>> The center is committed to a research model based on interdisciplinarity and inter-university hubs, facilitating interdisciplinarity and inter-university hub, facilitating collaboration between researchers from different areas to address complex problems, talent retention, knowledge transfer, and the transfer of knowledge.
>> ADEMA President Diego González: “Today we are opening this first phase so that students of our undergraduate, master’s, and specialized training programs can enjoy this new campus next year. We will be providing more facilities as new research and teaching plans in Health Sciences are implemented.”
>> In the last five years, ADEMA has published more than 130 scientific articles in national and international journals, promoted three competitive projects, has 11 predoctoral researchers, four postdoctoral researchers and five senior researchers in its research team, has developed three international patents, and has obtained the Innovative SME distinction from the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
This morning, the ADEMA University School presented its University Research Center for Medical Sciences of Mallorca, located on its new Coll d’en Rabassa campus. This center will strengthen ADEMA’s commitment to innovation, development, and research (R&D&I) in the field of Health Sciences, with a 4,000-square-meter infrastructure designed to enhance knowledge generation, advanced training, and technology transfer, directly impacting the healthcare system and the socioeconomic development of the Balearic Islands.
ADEMA President Diego González emphasized the importance of university research as a fundamental pillar for the advancement of knowledge and the development of innovative solutions in the healthcare sector. “ADEMA has always been clear among its strategic guidelines that research not only allows us to expand the frontiers of knowledge, but also positions us as an academic institution capable of offering answers to society’s current and future challenges. It is our responsibility to train highly qualified professionals in an environment of academic excellence, equipping them with advanced scientific tools and fostering their ability to generate new ideas and clinical applications.”
In this regard, he emphasized that these new facilities defend a research model based on interdisciplinarity and an interuniversity hub, facilitating collaboration between researchers from different areas to address complex problems from different perspectives. Synergies between disciplines such as Dentistry, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Biomedicine, Health Engineering, and Medicine will allow for the development of innovative solutions that transform the healthcare landscape.
According to the president of ADEMA, “Today we are launching the first phase so that students of our degrees in Dentistry, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, the Master’s in Digital Dentistry, and other specialized programs can enjoy these facilities next year. We will be providing more equipment as the new research and teaching plans in Health Sciences, for which this campus was created, are implemented.”
According to ADEMA’s Director of R&D+i, Dr. Arturo López, since 2022, ADEMA has published more than 130 scientific articles in high-impact national and international journals, with more than 40 of them in Q1 and Q2 journals. Currently, ADEMA’s research team includes 11 predoctoral researchers, four postdoctoral researchers, and five senior researchers, covering different technological, epidemiological, and clinical areas, such as cardiometabolic risks, oral health, and nutrition. It also uses artificial intelligence and 3D haptic technologies to develop competitive projects funded by the Balearic Government and the EU. It also collaborates with researchers from international universities.
As proof of all this work, it has developed three international patents and has been awarded the Innovative SME seal by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The launch of this University Research Center in Medical Sciences allows the university to consolidate its laboratories, specialized equipment, and workspaces into a single environment, facilitating research and strategically investing in the development of cutting-edge technologies for medical simulation, with haptic 3D virtual reality equipment, AI, surgical models, and advanced diagnostic systems.
Interuniversity Hub
The Center will also become a magnet for top-level research talent and an international and national interuniversity hub. In the words of ADEMA President Diego González, “Thanks to the combination of cutting-edge facilities and a robust research ecosystem, we are confident in retaining and attracting more scientists, faculty, and graduate students, strengthening our quality and educational excellence and our commitment to research in the Health Sciences.”
One of the key pillars focuses on the transfer of knowledge to society and industry. The research developed at ADEMA will have direct applications in improving medical treatments, developing new healthcare technologies, and creating startups and patents that foster innovation in the sector.
Likewise, the connection with companies and institutions will also allow scientific advances to be transformed into real solutions for the healthcare system. “This integration with the surrounding environment will allow us to promote projects that strengthen the productive and social fabric of the Islands, facilitating the training of highly qualified professionals to meet the growing demand in the healthcare sector and diversifying the economy,” explained Diego González.
