From October 20 to 26, the International Open Access Week is celebrated, an initiative that promotes the free and universal dissemination of scientific knowledge. As every year, the Publications Service of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) reaffirms its commitment to open science, the transfer of knowledge to society, and the promotion of Catalan as a language of science.

For more than a decade, the Publications Service has demonstrated this commitment by actively participating in various collective spaces that advocate for open science, such as the Public Knowledge Project —where we maintain tool translations and participate in its technology committee—, the European Diamond Capacity Hub, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), the Union of Spanish University Publishers (UNE), as well as in European and international projects such as DIAMAS, CRAFT-OA, and ALMASI, among others.

Recently, its participation in the round table on “Technological infrastructures and funding of the diamond route” stood out, held during the III Meeting of Professionals in Scientific and Academic Publishing, on September 18 and 19, 2025, in San Millán de la Cogolla.

This commitment is also reflected in the resumption of informal meetings of Catalan scientific journals following the diamond model, which provide open-access content with no fees for readers or publishing costs for authors, as these are covered by the institutions. The meeting, promoted by the Publications Service and hosted by the CRAI of the University of Barcelona, took place last April and included the participation of the EAPC, IEC, UAB, UB, UJI, UPC, UPV, and CSUC. Participants agreed on the need to strengthen collaboration and to develop shared strategies to achieve sustainability, quality, and international visibility for their journals.

The lines of action outlined are fully aligned with the strategic focus of the UAB Publications Service, which actively promotes the free dissemination of knowledge through its digital journals service and open-access monograph platform. These initiatives align with the UAB Institutional Open Access Policy, which encourages the use of open licenses, author rights retention, and training in open access.

Through these actions, the Publications Service highlights its commitment to UAB’s Open Science strategy, enhancing the visibility and quality of university research.

Image: International Open Access Week. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.openaccessweek.org/resource

Cecot Comerç ha publicat a la seva pàgina web una entrevista a Gabriel Izard amb motiu de l'aparició del seu darrer llibre, Innovación y liderazgo. El nacimiento del código de barras, editat pel Servei de Publicacions de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

A l'entrevista, l'autor reflexiona sobre innovació i lideratge col·laboratiu i lliga la història del naixement del codi de barres amb l’actualitat, la importància de l'alt impacte de la tecnologia a les empreses i com és possible posar a la pràctica el concepte win-win (tots hi guanyen).

Gabriel Izard va néixer a Sabadell el 1956, és economista i ha estat professor de Màrqueting, Gestió de la Distribució, International Business i Business in Action a la UAB durant més de trenta anys. Ha estat quinze anys membre de l’Associació Espanyola de Codificació Comercial (Aecoc), on va participar en la creació del codi de barres. Actualment és delegat comercial a Espanya de l’empresa Axicon Auto ID, que desenvolupa i produeix equips de verificació de codis de barres arreu del món. A través de la seva experiència professional, l’autor relaciona el naixement del codi de barres i la seva incidència en la digitalització, la innovació i el lideratge empresarial.

Cecot Comerç està integrada per empresaris i empresàries dels diferents gremis i associacions empresarials que conformen la patronal catalana Cecot i representa directament 4.000 empreses del sector del comerç i prop de 120.000 treballadors. Aquesta entitat és una de les fundadores de la Unió d’Entitats de Retail de Catalunya · RETAILcat.

On April 17, Ràdio UNAL, belonging to the National University of Colombia (Bogotà), interviewed Julio Mario Hoyos and Juan Carlos Moreno, Biologist and Philosopher, respectively, and authors of the book Las claves de la investigación Científica, recently published by the Publications Service of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

The interview was included in the program Panorama de la Ciència, produced by the Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, and can be listened to in full at the following link: https://radio.unal.edu.co/detalle/claves-para-entender-la-investigacion-cientifica

The Barcelona Design Museum – Disseny Hub (DHub) is hosting a conference on circular economy to be given by Dr. Joan Rieradevall Pons and Dr. Carles Gasol Martínez, authors of the book Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad, published by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
In the talk, the authors will discuss the main concepts of the circular economy and link them to some of the objects displayed in the permanent exhibition Matter Matters. Designing with the World, which also appear in their latest publication Circular Economy. The Road to Sustainability. The book presents circular economy as one of the key strategies to achieve sustainable development.

