The UPF Barcelona School of Management awards the best master's degree and postgraduate projects of the 2021–2022 academic year

The fourth Student Project Awards recognized the 21 best master's degree and postgraduate projects of the 2022 graduation

The UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM) has awarded the best master's degree and postgraduate projects of the 2021–2022 academic year during the fourth Student Project Awards, the annual event that recognizes the final projects of students in up to seven categories: Research; Knowledge Transfer; Interdisciplinary; Gender and Diversity; Ethics, Social Responsibility and Planetary Well-Being; Culture; and Business Initiative.

The Dean of the UPF-BSM, Llorenç Bagur, celebrated being able to "again meet students who trained with us last year in order to reward their talent now". The final master's degree and postgraduate studies, he said, are projects to which "a lot of time and resources must be dedicated" and, for this, he thanked "the effort made not only by the students, but also by the teachers who guide them".

The ceremony, hosted by the Executive Director for Deanship Projects, Marc Oliveras, and by the Head of Professional Careers, Brigitte Pérez, was also attended by the Director General of UPF-BSM, José M. Martínez-Sierra, who said: "There is nothing more important for us than being here with you today and celebrating your talent."

Talía Bonmatí, a former student of the Executive MBA and winner of the 2021 Best Business Initiative Award for her project Dinbeat Home Devices, addressed the finalists of this year's Awards to talk about her experience and recommended that they "choose a profession that you are passionate about and not work only for money". "Draw up a Plan A and go for it," she said.

Seven categories and 34 award-winning students

The Vice-Dean of Research, Jordi Perramon, was responsible for delivering the awards in the category of Best Research Project, which values those projects that stand out for their contribution to academic improvement in their field of study. As such, the first prize in this area was awarded to Liam Martin Ruane and Andrea Hernández López, former students of the Master of Science in Finance and Banking, for the project An Analysis of Real Estate Appreciation Looking at the Effects of the Neighborhood Characteristics.

In the case of the category of Best Knowledge Transfer Project, the Vice-Dean of the area, Ramon Bastida, presented the awards with the first prize going to Gemma Capdevila, Natàlia Manzana and Pilar Riera, students on the 2021–2022 Master in Professional Mediation, for their project Mediar en la (R)evolución de la ciudad [Mediating in the (R)evolution of the city], which develops a proposal for mediation services to improve coexistence in cities.

Rodrigo Cetina, Associate Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, awarded the first two prizes in the category of Best Interdisciplinary Project – the third was not awarded. The first prize in this category was awarded to former student Gerard Beltri of the Postgraduate Course in Digital Transformation of Organizations, for his work Axet Active Experience Services and Engagement Technology.

The fourth category, Best Gender and Diversity Project, was presented by Luz Parrondo, Director of the Academic Area of Finance, Accounting and Control. Of the two projects awarded, with the third prize not being given, the jury decided that the first would be for Emilio Miguel Valenzuela, a student on the Master in Sports Journalism in the 2021–2022 academic year, for his work Fútbol en el armario [Football in the closet]. 

Alberto Carrio delivered the diplomas corresponding to the category of Best Ethics, Social Responsibility and Planetary Well-Being Project. The joint project Biofactoría. Una visión alternativa de la sostenibilidad económica en la gestión del agua [Biofactory. An alternative vision of economic sustainability in water management], produced by former students of the Master in Financial Management Gonzalo Aguado, Ian Aleksy Kechele, Víctor Calvache and Yuli Fang, was awarded the first prize in the category. The work, moreover, was born as a result of an academic challenge from Agbar.

Meanwhile, Alba Bresolí, student on the 2021–2022 Master in Creative Documentary, won first prize in the category for the Best Culture Project for her work El día que volaron la montaña [The Day the Mountain Blew Up], a documentary that was a candidate for the 37th Goya Awards. Mathilde Brodu, head of the UPF Culture Program, delivered the award and considered it an “extraordinary, patient and detailed” project.  

The last category, Best Business Initiative Project, was sponsored by Vita Student this year. Elena Cabeza, representative of the student residence, presented the awards, together with Susana Domingo, Director of the Academic Area of Business Strategy and Management. The first prize went to Marta Arenas, a former student of the Executive MBA, for her project FOOD4U - Personalized Food Supplements. Arenas was, in fact, not able to attend the ceremony, as she is studying on an innovation scholarship at the Standford Byers Center for Biodesign, in the United States.  