Specialized training and high-impact research
In addition, it will offer advanced training for graduate students, allowing them to engage in high-impact research projects and providing them with the necessary tools to develop their careers in both academia and industry. The presence of state-of-the-art laboratories will guarantee excellent practical training.
Connecting with universities and institutions will facilitate participation in research networks, increasing opportunities for collaborative work on multidisciplinary projects.
It will also promote exchange programs for students and researchers, facilitating their mobility and fostering international academic experiences.
According to ADEMA President Diego González, “this project responds to the need for highly qualified professionals in the Balearic Islands and the demands of the healthcare sector. Our commitment to research and innovation will allow us to train future generations in an environment of academic and technological excellence.”
“If we work together and combine efforts from the public and private sectors, generating greater knowledge and competitiveness for our islands, cities, and towns, helping us to better structure ourselves with the least possible territorial impact, and reaching out to the productive sectors, together we can grow and diversify our economy,” González emphasized.
For her part, the Regional Minister of Health, Manuela García, stated that “these centers promote interdisciplinary collaboration and collaboration between universities, not to mention the pull they have on attracting new researchers and, most importantly, retaining them in Mallorca. We just need to offer them good working conditions because this is an island where it is very pleasant to live.”
ADEMA’s research trajectory and projects
Among its research projects are studies for the early detection of oral cancer using Artificial Intelligence, the development of salivary biomarkers, haptic and holographic 3D simulation in surgery and diagnostic techniques, as well as studies on the nutritional impact on public health. In the field of artificial intelligence applied to health, ADEMA investigates the use of AI in radiographic, ultrasound, and photographic images for the early detection of diseases, the development of algorithms for prognostic dental treatments, and the creation of 3D virtual reality software for medical and surgical simulations.
In the field of international research, ADEMA is participating in a Phase III clinical trial for the development of a drug for dental use, alongside university and hospital centers in the United States and the European Union. Dentists, physicians, pharmacists, chemists, engineers, and nurses from several centers on our islands are collaborating.
Also at the international level, ADEMA participates in research projects to design new learning methodologies based on haptic and holographic simulation together with universities in the European Union, publishing the initial results in high-impact journals.
In Nutrition and Public Health, research highlights include the AOX project on the antioxidant diet and its impact on the body, the study on intermittent fasting and physical activity, and the evaluation of the impact of the Mediterranean diet on the prevention of chronic diseases.
ADEMA also leads advances in medical simulation and haptic 3D technologies with the application of haptic and holographic simulators in surgery, diagnostic, exploratory, and anesthesia techniques, the development of devices to improve precision in dental implantology, and the integration of the metaverse into health sciences teaching.
In the field of research in Social Sciences and Education, work is currently being done on analyzing the impact of lifestyles on the health of university students and on studies on the relationship between the use of musical instruments and dental health.
One of the fundamental pillars of this new center is the transfer of knowledge to society and industry. Research at ADEMA has direct applications in medical treatments, new healthcare technologies, and the creation of startups and patents. An example of this is the patents for healthcare accessories developed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, such as custom-fit devices for masks and laminar air flow protective shields. A patent has also been developed for a haptic 3D positioning device for dental implant surgery.
Of note is a recent study on Artificial Intelligence and Dentistry, conducted by a team of researchers from ADEMA-UIB, which was selected by the Harvard School of Dental Medicine for the World Symposium on AI in Dentistry on “Second Opinion on Non-Surgical Root Canal Treatment Prognosis Using Machine Learning Models.”
Both the president of the Research Advisory Council, Dr. Pere Riutord, and the director of R&D&I at the ADEMA University School, Dr. Arturo López, have expressed their satisfaction at having a team committed to research and all the work carried out, in addition to emphasizing that “all this work is carried out under the control and monitoring established by the UNE 166002:2021 standard, which defines the requirements that an R&D&I management system must meet, and under which the center is accredited.”