The event is part of the autumn activity cycle Shared Matter, organized by the Barcelona Design Museum, and will take place at the Espai Mirador on Wednesday, October 1, at 6:00 p.m. The activity is free and open to the public. To access the DHub, attendees must first register at reception starting at 5:30 p.m. Once the conference is over, the accreditation will allow free entry to visit the Museum’s exhibition.

Joan Rieradevall Pons holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences and is a scientific advisor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB). An expert in sustainability, eco-design and circular economy, he has published more than 170 articles and supervised numerous doctoral theses.

Carles Gasol Martínez holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the UAB and is an associate professor at the Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at the UAB (DEQBA-UAB).

Both authors are also co-founders of the UAB Research Park spin-off companies Inèdit Innova and Tectum Garden. As a result of their ties with the university, last May Circular Economy. The Road to Sustainability was published by the UAB Publications Service, both in print (paid) and electronic (free, open acces) editions.

The authors’ professional and academic experience has led to this publication, which aims to bring readers closer to the concept of circular economy, presenting it as one of the key strategies of the 21st century to foster sustainable development, while questioning whether it will become a reality or remain a short-term aspiration after analyzing political, economic, social, and environmental factors.

Other events

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Thursday, June 5, the authors participated in a dialogue at the Mundana space in Barcelona on policies, indicators, tools, and innovation strategies to reduce the environmental impact of consumption.

On Wednesday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m., the Byron Bookshop in Barcelona hosted the first presentation of the book, which gave special mention to the individuals, professionals, and organizations that contributed to making it a reality.

Doctors Joan Rieradevall Pons and Carles Gasol Martínez will present their book Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad (Circular Economy. The Path Towards Sustainability) on Wednesday, September 17, at 7 p.m., at the Byron Bookshop in Barcelona (C/ de Casanova, 32). The return from the summer holidays will be the opportunity to officially introduce this work, which presents circular economy as one of the decisive strategies to achieve sustainable development.

Joan Rieradevall Pons holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences and is a scientific advisor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB). An expert in sustainability, eco-design, and circular economy, he has published more than 170 articles and supervised numerous doctoral theses.

Carles Gasol Martínez holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the UAB and is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering at the UAB (DEQBA-UAB).

Both authors are also co-founders of the spin-off companies from the UAB Research Park, Inèdit Innova and Tectum Garden. As a result of their close ties with the University, last May Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad was published by the UAB Publications Service, in both paid print and free open-access electronic formats.

The authors’ professional and academic experience gave rise to this publication, which aims to bring readers closer to circular economy, proposing it as one of the decisive strategies of the 21st century to foster sustainable development, while raising the question of whether it will become a reality or remain a short-term aspiration after analyzing political, economic, social, and environmental factors.

On Wednesday, September 17, at 7 p.m., the Byron Bookshop in Barcelona will host the first presentation of the book, which intends to pay special tribute to the individuals, professionals, and organizations that contributed to making it a reality.

In addition to the authors themselves, the event will feature representatives from the UAB and from the fields of environmental policy and circular economy, such as Xavier Gabarrell Durany, professor in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering and Vice-Rector for Campus and Sustainability at the UAB; and Pilar Chiva Rodríguez, a graduate in Chemical Sciences and Director of the Circular Economy Area at the Catalan Waste Agency (ARC).

Other events
Coinciding with World Environment Day, on Thursday, June 5, the authors took part in a dialogue at Espai Mundana in Barcelona on policies, indicators, tools, and innovation strategies that help reduce the environmental impact of consumption.

On October 1, the authors will give a lecture on sustainable design at the Design Museum of Barcelona, within the framework of the exhibition “Matter Matters. Designing with the World.”

The deadline for submitting manuscripts for the 2025 Literary Awards, organised by the Cerdanyola del Vallès Town Council and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), ended on 7 February.

The following is the composition of the jury for the current edition of the awards.

JURY OF THE XXXI PREMI DE NOVEL-LA ‘VALLDAURA-MEMORIAL PERE CALDERS’ OF 2025

Núria Balagué Mola (Barcelona, 1958) has a degree in Hispanic Philology and Italian Philology and a PhD in Documentation from the University of Barcelona. She has been assistant director of the Library Service of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Barcelona.

