Researchers from the University of Oviedo presented eight proposals that competed in this new edition of the programme, which was held in the As5Hub building of the Science and Technology Park in Gijón. The Regional Ministry of Science, Business, Training and Employment, which promotes this initiative through the Sekuens Agency, thus supports research projects of the University of Oviedo that can be applied in the industrial environment.
The POC awards aim to promote innovation in leading companies in the region, as has been the case this year with Nalonchem.
The two proposals selected by the carbochemical company are focused on the use of waste flows in industry and research into new therapies and advanced treatments. These are the winners:
The first project seeks to optimise the dosing of iron ores and reduce the hydrogen sulphide content in biogas, framed within the use of waste streams in industry. The initiative belongs to Jesús Avelino Rodríguez and Yolanda Fernández Nava, from the Environmental Engineering group at the University of Oviedo.
The second project selected is a research project on the reversion of cellular ageing through the inhibition of microRNAs, within the line of new therapies and advanced treatments, a project promoted by Gabriel Bretones Sánchez, from the University Institute of Oncology.
Each of these projects will receive a grant of 30,000 euros, co-financed 50% by Sekuens and Nalonchem. The researchers will have one year to carry out the proof of concept, and are expected to present the results of their studies in mid-2025.
In the photo, the different research teams from the University of Oviedo, together with Iván Aitor Lucas del Amo, general director of Innovation, Research and. Digital Transformation, and Javier Fernández, general manager of Química del Nalón.
A successful relationship
These bonuses are a new step in a successful relationship between Nalonchem and the University of Oviedo, which began in the 1940s.
A few months ago, Nalonchem reinforced this historical relationship by creating the ‘Aula Institucional Nalonchem de química circular y sostenible’, with the aim of contributing to the knowledge and promotion of R&D&I in the field of circular and sustainable chemical processes.
Nalonchem also has a Scientific Advisory Board of recognised national and international prestige, as well as a recently created Business R&D&I Centre, called Nalón Innova S.L., which integrates highly qualified scientific teams to generate the necessary innovation to boost and improve competitiveness, growth, diversification and sustainability. The R&D&I Business Centre develops its main R&D lines in the field of advanced cosmetics and decarbonisation and development of new products in the fields of carbochemistry and foundry coke. The Scientific Advisory Board, made up of prestigious scientists of national and international renown, supports this strategy and innovative developments.
In the last five years alone, Nalonchem has invested more than 5 million euros in innovation. Together with 15 technology centres across Europe, it has developed more than ten projects with an impact on people’s quality of life with biomedical and circular economy applications.
At present, Nalonchem, in collaboration with different entities and research centres, promotes R&D&I projects that cover different fields such as advanced carbon materials, biotechnology and participation in companies with a high technological content.
