The Aragón Institute of Engineering Research held the 15th edition of its Young Researchers’ Conference this year. Fifteen years on from those first meetings, 112 young researchers demonstrated this year the potential of this research centre at the University of Zaragoza and its support for those embarking on their scientific careers. Throughout the day, they took centre stage.
The I3A Young Researchers’ Conference puts young talent, the future researchers, centre stage. It is an opportunity to learn about work in the fields of Biomedical Engineering, Information and Communication Technologies, Processes and Recycling, and Industrial Technologies. Of all these, nine were awarded prizes:
Biomedical Engineering
- Inés Noguero-Soler (BSICoS)
Oral presentation: Non-invasive characterisation of cardiac activity in patients with Brugada syndrome using ECG signals - Celia Ferrando Martín (TME Lab)
Poster presentation: Development and Functional Characterisation of a Blood-Brain Barrier Model on a Chip for Predictive Drug Permeability Testing
Industrial Technologies
- Natalia Herguedas (GTF)
Oral presentation: Coexistence of Distributed Acoustic Sensing and Optical Communications via Polarisation Multiplexing - Ignacio Ojer (TFD)
Poster presentation: Calibration of Hydraulic Roughness Using Supervised Classification
Information and Communication Technologies
- Daniel Colás (GTF)
Oral presentation: Development of a C-band FM-CW radar for the detection and identification of birds in wind farms - Ángel V. Agudo (RoPERT)
Poster presentation: Photorealistic Colonoscopy Image Generation
Processes and Recycling
- Densa Ann Shaj (GPT)
Oral presentation: Valorisation of almond residues via deep eutectic solvent-assisted activation for aqueous zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors - Sergio Jiménez (CREG)
Poster presentation: Enhanced methanol synthesis in a fluidised-bed reactor with continuous adsorbent feeding (SEFBR+CSF) - Pablo Castellanos (GITSE)
Poster presentation: Design and development of an experimental facility for the evaluation of heat-transfer fluids and PCM emulsions: cooling of high-power computing systems.
Jesús Arauzo: “Keep believing in us”
Carmen Susín, the Regional Minister for Education, Science and Universities of the Government of Aragon, alongside José Ramón Beltrán, Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Strategic Development at the University of Zaragoza, Jesús Arauzo, Director of the I3A, and Juan Pablo Martínez, Director of Training at the I3A, were responsible for opening the conference.
Carmen Susín emphasised that the Government of Aragon is “aware that science and research have made us a region of scientific excellence, and we cannot afford to lose that leading position in Southern Europe for which we have fought so hard”. She also referred to the ARAID Foundation, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, “through which this model will continue to be consolidated”, and reaffirmed her support for research groups, saying, “we are going to support them with an investment of ten million euros over the next three years”.
For his part, José Ramón Beltrán, Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Strategic Development, shared some thoughts on talent and the “constant emphasis on the need to attract and nurture it”. He noted that he prefers “to talk about talent as a personal value, linked to abilities, and the importance of creating the conditions and resources that enable people to develop their abilities”.
The director of the I3A, Jesús Arauzo, called on the Government of Aragon to continue “believing in us, to keep investing in R&D. It is worth it”. He emphasised the “level of excellence in the research we carry out” and noted that this is reflected in the management of nearly 18 million euros received in 2025, which forms part of the 25 million secured through projects throughout this year. “These figures demonstrate that R&D&I is profitable, and not only profitable but also a source of ideas, projects and technology that seek to improve our lives both now and in the future.”
The conference began with “The integrated water cycle as a source of water, resources and energy” by Víctor Monsalvo, Director of Innovation and Technology at Aqualia.
I3A Award for CARTV
For the past seven years, this I3A Youth Conference has formed part of a wider forum, the Annual Conference, at which, amongst other awards, the “I3A Distinction” is presented; this year, it was awarded to the Aragonese Radio and Television Corporation (CARTV) in recognition of its anniversary and its commitment to the popularisation of science and its ongoing support for the research carried out by this Institute.
Raquel Fuertes, Chief Executive of CARTV, and Marcos Ruiz, director and presenter of the science programme Ágora on Aragón Radio, were the ones to receive this award.
In addition, the event featured a presentation of the IMPULSO projects, on which various I3A groups are collaborating, and certificates of recognition were awarded to those who have been awarded I3A grants for their final-year undergraduate and master’s dissertations, as well as to recipients of funding for bridging contracts.
This year’s Young Researchers’ Day was sponsored by the ARAID Foundation.