Joan Mañas López (Gualba, 1970) holds a degree in Literary Theory and Comparative Literature from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and is the owner of the second-hand bookshop El Pergamí Vell. He has participated as a juror in several novel awards and is the author of the novel Arqueologia de l'amor, awarded the Just Casero de Girona Prize in 2006.

Arià Paco Abenoza (Igualada, 1993) holds a degree and master's degree in philosophy from the University of Barcelona. Since 2025, he also holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Arizona, where he has been an assistant professor for five years. He has published three novels: Mentir a les mosques (2020), Covarda, vella, tan salvatge (2022) and Teoria del joc (2025, Anagrama Novel Prize). He collaborates with various cultural media and podcasts.

Miquel Ribas (Barcelona, 1972). He has a degree in Cultural Anthropology and a master's degree in Audiovisual Scriptwriting. Professor of Social Sciences with extensive teaching experience, he has devoted his free time to writing various works of fiction for children, young people and adults. His two latest works are the historical novel Rei de Sicília, príncep de Sardenya and Ilha do Farol.

David Vidal Castell is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communication and Culture at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), journalist and literary critic (ARA newspaper). Director and founder of the Master's Degree in Literary Journalism, Communication and Humanities at the UAB. Doctor in Communication (Alteritat i presència, 2002), the Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya (CAC) awarded him the prize for research in media and culture in 2005 for his essay El malson de Chandos and has received the Lleida Narrative Award (La fulla a punt de caure, 2007) and the Gaudí Award for the script of the film Petitet (2019).

JURY OF THE XXX PREMI DE POESIA ‘MIQUEL MARTÍ I POL’ OF 2025

Josep Gerona Fumàs (Sabadell, 1956) holds a degree in History and is a secondary school teacher in Sabadell. He currently combines his dedication to painting with writing in Catalan and Spanish. He is founder and member since 2001 of the group of poets from Sabadell Papers de Versàlia, a collective that works in different initiatives to promote and disseminate poetic creation. Their publications include: Mnemòsine amnèsica (2006), Quan deixaré de creure (2000), Àlbum de noses (2001), Trompar l'ull (2004), Hospital General (2007) i La vida original (2007).

Josep Domènech Ponsatí (Sant Feliu de Guíxols, 1966) is a poet and translator. As a poet he has published Cap a un dic sec (2004), Desdiments (2006), Apropiacions degudes & cia (2007), El Càcol (2015), Preqüela (2018), El coeficient de flotabilitat (2023) and Rotija (2024). In 2024 he was the joint winner of the XXIX Premi de Poesia ‘Miquel Martí i Pol’, organised by the UAB and the Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès, with his work Eixint de fer. As a translator from Portuguese he has published works by Clarice Lispector, Graciliano Ramos, Lima Barreto, Armando Freitas Filho and Hilda Hilst, among others. He has twice won the ‘Giovanni Pontiero’ Translation Prize, and once the ‘Jordi Domènech’ Poetry Translation Prize.

Josep Antoni Aguilar Àvila (Xàtiva, País Valencià, 1979) is a lecturer in Catalan language and literature at the Universitat Catòlica de València ‘Sant Vicent Màrtir’. His research focuses on medieval Catalan chronicles: he has published a large number of articles and studies on Ramon Muntaner, Bernat Desclot and other historiographical texts from the 13th-14th centuries. His annotated edition of the Chronicle of Muntaner was awarded the ‘Ramon Aramon i Serra’ Prize of the LXXX Cartell de Premis Sant Jordi of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2011) and the Extraordinary Doctorate Prize of the Universitat de València (2012), and has been published in the ‘Biblioteca Filològica’ collection of the IEC (2015). On the literary side, he is the author of three collections of poems: Els rims de guerra d'Ezzelino da Romano (València: Denes, 2022), Quatre mots (Premi ‘Josep Grau i Colell’ 2023) and Ballar amb els espectres (XXIX Premi de Poesia ‘Miquel Martí i Pol’ 2024).