Winners of the Student Project Awards 2021–2022

Best Research Project

1. Liam Martin Ruane and Andrea Hernández López
   Master of Science in Finance and Banking
   "An Analysis of Real Estate Appreciation Looking at the Effects of the Neighborhood Characteristics"
2. Lourdes Maria Arana Samayoa Farnes and Valentina Sierra Mejía
   Master of Science in Finance and Banking
   "What Are The Key Financial Determinants of an American SPAC's Post-Merger Success? A Predictive Model of Post-Merger Success"
3. Dayron Fabian Achury Calderon
   Master in Finance and Banking
   "Métodos para la selección de segmentos homogéneos de series de tiempo"
   [Methods for the selection of homogeneous segments of time series]

Best Knowledge Transfer Project

1. Gemma Capdevila Ponce, Natàlia Manzana Pujol and Pilar Riera Caballero
   Master in Professional Mediation
   "Mediar en la (R)evolución de la ciudad"
   [Mediating in the (R)evolution of the city]
2. Viviana Pamela Riera Estévez, Mariana Milagros Tello Rojas, Joshué Carlos Morales Navarro and Anderson Wilfredo Hidalgo Ruiz (ex aequo)
   Official Master in Accounting and Financial Management
   "Desarrollo en el modelo de gestión de sostenibilidad para SustentAmbient"
   [Development in the sustainability management model for SustentAmbient]
   Sarah Enayathulla Bawasa (ex aequo)
   Master of Science in Marketing
   "Marketing Plan Using Data Analytics of SS"
3. Eva Elisa Dryden Silva
   Master in Scientific, Medical and Environmental Communication
   "Faces of Science - Podcast de divulgación científica"
   [Faces of Science - Scientific dissemination podcast]

Best Interdisciplinary Project

1. Gerard Beltri Pinel
   Postgraduate Course in Digital Transformation of Organizations
   "Axet Active Experience Services and Engagement Technology"
2. Mireia Romero Dorchin, Alexandre Víctor Nicasi Magalhaes and Rubén del Nogal Navarro
   Master in Corporate and Strategic Communication
   "Plan de Employer Branding: Atraer, retener y proyectar"
   [Employer Branding Plan: Attract, retain and project]
3. Not awarded

Best Gender and Diversity Project

1. Emilio Miguel Valenzuela Guerrero
   Master in Sports Journalism
   "Fútbol en el armario"
   [Football in the Closet]
2. Verónica Álvarez Martínez
   Official Master in Public and Social Policies
   "El mercado de óvulos en estudiantes universitarias en Barcelona"
   [The egg market in university students in Barcelona]
3. Not awarded

Best Ethics, Social Responsibility and Planetary Well-Being Project

1. Gonzalo Aguado, Ian Aleksy Kaechele, Víctor Calvache Gallego and Yuli Fang
   Master in Financial and Accounting Management
   "Biofactoría. Una visión alternativa de la sostenibilidad económica en la gestión del agua"
   [Biofactory. An alternative vision of economic sustainability in water management]
2. Daniela Constanza Sugg Herrera
   Master in Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics
   "Análisis de supervivencia: factores que inciden en la duración de la estancia hospitalaria en Chile"
   [Survival analysis: factors that affect the duration of hospital stay in Chile]
3. Andrés Antonio Silva Moya and Isabel Vásques Sobenes
   Official Master in Marketing
   "Factores que determinan la retención de los socios a ONG. Estudio de casos de la población española"
   [Factors that determine the retention of partners to NGOs. Case study of the Spanish population]

Best Culture Project

1. Alba Bresolí Aliberch
   Master in Creative Documentary
   "El día que volaron la montaña"
   [The Day the Mountain Blew Up]
2. María Justa Martín Rigo (ex aequo)
   Master in Scientific, Medical and Environmental Communication
   "Alter Ego - Proyecto museográfico"
   [Alter Ego - Museum Project]
   Xisi Sofía Ye Chen (ex aequo)
   Master in Creative Documentary
   "La nit de la infantesa"
   [Night of Childhood]

Best Business Initiative Project

1. Marta Arenas
   Executive MBA
   "FOOD4U - Personalized Food Suplements"
2. Miriam Acedo Garrido and Luis Antonio Cano Guardia
   Master in Professional Mediation
   "Mediación organizacional: análisis y evaluación de las necesidades para ofrecer un modelo de impacto"
   [Organizational mediation: analysis and evaluation of needs for offering a model with impact]
3. Anna Casals (ex aequo)
   Executive MBA
   "INNAT. Moda sostenible"
   [INNAT. Sustainable fashion]
   Luis Eduardo Echeverri and Paula Sánchez (ex aequo)
   Master of Science in Management
   "Business Plan for Amazonas Eco"