Our Innovation Agent at UV, Jordi Hernández, has been awarded the BASF-ICIQ 2026 Award for Best Doctoral Thesis, a distinction that recognizes outstanding research projects with the potential to contribute to the transformation of industry and society.
The award was presented during the 5th BASF-ICIQ Awards for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ceremony, held in Tarragona. Organized jointly by BASF and ICIQ, the awards recognize scientific excellence, technological innovation and entrepreneurship while fostering stronger links between academia, industry and society.
The event brought together representatives from the scientific, industrial and institutional sectors to discuss the role of innovation in addressing major societal and economic challenges.
The ceremony opened with remarks by Emilio Palomares, Director of ICIQ, and featured a panel discussion with Andreu Mas-Colell, President of BIST; Pere Aragonès, 132nd President of the Government of Catalonia; and María Mas, Director General of the AEQT. The event was also attended by Francesc Simó, General Manager of BASF Española, and concluded with the participation of Alícia Romero, Minister of Economy and Finance of the Government of Catalonia.
The award recognizes the doctoral thesis“Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of Chromogenic and Fluorogenic Chemosensors for the Detection of Chemical Submission Drugs under Real Conditions”, defended at the University of Valencia in July 2025.
By developing rapid, sensitive and easy-to-use analytical tools, the research addresses a growing social concern and contributes to the development of innovative solutions with potential applications in public safety, forensic analysis and healthcare.
The doctoral thesis was carried out under the supervision of Pablo Gaviña and Margarita Parra within the MODeLiC Research Group at the IDM
Alongside the distinction awarded to Jordi Hernández, the BASF-ICIQ Awards also recognized other innovative initiatives with strong societal and industrial impact. The Best Patent Award was presented to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) for the patent Antifungal Composition that Includes Alcohols for Cleaning and Removing Mould on Surfaces, developed by Félix Antonio López Gómez, Eloy Asensio de Lucas, Ana María Guerrero Bustos and Ana Rosa Ballester Frutos. The Entrepreneurship Award was granted to Hevea3D, a company based in Donostia specializing in innovative solutions for advanced additive manufacturing and sustainable materials.
This latest distinction adds to the recognition already received by the thesis from the Spanish Ministry of Equality and the University of Valencia Youth Chair, highlighting both its scientific excellence and its social relevance.