Juan Carlos Otero (Sabadell, 1968) is a secondary school language and literature teacher. He won the Jocs Florals de Cerdanyola del Vallès in 1991, 1992 and 1993. In subsequent years, he participated as a member of the jury for the same prize. His poetry publications include L'hàbil escomesa (Reus, 1991, runner-up for the Gabriel Ferrater Prize), La cort de les mudances (Algemessí, 1993), Dilapidàvem les hores felices (Terrassa, 1995, Calassanç Prize) and El buen veneno (Rubí, 2024). His forays into narrative are Terrores nocturnos y otras fábulas para jóvenes (Cerdanyola, 2005) and Quadern de la selva (Cerdanyola, 2008).

Laura Ortensi (Roses, 1991). Journalist, teacher, philologist, criminologist, young woman, poet and aspiring subsidiary. She has published the book of poems Matar la madre (Hinojo, 2021), which won the 22nd Joan Duch Poetry Prize for young writers. He has also recently participated in the essay Màtria o barbarie (Ángulo, 2024) and has just published La marca del anzuelo (Jefe de brote ediciones, 2024).

JURAT DEL XVII PREMI DE NARRATIVA BREU ‘CATERINA ALBERT’ DE 2025

Carmen Alcolea has a degree in Hispanic Philology (1996), a postgraduate degree in Foreign Language Teaching (1997) and a degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology (2013) from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. For two decades, she has been teaching Secondary Education and Baccalaureate. She is the author of a novel.

Carla Clúa Alcón (Tarragona, 1996) is a journalist with a master's degree in International Relations - European Studies. She has worked in various Catalan written and audiovisual media, although she currently lives in Genoa (Italy), where she works in the environmental communication sector. He has received several literary prizes, among which the following stand out: Premis Literaris de Constantí (2024), Premi Bolleré (2023), Premi Alt Urgell de Joves Autors - Homilies d'Organyà (2023) i Relats de Dones de Tarragona (2023, 2022 i 2021). In 2024 he won the XV Premi de Narrativa Breu per a Joves ‘Caterina Albert’, organised by the UAB and the Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès, with the work Pausa, sucre, Sevilla.

Martí Gironell i Gamero (Besalú, 1971), a Catalan journalist and novelist, holds a degree in Journalism from Pompeu Fabra University and in English Philology from the University of Barcelona. He has worked at Ràdio Besalú, Ràdio Olot, Catalunya Ràdio and TV3. He collaborates in the media such as El Punt Avui, La República and L'Illa dels Llibres. His books include El pont dels jueus (2007), which has been translated into several languages; La venjança del bandoler, which won the Nèstor Luján Historical Novel Prize in 2008, and La força d'un destí, winner of the Ramon Llull Prize in 2018.

Xusa Serra has a degree in Anthropology, a postgraduate degree in Thanatology and a master's degree in Nursing and Health Research. She is a nurse at the Unit of Support for Illness, Grief and End of Life at the General Hospital of Catalonia and is also a therapist at the Grief Group of the Association of Women for Equality of Cerdanyola del Vallès. She teaches the workshop ‘Ara sí que sé a les escoles’ and is the author of the book I, també em moriré?

Anna Pallejà Franquet (Tarragona, 2006). She has never stopped reading all kinds of books. What began as a secret diary has gradually become her great passion: writing. Nowadays, he combines literature, studies, music and family. Her work Tres missatges per oblidar-te, won the XIII Premio de Narrativa Breu per a Joves ‘Caterina Albert’, awarded by the Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in 2022.

Next Friday, April 12, at 7.30 pm, Antonio Loriguillo López will present his book "Anime complejo. La ambigüedad narrativa en la animación japonesa", at the Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication of the Universitat de València (UV).

The book was published in 2021 and is number 43 of the collection on communication and ICT, Aldea Global, co-published by the Universitat de València, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Universitat Jaume I, and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

On the occasion of the recent recognition of the volume with the mention to the "Book where Asian Film, Media and Communication Sciences" in the IBP 2023 Portuguese/Spanish Language Edition granted by the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), the author will give this conference, organized by the Consulate General of Japan in Barcelona, Tradiasia Project, Universitat de València, and with the collaboration of Casa Asia, GREGAL-UAB and InterAsia.

About the book

Recognizable to successive generations of viewers around the world for the charm of its character design and simple animation, "anime" arrives in the second decade of the new millennium as one of the ambassadors of Japanese culture, a consumer good manufactured by one of the most important mass culture production centers on the planet. 

