BSC-CNS Newsletter May 2025

Reducing traffic in Barcelona by 25% would prevent around 200 premature deaths a year linked to pollution

A study carried out by the ISGlobal and BSC is assessing the impact of the Urban Mobility Plan and the electrification of the port on the city's NO2 levels and the associated mortality. This reduction in the number of vehicles could lead to a 17.6% reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels. This study is published in the journal Health & Place. 

BSC strengthens Europe’s resilience to emerging infectious diseases

Led by BSC researchers, a diverse group of experts from thirteen countries came together to develop proactive measures against vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects. The research, published in the Lancet Regional Health Europe, highlights the need for greater cross-border cooperation, improved epidemiological surveillance and the integration of local knowledge into health policies.

BSC and the UME sign agreement to apply supercomputing to emergency management

Both institutions are to work on the development of a digital twin of emergency situations to simulate natural and technological risks and create decision-support systems. BSC will provide infrastructure, advice and capabilities in modelling, simulation, artificial intelligence and hardware design. For its part, the UME will collaborate in the creation of applications and the improvement of services based on the advances of the project.

New project to standardise HPC training across Europe with recognised qualifications

The EuroHPC Virtual Training Academy (EVITA), led by BSC, aims to develop a standardised European training framework in HPC. The project will deliver qualification standards for harmonised learning content, systematically structured into small, coherent learning modules. Funded by EuroHPC JU with a budget of 6M€, the project connects leading initiatives to deliver harmonised, portable qualifications and promote excellence across academia and industry.

Alfonso Valencia warns that centralized biomedical databases pose a risk to scientific progress

The Director of the Life Sciences Department at BSC, Alfonso Valencia, has published an article in the journal EMBO Reports in which he warns of the vulnerability of centralised biomedical databases in an international context marked by instability. Given this situation, Valencia highlights Europe's role as a leader in a new model of open science in which data is free, secure and accessible.

Josep M. Martorell, Honorary Award at the 30th Nit de les Telecomunicacions i la Informàtica

The awards jury recognized the BSC Associate Director, for his extensive experience in the strategic management of institutions within the academic and scientific fields, with a key role in promoting research from the Catalan public administration. His work and dedication have been crucial in positioning BSC as a leading European institution.

20th Anniversary of BSC

We are celebrating the 20^th anniversary of our centre and to commemorate these 20 years of history we have made a series of videos featuring some of the people who have been at BSC since the beginning. Don't miss them!

• The beginning
• The achivements
• The future