Australia-Spain research community gathers for the launch of the AuSpire postdoctoral network

Australia-Spain research community gathers for the launch of the AuSpire postdoctoral network

The Australia-Spain Network for Innovation and Research Excellence (AuSpire) unites international researchers conducting projects grounded in the concept of planetary wellbeing.

RMIT Europe and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center have co-hosted the first annual in person event of AuSpire, a €7.2 million (AU$11.9 million) postdoctoral training program co-funded by the European Union. 

Held in Barcelona, the event assembled around 60 members of the AuSpire community, including recently recruited Postdoctoral Fellows and their supervisors, representing academic and industry partners in Australia and Spain.

The Spain-Australia Council Foundation Vice-Presidency was present on the first day as a sign of the Foundation’s support for the program and its focus on Australian institutions and research centres.

In his opening remarks, Australian Embassy in Madrid Deputy Head of Mission Peter Kakogiannis said that AuSpire represents a strong commitment to Australia-Spain research. 

“AuSpire will create long-lasting links and lay the groundwork for enduring collaboration between our two countries,” said Kakogiannis. 

RMIT Europe Chief Executive Officer Dr Marta Fernandez welcomed members of AuSpire’s growing international community and reflected on the program’s progress since its launch. 

“We have appointed postdoctoral researchers from a range of research areas including decarbonisation, water and environmental systems, advanced materials, and AI-enabled health and infrastructure,” said Fernandez.

“This reflects an Australia–Spain collaboration already delivering on its promise to turn international partnership into real progress.” 

Barcelona Supercomputing Center Head of Machine Learning for Biomedical Research Unit of the Life Sciences Department Dr Davide Cirillo highlighted AuSpire’s interdisciplinarity and ambition.

“Bringing together a diverse group of researchers to work towards a shared vision of planetary wellbeing is no small feat,” said Cirillo. 

AuSpire panel discussion From left: Dr Marta Fernandez, Professor Luis Salvador Carulla, Dr Susana Saiz, Dr Pedro Villanueva Rey. Credit: Dan Costa.

To further explore this vision, RMIT Europe’s Dr Marta Fernandez moderated two panel discussions with AuSpire partners representing both academia and industry. 

Dr Luis Salvador Carulla, Professor of Mental Health and Deputy Director of the Health Research Institute at the University of Canberra, Dr Susana Saiz, Regional Leader for Climate and Sustainability Services at Arup and Dr Pedro Villanueva Rey, Head of Territorial and Social Sustainability at Cetaqua–Water Technology Centre shared their perspectives in the first panel, Planetary Health - From Insight to Impact.

They explored what planetary wellbeing means for their organisations and how it affects decision making, noting barriers such as regulatory lag and aversion to risk, and opportunities, highlighting examples of how planetary wellbeing is being embedded into current projects. 

Dr Daniel Casellas Padró, Scientific Director at Fundació Eurecat, Juan Carlos Latasa López, Technology Director, Head of Middle East Business Oil & Gas at IDOM, Iago González, Open Innovation Manager at Monodon by Navantia and Dr Carlos Alberto Prieto Velasco, Manager of the Energy Transition Technologies Department at Moeve participated in the second panel, Planetary Health - A Shared Challenge, A Collective Response. 

They reflected on why collaboration is essential for planetary wellbeing and energy transition initiatives, how to translate research from the lab to industrial-scale deployment, potential barriers to cooperation – from economic and technical to cultural and governance – and ways to align planetary wellbeing with business growth. 

19 May 2026

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AuSpire postdocs AuSpire Postdoctoral Fellows and AuSpire coordination team from RMIT Europe visiting an urban agriculture project in Barcelona.

Professor Chris Speed, Director of the Regenerative Futures Institute (RFI) and Professor of Design for Regenerative Futures at RMIT, was also in Barcelona to present to the AuSpire community.

He underlined the University’s commitment to collaboration across disciplines, industry and communities, tackling big problems, and embedding Indigenous knowledge systems as central to regeneration.

The AuSpire annual event incorporated a range of networking opportunities, training sessions and site visits for the Postdoctoral Fellows, with a focus on aligning planetary wellbeing to their research projects. 

To complete the AuSpire cohort, a final recruitment campaign for postdoctoral applicants to join the network will open in mid-2026. Follow AuSpire on LinkedIn for updates.  

Implementing partners: RMIT Europe (coordinator); Girona Biomedical Research Institute Dr Josep Trueta (IDIBGI); University of Salamanca (USAL); Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP); Cetaqua–Water Technology Centre; Moeve; Barcelona Supercomputing Center; Dovetail Electric Aviation; Fundacion Universidad Loyola Andalucia; Monodon by Navantia; IDOM Consulting, Engineering, Architecture; Fundació Eurecat; Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2). 

Associated partners: RMIT University; Aigües de Barcelona; Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research-Spanish National Research Council (IDAEA-CSIC); The Australian National University (ANU); AstraZeneca Spain; Aurecon, University of Canberra; Acciona Construction S.A.

Collaborating entities: Arup; Imperial College London. 

Program contact: auspire@rmit.edu.au     

 

Story: Hannah Tribe

Co-funded by the European Union
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19 May 2026

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