But is it a formulaic art, devoid of narrative sophistication? This book proposes an approach to complex narrative in "anime", a key feature in its construction as a cultural identity through series such as Evangelion or films such as Ghost in the Shell. Is this narrative complexity the reaction of producers to the threat of the interactivity of videogames? Does it obey a strategy that uses narrative experimentation in the multi-screen era to focus on its multiple market niches? Or is it the definitive hybridization of previously opposed narrative modes: classicism versus art and essay? 

Through the historical poetics of narrative modes and the tools of filmic analysis of narratology, Antonio Loriguillo suggests a brief chronology of complex "anime" in which we see that its narrative obscurity is key to its establishment as another type of narration in the global commercial audiovisual.

About the author

Antonio Loriguillo-López is Associate Professor at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) and member of the ITACA research group at the same university, as well as the GREGAL research group (UAB) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He teaches in the degrees in Audiovisual Communication and in Video Game Design and Development, as well as in the Official Master in New Trends and Innovation Processes in Communication at the UJI. His research interests focus on post-classical storytelling in contemporary audiovisual and Japanese commercial animation. In this regard, he is the author of the monographs Perfect Blue (Satoshi Kon, 1997): Guía para ver y analizar (Nau Llibres, 2020) and Anime complejo: la ambigüedad narrativa en la animación japonesa (Aldea Global, 2021).

You will find more information at:

From Tuesday 1 to Thursday 3 October, Feria de Barcelona will host the 42nd edition of the International Book Fair (LIBER), promoted by the Federation of Publishers' Guilds of Spain (FGEE).

LIBER is one of the main trade fairs for the export, exhibition and promotion of publishing in Spanish. The event will bring together publishers of all subject areas who will present their bibliographic collections and novelties, and companies with products and services related to the production, marketing and distribution of books, as well as digital content (ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts), and professional associations.

Some of the latest new publications from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), such as Pensar con el paladar. Una estética gustatoria, by Jèssica Jaques and Gerard Vilar; Las claves de la investigación científica, by Julio Mario Hoyos and Juan Carlos Moreno, or Innovación y liderazgo. El nacimiento del código de barras, by Gabriel Izard, will be on display at the fair. As usual, the UAB Publications Service will be present at LIBER through the stands of the Unión de Editoriales Universitarias Españolas (UNE) and Pujol y Amadó Export.

From Tuesday, October 7 to Thursday, October 9, IFEMA MADRID will host the 42nd edition of the International Book Fair (Liber), promoted by the Federation of Spanish Publishers’ Guilds (FGEE).

Liber is one of the main trade fairs for the export, showcase, and promotion of publishing in Spanish. The event will bring together publishers from all fields, presenting their catalogues and new releases, as well as companies offering products and services related to book production, marketing, and distribution, in addition to digital content (e-books, audiobooks, podcasts), as well as professional associations.

Some of the latest editorial releases from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), such as Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad, de Joan Rieradevall i Carles Gasol; Feminismo no es sexismo. Conversaciones sobre género y desigualdad, de Marc Barbeta-Viñas i María Jesús Izquierdo; o Pensar con el paladar. Una estética gustatoria, by Jèssica Jaques and Gabriel Vilar, will be showcased at the Fair.

As usual, the UAB Publications Service will be present at Liber through the stands of the Union of Spanish University Publishers (UNE) and Pujol y Amadó Export.

Eduard Roure Blàvia, author of the novel ‘El metall i els turons’, will take part in a unique activity that will combine nature and literature, next 21st September in his town, Torregrossa (Lleida). It is a walk around the village that will culminate with the presentation of the book by the writer.

The work, winner of the XXIX Premi de Novel-la ‘Valldaura- Memorial Pere Calders’ in 2023, organised by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès, explores the social conflicts and conflicting interests that exist in a village in the interior of Catalonia. Through a plot rich in intrigue and corruption, the author paints an in-depth portrait of the inhabitants of a tense territory. The walk, which is expected to last about fifty minutes, will start at 5.30 p.m., at Plaça 11 de setembre in Torregrossa, and will end at the Cabana de la partida de Paradell. The activity proposes to visit places that could be scenes from the novel, in a setting that evokes the conflicts described in the work. At the end, there will be a conversation with the author, where participants will have the opportunity to learn more details about the novel and share impressions with him in a privileged natural environment.

Source: https://femllavor.blogspot.com/