URV Interdisciplinary Groups - AMIRESCAT Project
Project Description
Duration: 2025-2027 + 2028
Funding: Agrupacions Interdisciplinàries URV
AMIRESCAT is a project aimed at addressing the complex societal challenges related to climate change adaptation and mitigation in Southern Catalonia. Through a geographically expanded version of the Camp de Tarragona Living Lab, the initiative actively involves stakeholders in identifying problems and developing practical, applicable solutions.
The main scientific objectives are:
- To develop an analytical and methodological framework for the integrated assessment of environmental risks and social vulnerabilities in the Camp de Tarragona.
- To explore adaptation and mitigation solutions co-designed with local stakeholders.
- To evaluate the impact and replicability of pilot actions across the territory.
- To foster an open innovation ecosystem focused on knowledge transfer and a just, green transition.
AMIRESCAT aims to strengthen the existing collaboration within IU-RESCAT by extending it to other research groups and structures across the URV.
The project will build on the existing Living Lab in the Terres de l'Ebre and collaborate with it to replicate this model throughout Southern Catalonia, thereby consolidating the Camp de Tarragona Living Lab.
Work Packages (WPs):
- WP1: Project Coordination and Management
- WP2: Adapting Wine Production to Climate Change
- WP3: Air Quality and Children's Exposure to Particulate Matter
- WP4: Adaptation Strategies - Water
- WP5: Carbon Sequestration
- WP6: Alternative Energy Solutions
- WP7: Climate Adaptation Policies, Legal Frameworks, and Social Implementation
- WP8: Citizen Engagement, Communication, and Education
Challenges
AMIRESCAT will address five transdisciplinary challenges:
| O1. Diagnosis of environmental risks and social vulnerabilities | O2. Co-designed adaptation and mitigation solutions | O3. Evaluation and replicability of pilot actions | O4. Knowledge transfer and innovation ecosystem | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adapting Wine Production to Climate Change |
Diagnosis of climate vulnerability in vineyards (yield, quality, varieties) | Co-creation of adaptive practices with stakeholders (e.g. irrigation, grape varieties) | Pilot testing in vineyards and analysis of sustainability | Engagement of producers via Living Lab for training and dissemination | |
Adapting to Water Needs and Resources |
Identification of water-related risks across sectors | Development of safe, One Health-based reuse strategies with stakeholders | Evaluation of reclaimed water use and adaptive governance models | Cross-sector engagement for inclusive water management and knowledge transfer | |
Advancing the Energy Transition |
|
Co-design of renewable energy pilots (e.g. agrovoltaics, solar, geothermal) |
Assessment of socio-technical impacts of pilots | Capacity-building and support for local and regional energy transition | |
Making Tourism a Climate-Resilient Activity |
Risk mapping of tourism sector to heat, water stress, ecosystem loss | Design of climate-resilient tourism strategies with local actors | Testing of low-carbon tourism models and diversified offerings | Dissemination of results to tourism actors and integration in planning | |
Promoting Climate-Resilient Cities |
Analysis of urban climate risks and social vulnerability | Co-development of green infrastructure and climate shelters | Piloting of urban interventions and assessment of effectiveness | Promotion of inclusive, health-based urban policies and knowledge transfer |
The novelty of AMIRESCAT lies in combining these key challenges with traditional work packages that contain essential disciplinary knowledge (such as atmospheric sciences, soil, water, green energy, legal frameworks, and communication/education). The different work packages will not only provide specific solutions but will also be integrated with one another to address the challenges through a transdisciplinary approach.
Under the leadership of the Principal Investigator (PI) and the lead researchers, and with the support of a team of 20 researchers, AMIRESCAT will address the five challenges from a position of established expertise and experience. Ongoing projects such as LIFE eCOadapt50, BIORESILMED, ClimED Erasmus+, and the roadmap for the energy transition in Reus already tackle these issues from multiple scientific perspectives and will serve as a foundation for initial cooperation.
Technical coordination will be carried out by the IU-RESCAT administrative team, which has experience in this role, under the supervision of the PI, the lead researchers, and the new Living Lab Coordinator. Scientific coordination will be the responsibility of a Steering Committee (one representative per challenge, plus the PIs and the Living Lab Coordinator), which will meet regularly to monitor progress, assess transdisciplinarity, and coordinate scientific activities.
Initial Research Team
- Enric Aguilar Anfrons
PhD in Physical Geography and current Director of IU-RESCAT. His research focuses on the quality and homogenization of climate data and on climate change indicators. He has collaborated extensively with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and is Co-Editor of the International Journal of Climatology.
Cross-Cutting theme: Coordination
(Principal Investigator)
- Fèlix Llovell Ferret
Full Professor of Chemical Engineering at URV and Director of The URV-Fundación Repsol Chair of Energy Transition. His research focuses on the development of sustainable refrigerants, CO₂-based systems, and the application of artificial intelligence to thermodynamics. He has published more than 100 scientific articles and serves as an editor of the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (IECR).
Cross-Cutting theme: Coordination
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
Salvador Anton Clavé
Full Professor of Regional Geography at URV and leader of the GRATET research group. He is a specialist in the analysis of tourism destination transformations and global mobilities. He has published more than 180 scientific works and has led numerous national and European research projects. In 2021, he received the prestigious Roy Wolfe Award.
Challenge 4: Tourism
Susana Borràs Pentinat
Full Professor of Public International Law and specialist in environmental law, climate change, and climate-induced migration. She has participated in more than 50 research projects and has published over 180 academic works. Since 2008, she has served as Director of the Master's Degree in Environmental Law at Rovira i Virgili University (URV).
