The Challenges

Cetaqua was established in 2007 in Spain as a joint initiative by Aigües de Barcelona, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). Cetaqua’s mission is to develop innovative solutions for sustainable water management by integrating scientific research, technological advancements, and social considerations.

Cetaqua has led numerous research and innovation projects with significant positive impacts on water management, both locally and internationally. Their collaborative approach in both, public and private sectors, along with their ability to translate scientific research into practical applications, positions Cetaqua as a leader in the water technology sector.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  Efficient Water Resource Management: Use HPC to model and optimize water distribution and usage in complex systems.

  Keywords: Smart Water Management, Digital Twin

• Challenge 2

  Prediction and Mitigation of Extreme Climate Events: Employ advanced simulations to improve forecasting of droughts and floods.

  Keywords: Climate Resilience, Machine Learning

• Challenge 3

  Wastewater Treatment: Develop computational models to optimize water purification and reuse processes.

  Keywords: Circular Economy, Process Optimization

• Challenge 4

  Early Contaminant Detection: Implement real-time monitoring systems using big data and predictive analytics.

  Keywords: IoT Sensors, Real-time Analytics

• Challenge 5

  Infrastructure Optimization: Use simulations to improve the design and maintenance of distribution networks and treatment plants.

  Keywords: Asset Management”, Predictive Maintenance

The Social Digital lab is a social innovation laboratory certified as a Living lab by ENOLL born in 2016 and promoted by Suara cooperativa.

Suara is a non-profit work cooperative with more than 40 years of experience and with 5000 professionals that we offer dedicated to the care services sector.

The Social digital lab specializes in Wellness, care, active aging and preventive health. This area focuses on improving people’s quality of life and well-being through technological and digital projects and services that promote mental and physical health. Caregiving and Active Aging highlight the importance of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle as people age. In addition, preventive strategies to address health problems are emphasized. From this perspective, the care model is analyzed.

We work to foster inclusion and accessibility, ensuring that technology solutions are accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities or physical conditions.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  Creation of Assisted Living Environments: Design and simulate intelligent assisted living environments that enhance the autonomy and well-being of elderly people, allowing them to live at home.

• Challenge 2

  Simulation Modeling for Care Planning: Develop simulations to model future care needs in an aging society and predict how resources can be better allocated based on different scenarios.

• Challenge 3

  Scientific Validation and Assessment of the Social and Economic Impact of pilot tests of new technological and digital solutions in the care sector. (www.suara.coop/ca/proves-pilot)

• Challenge 4

  Language Technologies: Creation of Catalan linguistic resources for their integration into technologies applied to home care and support for individuals.

• Challenge 5

  Parameterization of the Aging Process: Development of a model that allows us to predict the probability of the next steps in a person’s aging process and, therefore, the best way to assist them.

• Challenge 6

  Prevention of Deaths, Hospitalizations, and Service Demand: Identification of patterns related to deaths, hospitalizations, and an increase in the number of services provided by cross-referencing Suara’s service data with Open Data sources (such as weather, pollution index, infections, and other data sources).

Uriach is a health and wellness company with over 180 years of history. Over the past decade, it has focused on Natural Consumer Healthcare, pioneering this sector in Spain with products that combine natural ingredients and scientific innovation. Uriach has grown significantly, establishing subsidiaries in several European countries and expanding globally through distribution agreements.

Uriach’s mission is to enhance people’s health through a holistic, preventive approach, driven by strong brands and continuous innovation. They are recognized as European leaders in Natural Consumer Healthcare.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  Speeding up our drug design process by identifying natural existing molecules and linking them to consumer benefits

  As a consumer health company, we are constantly looking to health naturally existing molecules with the needs of consumers. Information is disaggregated and incomplete, and connecting the dots often requires manual work.
  We would like to find solutions that can help us speed up this process so we can focus on doing what we know best: understanding the needs of consumers and pharmacists.

  Keywords: artificial intelligence, natural health, molecule design, information. data analysis

Grifols is a global healthcare company that has been a pioneer in the field of plasma-derived medicines and transfusion medicine since its founding in 1909. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain.

Grifols has established itself as a leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a presence in more than 30 countries and products sold in over 100 countries worldwide. One of the company’s first major innovations was the development of the plasmapheresis technique, which allows for the separation of plasma from blood cells. This groundbreaking method laid the foundation for Grifols’ future success in the plasma-derived medicines market.

