COVID19 pandemic has increased the demand for general-use masks, boosting the supply of masks. CSIC has developed a fast test to efficiently ensure the quality of the product, allowing a level of production that meets the growing demand.

The SENIX project, with the participation of the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC, by its Spanish acronym), has created several solutions for the development of micro and nanoelectronic systems and platforms to improve the management of water and gas distribution networks.

A team at the Institute of corpuscular physics (IFIC, by its Spanish acronym) has patented a compact, portable device that simultaneously monitors gamma and neutron radiation produced in radioactive processes and nuclear reactions. It can lead to multiple applications: from detecting radioactive materials to relieve the side effects of hadrontherapy, a novel cancer therapy.

Christian Blum, IIIA-CSIC researcher, has been awarded with a SEIO-BBVA Foundation prize for developing a hybrid algorithm that combines metaheuristics and operations research (OR) in a novel way to solve complex problems characterised by many variables and many possible solutions. It can be applied, for example, to problems from the industrial and the educational sector.

The Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) has collaborated in the design and development of a prototype for the detection of radon gas, a radioactive gas of natural origin that can be found in buildings. The prototype is the result of the CARE project, led by the company Alibava Systems, and developed by research centres and companies.

The Group of Chemical Transducers of the Barcelona Institute of Microelectronics (IMB-CNM) has obtained the ISO 9001: 2015 Certification. This is the international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS) published by the International Standardization Organization (ISO), which certifies that the processes followed by this scientific group meet the quality standards.

Current electronic components and systems (ECS) are becoming more compact and complex every day, thus making more difficult to face the reliability analysis in them. Now, it is required to follow a holistic approach through the entire value chain of an ECS product, such as the material, chip, packaging and system. During 3 years, iRel40 will connect 75 institutions from 13 European countries, including the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona through the Power Devices and Systems Group.

A CSIC team has developed a temperature sensor that consists of a semiconductor material on a paper substrate. The use of paper as a substrate makes this sensor cheap, easy to produce and biodegradable. It can be applied to monitor body temperature by attaching the sensor in clothes. Also in packaging of goods sensitive to temperature changes.