CITEEC funds five internal research projects on wind energy, infrastructure and the marine environment

The Research & Innovation Centre on Civil Engineering and Building (CITEEC) at the University of A Coruña has announced the results of its 2026 Internal Research Projects Funding Call, awarding funding to five interdisciplinary research projects.

The call is aimed at postdoctoral researchers affiliated with the centre and seeks to provide funding opportunities for projects led by researchers who have not previously served as Principal Investigators (PIs) in competitive public research funding programmes. This initiative is funded by the Regional Ministry of Education, Science, Universities and Vocational Training of the Xunta de Galicia and co-funded by the European Union through the Galicia ERDF Operational Programme 2021–2027.

Among the selected projects is WINDVOLT, led by Andrés Fernández San Miguel, from the Numerical Methods in Engineering Research Group (GMNI), and Antonio José Álvarez Naveira, from the Structural Mechanics Research Group (GME). The project focuses on the study of urban wind energy generation by combining in situ measurements of wind conditions and generated power with numerical modelling. Its objective is to identify locations with high potential for renewable energy production in urban environments.

Researchers Blas Cantero Chaparro, from the Construction Research Group (gCONS), and María Estela Castillo Busto, from the Analytical Chemistry Research Group (QANAP), have secured funding for MARBIOREEF, a project that will assess the environmental safety of sustainable materials for 3D-printed artificial reefs by analysing the potential for biomass ash valorisation and the use of nanocellulose under marine exposure conditions.

Funding has also been awarded to WOODSAFE, proposed by Pilar De La Rosa García, from the Architectural Structures Research Group (GEA), and Arturo Norberto Fontán Pérez, from the Structural Mechanics Research Group (GME). The project aims to validate photogrammetric techniques for monitoring vertical displacements in timber pedestrian bridges in order to develop an effective and practical methodology for their inspection and maintenance, ensuring their structural performance.

In the field of port engineering, Andrés Figuero Pérez, from the Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group (GEAMA), and Alberto Alvarellos González, from the Software Engineering Laboratory (ISLA), will develop ChuvIA, a hyperlocal rainfall forecasting system that combines the WRF model operated by MeteoGalicia with deep learning techniques. The system is intended to improve the planning of bulk cargo loading and unloading operations in ports.

Also focusing on the marine environment, the project MmaR, proposed by José Sande González-Cela, from the Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group (GEAMA), and Gemma Rojo López, from the Construction Research Group (gCONS), has been selected for funding. The project addresses coastal erosion through a solution that combines ecosystem protection, ecological restoration and recreational functionality. It is based on the design of a multifunctional artificial reef capable of reducing coastal erosion while generating suitable waves for surfing.

About the funding call

In this first edition of its internal funding programme, CITEEC is providing up to €10,000 per project to support new research initiatives. The call aims to encourage collaboration among the centre’s research groups and laboratories while fostering the professional development of early-career researchers.

Through this initiative, CITEEC reinforces its commitment to promoting research excellence and supporting emerging research talent by encouraging the development of interdisciplinary projects with strong potential for knowledge transfer to industry and for addressing today’s social, environmental and technological challenges.