"The goal of this project is to develop new techniques combining tools from dynamical systems, analysis and differential geometry to study the existence and properties of invariant manifolds arising from solutions to differential equations. These structures are relevant in the study of the qualitative properties of ODE and PDE and appear very naturally in important questions of mathematical physics.

Membranes of eukaryotic cells organize signal transduction proteins into microdomains or lipid rafts whose integrity is essential for numerous cellular processes. Lipid rafts has been considered a fundamental step to define the cellular complexity of eukaryotes, assuming that bacteria do not require such a sophisticated organization of their signaling networks. However, I have discovered that bacteria organize many signaling pathways in membrane microdomains similar to the eukaryotic lipid rafts.

Optical, electron and probe microscopes are enabling tools for discoveries and knowledge generation in nanoscale sicence and technology. High resolution –nanoscale or molecular-, noninvasive and label-free imaging of three-dimensional soft matter-liquid interfaces has not been achieved by any microscopy method.

The project addresses the two greatest unresolved problems in quantum field theory and gravity.
The question of UV-completion beyond the Planck length and the mysteries of black holes. It is grounded on a recent program of research where we have put forward a fundamentally different unifying approach to both of these problems.

The cerebral cortex is organized into highly specialized sensory areas. Thus, it is fundamental to understand how these areas acquire and maintain their identity and functional organization. Challenging normal brain development and forcing the brain to the limits of plasticity, offers us the possibility to shed light on these issues. Accordingly, we shall use prenatal sensory deprivation as a model to understand the mechanisms underlying early neuroplasticity, events that could influence the natural organization of sensory cortical areas.

Following promising early breakthroughs, progress in the development of high-performance multicomponent organic energy materials has stalled due to a bottleneck in device optimization. FOREMAT will develop a breakthrough technology to overcome this bottleneck by shifting from fabrication-intense to measurement-intense assessment methods, enabling rapid multi-parameter optimization of novel systems.

The advances in paper microfluidics taking place in recent years show that the new generation of paper-based devices will be able to overcome the limitations of traditional lateral flow tests and offer more accurate and specific information. However, the quantification of paper devices signals by colorimetry, electrochemistry or fluorescence entails the use of sensors and electronic components that require energy to function.

Solid catalysts are key components of many industrial processes, offering advantages such as reuse and ease recovery. This research programme aims to develop a new concept and methodology for the synthesis of zeolite catalysts. Zeolites are solid, porous catalysts that have wide ranging industrial applications for gas adsorption, separation and catalysis. While a relatively large number of zeolites have been synthesised, zeolite selection as catalyst for a particular reaction still retains a large element of trial and error.

More than 250 years after establishing the electrical nature of the lightning flash, we still do not understand how a lightning channel advances. Most of these channels progress not continuously but in a series of sudden jumps and, as they jump, they emit bursts of energetic radiation. Despite increasingly accurate observations, there is no accepted explanation for this stepped progression.

The main objective of 4D-PET is to develop an innovative whole-body PET scanner based in a new detector concept that stores 3D position and time of every single gamma interaction with unprecedented resolution. The combination of scanner geometrical design and high timing resolution will enable developing a full sequence of all gamma-ray interactions inside the scanner, including Compton interactions, like in a 3D movie.