Final Workshop ULTIMATE-I project, Barcelona (Spain), 30th and 31st March 2026

Final Workshop ULTIMATE-I project– Barcelona, March 2026

Upcoming project workshop, which will be held on March 30th and 31st, 2026, at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) campus in Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain). The participation of PhD students and young researchers of each group/institution and those performing secondments around Europe are encouraged. 

Scientific programme and activities
The primary goal of this meeting is to present and discuss the results achieved within the framework of our collaborative project. The preliminary agenda includes:

  • Technical presentations: Short talks (approx. 20 minutes) to present the project progress. The final duration will be confirmed once the number of participants is finalized.
  • Guest speakers: We will host keynote talks by external experts in the field (to be announced).
  • Site visit: A guided tour of the ALBA Synchrotron facilities (to be confirmed)
  • Gala dinner: A special social dinner will be organized for all attendees.

Funding policy: 

Accommodation and meals included for the registered ULTIMATE-I members.

Registration and deadlines
To ensure proper booking of accommodation, catering, and the finalization of the scientific program, we kindly ask you to confirm your attendance by February 15th, 2026.

Detailed information regarding the specific meeting location and the final agenda will be shared soon. In the meantime, you can find directions on how to reach the campus via ICN2 website. (https://icn2.cat/en/contact).

Integrating Simulations and Experiments for Advanced Applications – Workshop Highlights from Belgrade

On January 13, 2026, we organized the Workshop on Integrating Simulations and Experiments for Advanced Applications at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) in Belgrade. The event, supported by Enterprise Europe Network, brought together researchers from academia and industry to discuss how multiscale simulations and advanced experimental methods can jointly accelerate materials innovation.

The workshop covered recent results from the European Union-funded projects ULTIMATE-I, BLESSED, and HIP-2d-QM, with a strong focus on fuel cells and functional materials, advanced atomistic and continuum simulations, and applications spanning spintronics, ferromagnetism, energy conversion, optics, and space technologies.

The scientific program highlighted the role of molecular dynamics, reactive force fields (ReaxFF), density functional theory, and discrete element methods in understanding complex material behavior. Topics included interactions of small molecules with graphene and MoS₂ nanonetworks, hydration-controlled transport in Nafion membranes, multiscale modeling of enzyme–substrate interactions, and degradation mechanisms in PEM fuel cell electrodes. Industrial perspectives were provided by Freudenberg Technology Innovation, demonstrating how digital modeling is increasingly embedded in materials and process development.

Beyond individual presentations, the workshop fostered open discussion on how simulation-driven insights can guide experiments, improve material design, and shorten development cycles. The interdisciplinary and international character of the meeting underlined the importance of close collaboration between academic institutions and industrial partners.

We thank all speakers and participants for their contributions and the lively scientific exchange. Events like this reinforce the value of integrating simulations and experiments to address current challenges in energy, functional materials, and advanced applications.

Scientific publication: “Ferroelectricity in graphene nanoribbon devices enabled by collective water molecule dynamics”

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65922-6

Nature Communications, Volume 16, Article number: 10982 (2025)

9th Dec. 2025

Muhammad Awais Aslam, Igor Stanković,  Gennadiy Murastov,  Amy Carl,  Muhammad Zubair Khan, Zehao Song, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Alois Lugstein, Christian Teichert,  Roman Gorbachev, Raul D. Rodriguez & Aleksandar Matković 

Repository link

All Open Access, Gold, Green Submitted

Outreach activities at INMA (UNIZAR)

Myriam Aguirre (ULTIMATE-I project Coordinator-UNIZAR) was visiting INIFTA LAB in La Plata-CONICET-National University of La Plata. On this occasion, Alejandra Borzi was awarded with the INMA gift for her participation in outreach activities during her stay research at the University of Zaragoza.

In addition to Alejandra Borzi, other INMA members (Tatiana Escalante, Ana Carolina Moreno Maldonado, Miguel Rengifo, etc.) have participated in various outreach activities, including visits to primary schools, secondary schools, etc., where they also promoted the ULTIMATE-I, MELON and NESTOR projects (all of which are RISE projects) and NEMERFEC project (MSCA project).

Participation of Santiago Barrionuevo (UNPL) in the 30th Intrernational Conference on Low Temperature Physics

30th International Conference on Low Temperature Physics, Bilbao (Spain), from 7th to 13th Aug. 2025

Book of abtracts

Santiago Barrionuevo (UNPL), 2 poster presentations:

  • “A novel way to obtain twisted bilayer graphene via wet transfer highlights a obtaining Twisted Bilayer Graphene (TBLG)”; authors: Santiago D. Barrionuevo, Jorge M. Núñez, Francisco J. Ibáñez & Myriam H. Aguirre
  • “Size threshold for edge state emergence in graphene quantum dots”; authors: Santiago D. Barrionuevo, Jorge M. Núñez, Francisco J. Ibáñez & Myriam H. Aguirre