Month: October 2026

Prof. Ana Melero, Principal Investigator (PI) of the DRUGBIOP Group at the IDM and professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, was a guest speaker at the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy (RANF).

Invited by María José Alonso and José M. Lanao, Prof. Melero presented her team’s latest advances in microneedles for transdermal drug delivery, a technology designed to overcome skin barrier limitations and enhance the efficacy, penetration, and adaptability of therapeutic treatments.

The session also featured talks by Rosa María Hernández and Zhigao Niu, concluding with a scientific debate on the future of pharmaceutical sciences.

On 21–22 October 2026, the Innovation and Research Support Unit of the IDM participated in Valencia Digital Summit 2026, an event that brings together the innovation ecosystem, technology-driven companies, research institutions and entrepreneurs to foster collaboration and explore new opportunities.

The IDM was represented by Dr Tania Godoy, IDM-UPV Innovation Agent; Dr Paula Rodrigo, UCIE-IDM Innovation Manager; and Dr Jordi Hernández, IDM-UV Innovation Agent. Throughout the event, they actively participated in the institutional stands of both the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the Universitat de València (UV), showcasing the Institute’s scientific and technological capabilities and highlighting opportunities for collaboration between research groups and the business community.

They were also joined by Prof. Margarita Parra, Deputy Director of the IDM, and other IDM researchers, who visited the event to learn first-hand about the opportunities it offers and explore potential avenues for future collaboration.

This participation reinforces the IDM’s commitment to innovation, knowledge transfer and stronger connections between research and industry, helping to translate scientific advances into solutions with real-world impact and promoting new opportunities for collaboration with the business sector.

The Director of the Institute of Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM), Prof. Ramón Martínez Máñez, Full Professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), has been honoured at the 14th Awards of the Foro de Empresas Innovadoras (FEI) in the category of Researchers Over 40.

The award ceremony took place on 20 October at CaixaForum Madrid, recognising an outstanding professional career marked by excellence in scientific research, technology transfer through licensed patents and spin-off companies, and sustained collaboration with the business sector.

Reflecting on this recognition, Prof. Martínez Máñez highlighted its significance:

“For me, this award recognises many years devoted to generating knowledge, training people, and seeking to transform research into innovation […]. I receive it with immense gratitude, as recognition of the work of everyone who has been part of the laboratory, and as motivation to continue contributing to scientific progress.”

The IDM warmly congratulates Prof. Martínez Máñez on this well-deserved recognition and extends its congratulations to all the other award recipients in this 14th edition of the FEI Awards.

Dr. Jordi Hernández, innovation agent at the IDM at the Universitat de València, has been awarded the First Prize by the Government Delegation against Gender Violence for doctoral theses on Violence against Women 2026.

The recognition, granted by the Ministry of Equality, honors his doctoral thesis titled “Design, synthesis and evaluation of chromo and fluorogenic chemosensors for the detection of chemical submission drugs in real-life conditions”, developed within the MODeLiC Research Group under the supervision of Prof. Pablo Gaviña and Prof. Margarita Parra, at the Department of Organic Chemistry of the Faculty of Chemistry.

This award acknowledges a high scientific-technical quality work with an exceptional orientation toward knowledge transfer that “provides concrete, portable technological solutions applicable to the early detection of chemical submission drugs in nightlife environments and forensic contexts,” quoting textually that “its impact on the direct prevention of drug-facilitated sexual assaults is extraordinary,” as published in the final resolution proposal.

Congratulations, Jordi, to your supervisors, and to the entire MODELIC group for this great achievement!

Researchers from the SYM group at our institute are participating in an international project to design a wearable device capable of analyzing sweat to identify biomarkers for metabolic conditions such as diabetes, fatty liver disease, and obesity.

Developed within the framework of the European UltraSense project (funded by the Horizon Europe program), the device utilizes advanced graphene biosensors to enable continuous, accurate, non-invasive, and cost-effective health monitoring.

Our institute’s contribution, led by Professor María José Bañuls Polo, focuses on designing bioreceptor elements and modifying graphene surfaces to detect metabolic biomarkers with high sensitivity. Beyond its focus on personalized medicine and prevention, the project emphasizes environmental sustainability by incorporating green materials to reduce CO₂ emissions by over 70% during manufacturing.

Having successfully passed its initial 18-month evaluation by the European Commission, the project is moving forward with integrating sensorics, flexible materials, and artificial intelligence for signal processing. The device will be validated in two use cases: early detection of metabolic syndrome and health monitoring during exercise.

The recent IDM Hackathon, held on October 5th, concluded with extraordinary results after an intensive day dedicated to innovation, technical talent, and collaborative work.

Throughout the event, participating teams developed and presented five major proposals: PACOp, MOOD-SENSE, CRAVING-TECH, PROSTATEST, and PROMISE. The technical caliber and strategic focus demonstrated in each presentation highlighted the exceptional capabilities of the participants.

The evaluation process was conducted by a distinguished panel of judges comprising Marta Garcés García, Laia Bielsa-Ferrando, Silvia Sánchez Salvo, and José Manuel Santabárbara Gómez, who assessed the final pitch battle with rigorous criteria and expert guidance.

Following the pitch presentations, the jury recognized CRAVING-TECH and PROMISE as the winners of their respective challenge categories.

This initiative was made possible through financial support from the Valencian Institute for Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) under grant references INNVA2/2025/3 and INNVA2/2025/5.

On 29 and 30 September, Dr Paula Rodrigo Martínez, Innovation Manager at UCIE-IDM, and Dr Jordi Hernández, Innovation Agent at IDM at the Universitat de València, attended BIOSPAIN 2026, held in Bilbao.

During the event, we held several pre-arranged meetings with Spanish and international companies in the sector to identify new opportunities for collaboration and explore potential pathways for the transfer and valorisation of the capabilities and technologies developed at IDM.

We also had the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and professionals from the Valencian Community ecosystem and share experiences in research, innovation and knowledge transfer.

It was a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the sector and continue building connections for our institute.