Cross-cutting theme: Law and Public Policy
Joan Carles Bruno Argilaguet
Associate Full Professor and member of the CREVER research group. His work focuses on sustainable energy technologies, refrigeration systems, energy recovery, and hydrogen production. His scientific activity contributes to the circular economy and the integration of renewable energy sources.
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
Jorge Juan Carbó Martín
Professor of Chemistry specializing in computational chemistry and catalysis for sustainable processes. He develops models for energy production and the simulation of nanoparticles and catalysts. He has led competitive research projects and collaborations with international companies.
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
Gisela Cebrián Bernat
Serra Húnter Associate Professor specializing in education for sustainability and climate competencies. She has led innovative projects on school climate assemblies and environmental education. She has been included among the top 2% of the world's most influential researchers.
Cross-Cutting Theme: Communication
Endrius Cocciolo
Associate Professor of Public Law specializing in energy regulation, governance, and environmental policy. He leads pioneering European projects on hydrogen regulation and community energy systems. He has secured substantial international competitive research funding.
Cross-Cutting Theme: Law and Public Policy
Sandra Contreras Iglesias
Serra Húnter Associate Professor and expert in advanced oxidation and photocatalysis for water treatment. She has participated in more than 40 competitive projects and published research with significant international impact. Her work combines sustainability, biomass valorization, and environmental treatment technologies.
Challenge 2: Water
Montserrat Diéguez Fernández
Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Director of the InnCat research group. Her research focuses on asymmetric catalysis, organometallic chemistry, and metalloenzymes. She has participated in more than 60 projects and received several ICREA Academia awards.
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
Juan Antonio Duro Moreno
Professor of Economics and a leading expert in tourism economics and sustainability. His research focuses on sustainability indicators, territorial economics, and the distribution of economic activity. He is included among the most cited researchers in his field.
Cross-Cutting Theme: Economics
Alexandre Fabregat Tomas
Computational physicist specializing in turbulent flow modeling and air quality. He has participated in international projects on pollutant dispersion and incorporated artificial intelligence into physical models. His team received the URV Social Impact Award in 2021.
Challenge 5: Resilient Cities
Dània Garcia
Associate Professor in the Mycology Unit at URV. Her research focuses on the identification and classification of fungi, supported by an extensive international track record. She has published more than 120 specialized scientific papers.
Challenge 2: Water
Josepa Gené Díaz
Professor of Microbiology at URV and an expert in biodiversity, taxonomy, and medical mycology. She has described more than 300 new fungal species and supervised 14 doctoral theses. She is co-author of the reference work Atlas of Clinical Fungi and has led several national research projects.
Challenge 2: Water
Assumpció Huertas Roig
Associate Professor specializing in communication, place branding, and tourism destinations. Her research examines the use of social media, branding, and public relations in tourism. She has published more than 60 articles and led numerous research projects.
Cross-Cutting Theme: Communication
Bahareh Khezri
ICREA Research Professor specializing in nanorobotics and electrocatalysis. She develops microrobots for environmental applications and technologies for CO₂ reduction and green hydrogen production. She has worked at leading international research centers and received highly competitive research grants.
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
Gerard Lligadas Puig
Serra Húnter Associate Professor and expert in polymer chemistry, functional materials, and green chemistry. He has developed technologies based on renewable resources and holds a patented technology transferred to industry. He is listed among the top 2% of the world's most influential scientists according to Stanford University.
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
Francesc Medina Cabello
Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the CATHETER research group. His work focuses on porous materials and nanomaterials applied to chemical and environmental processes. He has supervised 31 doctoral theses and published more than 200 scientific articles.
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
Albert Samper Sosa
Architect and researcher specializing in fractal geometry applied to architecture and cultural heritage. He has earned two doctoral degrees with Cum Laude distinction and coordinates the Architectural Graphic Expression area at URV. He is also founder of the spin-off company Scandraw SL.
Challenge 5: Resilient Cities
Fernando Zamora Marín
Professor of Enology and Viticulture with international recognition in the wine sector. His research focuses on wine quality, aging, climate change impacts, and alternatives to sulfur dioxide. He has supervised 21 doctoral theses and chaired the OIV Commission of Enology.
Challenge 1: Wine
New Team Members
Francesc Borrull Ballarín
Professor of Analytical Chemistry and Director of the Chromatography research group. He is an expert in emerging contaminants, endocrine disruptors, and advanced sample preparation techniques. He is considered one of Spain's leading figures in analytical chemistry.
Challenge 5: Resilient Cities
Josep-Maria Arauzo-Carod
Professor of Economics and Deputy Director of IU-RESCAT. He specializes in urban and regional economics, sustainability, and the circular economy. He has led international institutions and research networks and has an extensive scientific publication record.
Cross-Cutting Theme: Economics
Òscar Saladié Borraz
Associate Professor of Geography, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Geography, and researcher in the GRATET group. His research addresses environmental issues, landscape management, territorial planning, and tourism vulnerability to climate change. He also participates in several territorial governance bodies.
Challenge 4: Tourism
Òscar Pàmies Ollé
Professor of Chemistry and Director of the SMARTCAT research group. He is an expert in asymmetric catalysis, hydrogenation, and advanced catalyst design. He has published more than 160 scientific articles and received two ICREA Academia distinctions for research excellence.
Challenge 3: Energy Transition
