UNIVERSIDAD PUBLICA DE NAVARRA

Their core work

The Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA) is a Spanish public university based in Pamplona with strong research capabilities in photonics, nanophotonics, and advanced sensing technologies. Their engineering groups specialize in optical fiber systems, metamaterials, and electromagnetic technologies spanning from radio frequency to millimeter-wave applications. They contribute applied research to EU projects in environmental monitoring, smart cities, satellite communications, and energy-efficient building materials. More recently, they have emerged as a coordinator of photonics research, particularly in near-zero-index nanophotonic technologies and reconfigurable fiber laser sources.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2019), UPNA's projects were spread across diverse topics — satellite communications (TESLA), health interventions for diabetes in Latin America (DIABFRAIL-LATAM), nuclear energy history (HoNESt), and forest ecology (DENDRONUTRIENT). From 2020 onward, a clear convergence emerged around photonics and advanced materials: nanophotonic technologies (NZINATECH), photonic metaconcrete (MIRACLE), touchless haptics (TOUCHLESS), and environmental sensing (MENELAOS_NT). This shift signals a deliberate consolidation from a broad research university profile toward a focused photonics and metamaterials identity.

UPNA is building toward a concentrated photonics and nanomaterials research hub, with growing capacity to apply these technologies to energy efficiency, environmental monitoring, and human-computer interaction.

How they like to work

UPNA operates primarily as a participant (8 of 12 projects) but has demonstrated the ability to lead, coordinating 3 projects including their largest grant (NZINATECH, EUR 1.5M ERC Starting Grant). With 115 unique consortium partners across 28 countries, they maintain a broad European network rather than relying on a small circle of repeat collaborators. This makes them a flexible partner — experienced enough to coordinate when needed, but comfortable contributing specialist expertise in larger consortia.

UPNA has built a wide network of 115 unique partners spanning 28 countries, indicating strong pan-European reach with no narrow geographic dependency. Their project portfolio includes both large consortia (STARDUST, TESLA) and focused research teams, giving them connections across academia, industry, and public bodies.

What sets them apart

UPNA's distinguishing strength is the intersection of photonics, metamaterials, and practical applications — they don't just study nanophotonics in the lab but connect it to radiative cooling in buildings, environmental sensing, and fiber-based monitoring systems. Their ERC Starting Grant (NZINATECH) signals that they have individually recognized researchers pushing the frontier in near-zero-index media. For consortium builders, they offer a rare combination: deep photonics expertise with demonstrated ability to apply it across sectors from construction to agriculture to space.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NZINATECH
  Their largest project (EUR 1.5M) and an ERC Starting Grant — a strong signal of individual research excellence in near-zero-index nanophotonics, coordinated by UPNA.
• MIRACLE
  Unusual cross-disciplinary project combining photonic metamaterials with concrete engineering for radiative cooling — a direct bridge from fundamental photonics to real-world energy savings in buildings.
• TOUCHLESS
  Positions UPNA at the intersection of photonics and neurocognitive AI for touchless haptic interaction, opening a new application domain beyond their traditional sensing work.