environmental pollution while recovering valuable resources, contributing to both environmental and economic sustainability.
These projects were presented during the “MSCA-SE success stories at UAB” segment, highlighting the university’s role in driving forward-thinking research and sustainable solutions.
Quote from Professor Roberto Boada: “We are thrilled to present the VALZEO project at the MSCA-Staff Exchanges event. Our work demonstrates how agro-industrial waste can be transformed into valuable materials for environmental and energy applications. This project represents a significant step towards a more sustainable and circular economy, and we are excited about the potential impact of our findings.”
For more information about these projects and the MSCA-Staff Exchanges event, please visit
https://otr.uab.cat/ascensor/docs/AGR/OPI/Agenda%20Sessió%20MSCA-SE_20240626_UAB.pdf .
Contact: Leonardo Piccinetti
Valzeo communication manager
+393403442286
leonardo@sinnovations.org
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