Mathematical technology helps reduce time to market for new medicines, in the diagnosis of diseases, energy management, even the study of the spread of epidemics and natural disasters.
Santiago de Compostela, April 28, 2021.- The Spanish Mathematics-Industry Network (math-in®), whose president is Peregrina Quintela, professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Santiago, has just established the Spanish Platform for Modeling Technologies , Simulation and Optimization in a Digital Environment (PET MSO-ED). This new platform has been financed in the call for grants for Technological and Innovation Platforms, within the State Program for Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of Society, within the framework of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2017-2020 of the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The main objective of PET MSO-ED is to promote and strengthen collaboration in R&D&i between the public and business sectors, taking advantage of the potential of mathematics to address the challenges posed in the industrial world and in society. The aim is to provide the Spanish industrial, academic and business research and innovation community with a comprehensive and well-coordinated infrastructure for all needs related to the adoption and development of Mathematical Modeling, Simulation and Optimization Technologies, applying the resources of Science Data in a Digital Environment. “Achieving this objective is essential to support an efficient, safe, sustainable and competitive industrial fabric, especially in the field of SMEs” -indicates Quintela-.
The platform seeks to increase the use of mathematical technologies in industry, in order to move towards a Connected Industry 4.0 and towards a Digital Industry 5.0. It addresses in particular three great challenges of society within the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2017-2020. For each of these challenges, mathematical technology, in general, provides tools with great potential and that can play a relevant role in solving industrial challenges.
Mathematics, fundamental in the field of health
In the field of health, demographic change and well-being, the modeling of the interaction between drugs and cell receptors allows for the virtual selection of thousands of drug candidates; As a result, pharmaceutical companies can reduce the number of costly enzyme assays and time to market for new drugs.
MSO-ED tools also play an essential role in the efficient and accurate diagnosis of cancer or viral diseases, as well as in the development of personalized radiotherapy or medical technologies such as artificial therapy or modeling of hips or knees. Mathematical models also help in decision making in diagnostic imaging.
In addition, the spread of epidemics (such as the current Coronavirus disease) can be studied using mathematical models to help make more efficient health and economic decisions based on predictive models of their evolution.
How to achieve safe, efficient and clean energy
In the challenge of achieving safe, efficient and clean energy, these mathematical tools make it possible to study important aspects such as response to demand, energy transmission or distributed generation. They also enable the management of smart networks that integrate sustainable energy sources such as wind, photovoltaic or hydroelectric power with fossil fuels. They are also essential for improving the efficiency of power plants, wind turbines, batteries and solar collection.
The contribution of Mathematics to mitigate climate change
With regard to climate change and the use of natural resources and raw materials, it should be noted that weather forecasting is based on mathematical models capable of predicting devastating natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods or forest fires. The consequences of natural phenomena such as tsunamis, snow and rock avalanches or cold snaps can often be mitigated using MSO-ED tools. In addition, the evolution of climate change and global warming is currently carried out on the basis of mathematical simulations, which helps to assess the magnitude of what is already the first global challenge.
Energy management can be facilitated by intelligent decision systems based on mathematical algorithms. The same can be done for urban waste collection operations. Building management is another field of application of these tools, since a suitable algorithm can calculate the air quality requirements and the thermal conditions of every room in a building, minimizing energy use and its consequent environmental impact. They also highlight simulation tools to help prototype new, less polluting cars.
Entities attached to the platform
Currently, 23 entities are adhered to the platform, both academic and from the business sector. This is the case of the Universities of A Coruña, Almería, Málaga, the Basque Country, the Polytechnic of Cartagena, the Polytechnic of Madrid and Vigo; AnySolution, BBVA AI Factory, Grupo Gestán -environmental solutions-, IAuditoria, Petronor, Reganosa, Repsol, TSK Electronics and Electricity; International Cluster of Information and Communication Technologies applied to Tourism, Galician Supercomputing Center. The platform is completed by the Spanish Mathematics-Industry Network, the Technological Institute of Industrial Mathematics (made up of the three Galician universities), the Society of Statistics and Operations Research, the Spanish Society of Applied Mathematics, the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics and the Center for Mathematical Research.
PET MSO-ED is also supported by the Mathematics-Industry Thematic Network (RTmath-in, RED2018-102514-T), funded by MCIU-AEI.