Grifols produces a wide range of of plasma-derived products, including immunoglobulins, albumin, clotting factors, and hyperimmune globulins. These products are essential for patients with rare, chronic and some time life-threatening conditions, providing the necessary proteins and antibodies to help them lead healthier lives.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  Protein precipitation simulation: Modeling, simulation and validation of protein precipitation based on the physical conditions applied in the reactors (flow rates, pH, temperature, etc.). Possibility of using the model to experiment different operating conditions.

  Keywords: modeling, simulation, validation, fabrication, reactor, plasma, protein

• Challenge 2

  Heat transfer simulation in plasma defrosting: Modeling, simulation and validation of heat transfer in plasma defrosting processes. Possibility of using the model to experiment different operating conditions.

  Keywords: modeling, simulation, validation, fabrication, reactor, heat transfer, plasma, defrost

Main interest on both solutions is to use simulations to verify recommendations and study conditions beyond fabrication specifications.

The IDP Group is a global and multisectoral technical service company, founded in 1998, which is specialized in the fields of engineering, environment and architecture.
The evolution of the market; their clear customer-oriented framework; a technical and multidisciplinary team; the high efficiency and specialization of their services; as well as the firm commitment to technology have enabled IDP to be present in 4 out of the 5 continents, carrying out projects both for the public and the private sectors.

IDP is the leader in the development of projects using the BIM technology, with 10 offices in Spain and projects in 52 countries in the world; and with a vocation for continuous improvement and for a constant innovation and development.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  Trusteable AI as a key tool for Digital Twins Predictive Skills in the Built Environment
  

  Keywords: artificial intelligence, digital twins, prediction simulation

• Challenge 2

  Cooling Systems Engineering for HPC Data Centers.

  Keywords: data, cooling systems

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in five main therapy areas: Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, Respiratory & Immunology, Vaccines and Immune Therapies and Rare Diseases.

AstraZeneca Global Hub In Barcelona is growing as a beacon of scientific and digital innovation, contributing within the company as a global epicenter of decentralized clinical trials, biotech growth and AI-driven healthcare advancements.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  Disease Identification & Early diagnosis:

  Technology can help identify patterns in clinical data that can lead to the development of new predictive or prognostic biomarkers.

  Technology can reduce the time to diagnose, providing patients with quicker answers.

  In oncology drug development develop tools that help with optimal dose identification, early detection of safety issues, patient selection, and prediction of patient response to treatment.

• Challenge 2

  Treatment Adherence:

  Utilizing technology and innovation to create tools and strategies, based on digitalization and AI, to improve treatment adherence.

• Challenge 3

  Patient Quality of Life:

  Using technology to address unmet needs of individuals with rare diseases, helping them cope with daily challenges.

  Note: Interest in Life Science
  Group: 1. LLMs, 2: AI

The Barcelona Port Authority (APB) is the public body in charge of managing the Port of Barcelona, a port of general interest integrated into the state-owned port system.

We are the public body behind the Port of Barcelona, a transport infrastructure and key services for the territory.

Our leadership has contributed to positioning the Port as a leading logistics centre in the Mediterranean and the first peninsular port for international traffic.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  Objective:

  Implement an advanced monitoring system at the Port of Barcelona using existing cameras, the 5G network, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance the management of crowded events, count vehicles and vessels, and identify atmospheric emissions. Visualize all the data gathered in an online platform.

  Use cases with Artificial Intelligence:

  Image Recognition: Implement AI algorithms to identify and count people during crowded events considering cameras installed in buildingsor infraestructures >25m of height

  Vehicle and Vessel Counting: Use AI to monitor and count the number of vehicles and vessels in the port. Considering cameras installed in buildings or infraestructures >25m of height

  Emission Identification: Develop AI models to detect and analyze atmospheric emissions, helping to identify sources of pollution.

Naturgy is a corporation dedicated to the generation, distribution and marketing of energy and services that works to guarantee the well-being of people, the progress of companies and society, and the sustainability of the planet.

It operates in the regulated and liberalized gas and electricity markets, with a growing contribution from international activity, mainly in the following areas: Gas and electricity distribution, Electricity generation and marketing, and Infrastructure, gas supply and marketing.

AREA OF INTEREST

• LIFE SCIENCES
• COMPUTER SCIENCES
• EARTH SCIENCES
• COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Challenge 1

  How we can implement extensive use of digital twins for infrastructure monitoring.

  And, in a second pase, to create new power plants in digital environments and optimize their real world design.

  Keywords: Digital twin, Intelligent design, Design modelization, Ommniverse

• Challenge 2

  How we can structure ML & AI Projects to maximize their uses cases across Business and geographies, minimizing retraining costs.

  Keywords: MLIA, Best practices, Model recycling, Center of excellence, retraining