First PhD-IRIS awards recognize outstanding doctoral research in technology and health

The Institut de Recerca i Innovació en Salut de la UPC (IRIS UPC) has awarded the first edition of the PhD-IRIS Awards: Technology and Health, a new initiative created to give visibility to the doctoral research carried out within the institute and related fields. The prizes were presented on 16 July 2026 during the “La recerca que cura: UPC, tecnologia i la salut del futur” conference, held at the ESEIAAT school in Terrassa and co-organized with the FOOT and INTEXTER research centers.

The award recognizes predoctoral research carried out within UPC doctoral programmes in the broad field of technology and health. Candidates first submitted short outreach videos explaining their research, its relevance, and its main results; from these, eight finalists were selected to compete in a live pitch session before the evaluation committee during the conference. Each finalist had three minutes and up to five slides to present their work.

The eight finalists represented the breadth of research taking place across IRIS UPC’s member groups, with projects spanning cancer research, the development of new diagnostic tools for disease detection, and the use of health data to improve clinical decision-making, among other topics — a vivid illustration of how technology is driving the next generation of advances in medicine.

The candidates were evaluated by an independent committee of four researchers active in the field of technology and health, representing IRIS, INTEXTER, ESEIAAT and FOOT: Conrado Aparicio, Beatriz Amante, Jasmina Casals and Juan Carlos Ondategui.

After evaluating the quality, clarity and impact of the finalists’ presentations, the committee reached a notable decision: rather than a single third prize, it chose to recognize two projects at that level, reflecting the closeness and strength of the research presented. The final results were:

First Prize — €500

Laia Moliner Carrillo

Second Prize — €250

David Anglada Rotger

Third Prize (ex aequo) — €250 each

Fernando Muñoz Puente

Daniel Cabrerizo Aguado

IRIS UPC warmly congratulates all eight finalists for the quality and clarity of their research communication, and thanks the evaluation committee for its rigorous and generous work. Initiatives such as the PhD-IRIS Awards reaffirm the institute’s commitment to nurturing young talent and to translating scientific excellence into tangible progress for health and society.