Three Projects with ISGlobal Participation Awarded Funding Under Barcelona Science Plan

As a part of the Barcelona Science Plan, a ”la Caixa”-backed initiative designed to bolster the city’s scientific community, the Barcelona City Council has awarded grants to seven science, research and innovation projects. The selected projects will receive a total of €900,000 over a period of 18 months. The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is leading one of the selected projects and participating in another two.

Joan Subirats, Deputy Mayor for Culture, Education, Science and Community, and Ángel Font, Corporate Director of Research and Strategy at the ”la Caixa” Foundation, announced the winners at an award ceremony on 7 February. “The city council is committed to ensuring the soundness of our public policies,” commented Subirats. “The scientific evidence generated by these projects enables us to do just that.”

Applications for funding were submitted for a total of 57 projects. Applicants were expected to fall into one of two categories:aging and quality of life and mobility and respect for and protection of the environment .

Projects with ISGlobal participation

Aging and quality of life:

• AiguaBCN: The first map of tap-water quality in Barcelona. AiguaBCN maps the concentration of emerging pollutants in the city’s tap water and studies the health effects of the analysed substances. This project is led by ISGlobal researcher The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is leading one of the selected projects and participating in another two. in collaboration with Rovira i Virgili University and the Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research.
• MicroBioMap: Studying the urban microbiome to improve quality of life. MicroBioMap analyses Barcelona’s ecosystem of microorganisms in order to understand their environmental impact, with a view to designing strategies to improve public health. This project is led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology—a joint venture of Pompeu Fabra University and the Spanish National Research Council—with the participation of ISGlobal and Fab Lab.

Mobility and respect for and protection of the environment:

• NewMob: Towards healthy new sustainable urban mobility. NewMob analyses the impact of new shared modes of electric transport on the social and environmental fabric of the city and on the health of Barcelona residents. This project is led by the Autonomous University of Barcelona with the participation of ISGlobal and the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Authority.