Centre de Recerca Matemàtica
Knowledge Transfer Unit
Tailored mathematical solutions to challenges with societal impact, for companies, institutions and research centres, built on the research carried out at the CRM.
What we do
- Modelling
- Simulation
- Optimisation
- Data science
What the KTU does
One of the cornerstones of the CRM, as stated in its statutes, is the transfer of the research carried out at the centre. The Knowledge Transfer Unit (KTU) is the CRM’s link with research centres, the private sector, institutions, SMEs and industry to foster collaborations.
Disseminating both the knowledge obtained and the methodologies used is essential to maximise the social impact of research. The KTU works on CRM projects and with external partners to address challenges with societal impact through tailored mathematical solutions, and it manages the protection and valorisation of the centre’s research results. Its work takes the CRM’s research beyond academia, towards concrete applications where mathematical tools can inform decisions, improve processes and respond to socially relevant needs.
The solutions are designed to be clear, accurate and user-friendly, and they benefit from the close interaction between the KTU and the CRM’s research groups. The KTU identifies viable results, connects researchers with companies and offers consulting services.
Knowledge transfer with mathematical roots
Because we are at the CRM, the KTU:
- knows (mainly) mathematical tools, and works with people who know cutting-edge mathematical tools that can be transferred to practical challenges
- brings the mathematical research, knowledge and know-how developed at the CRM back to society
- given a problem from society, identifies viable mathematical results and, if needed, connects researchers with the organisations involved
How we work
To tackle these challenges, we:
- take advantage of being a mathematical hub
- conduct practical research
- act as a training unit
Team
David Romero
Head of the KTU
Daniel Cuadrillero
Research Technician
Lucía Escudero
Research Technician
Axel Masó
Postdoctoral Researcher
Projects
The KTU develops and supports public and private projects with institutions, companies and research centres such as ICFO, ICM and ALBA Synchrotron. A selection of its recent projects.
ENHANCE EUROPE
Energy Harvesting Collectors for Urban Road Pavement
Collectors embedded in road pavement extract heat from solar radiation to supply nearby buildings, while lowering road surface temperatures and the urban heat island effect. Mathematical models developed at the KTU support and guide the project’s field experiments.
NeuroMunt
Decision-making and risk perception in mountain environments
Researchers from France and Spain, across disciplines, study how people make decisions under risk in mountain environments. The project runs from September 2025 to September 2028.
eBRT2030
European Bus Rapid Transit of 2030: electrified, automated, connected
A new generation of electric Bus Rapid Transit systems that are economically viable, automated and connected. Tested in real-life settings, they aim to reduce emissions, pollution and congestion while improving passenger experience and accessibility, particularly in underserved areas.
DYSEDAS
Data Shrinking Method Enabled by Dynamical Systems for Resources Saving
A lossless data compression method that increases compression rates beyond current state-of-the-art methods.
TIPSAVIR
AI-TIGsa: AI-guided search of Therapeutic Interfering Genomes as optimized Antivirals
Simulations of virus infection on tissue at the level of RNA replication, which allow in silico study of virus evolution with low computation time. The aim is to identify the RNA sequence, generated by replication of the wild-type virus, that can stop the infection.
LICSAI
Cybersecurity
A model to quantify the uncertainty of an artificial intelligence algorithm that determines the risk of an individual being a victim of a phishing attack.
BISTECH
Cooking with a new device
A mathematical model for cooking a wide range of foods with a new device, together with an interface that makes it easier to use.
Meetings and training
Students, researchers and industry working together on applied mathematical problems. In 2025 the KTU organised two international meetings, back to back.
7–11 July 2025
XI Iberian Modeling Week
The CRM hosted the eleventh edition, organised with math-in (Spain) and Pt-maths-in (Portugal). Nearly 30 students from across Europe, with backgrounds in mathematics, physics, chemistry, artificial intelligence, and biomedical and aerospace engineering, worked on four practical problems: bus allocation through a city’s daily cycle, blood-flow modelling with the Windkessel model and real spectroscopy data, the placement of climate shelters in Barcelona during extreme heat, and energy harvesting versus flow efficiency in asphalt solar collectors.
KTU members mentored the four working groups.
14–18 July 2025
European Study Group with Industry (ESGI 2025)
Straight after the Modeling Week, the CRM co-organised ESGI 2025 with math-in and Pt-maths-in, and the KTU coordinated it. Academic researchers and industry professionals worked on three company challenges: an advanced driver assistance system for overtaking (Sener Mobility), the optimisation of water sources balancing cost and quality (Cetaqua), and volumetric risk in renewable energy production (EDP).
Participants came from Portugal, Spain, Finland, France, Georgia, Norway and Italy.
Secondary-school students at the KTU
In July 2025, for the second year running, the KTU hosted three students from the Joves i Ciència programme of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera. They worked on heat capture in asphalt for energy generation and on the biomedical modelling of venous occlusion and blood flow, and took part in the Iberian Modeling Week and ESGI 2025.
Partners
In 2025 the KTU worked with research centres such as ICFO, ICM, ALBA Synchrotron and i2CAT, within the eBRT2030, ENHANCE EUROPE and NeuroMunt consortia, and with the math-in and Pt-maths-in networks on its scientific meetings. Companies and institutions that have worked with the KTU include:
News
Contact
To explore a collaboration with the Knowledge Transfer Unit, write to crm@crm.cat.