Students from Esade, UPC and IED Barcelona join forces with CERN to boost the automotive circular economy and regenerate ecosystems in the Philippines

Multidisciplinary teams of students from Esade, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) and Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Barcelona have developed ground-breaking proposals for shifting the automotive industry towards the circular economy and regenerating woodlands and rural economies in the Philippines. This year’s ventures, created in the framework of the 12th edition of the Challenge-Based Innovation (CBI) program sponsored by IdeaSquare and the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) Department of innovation, will address real-life challenges put forward by SEAT & CUPRA and MAD Travel in conjunction with Ateneo de Manila University.

The solutions include new models of closed-loop plastic recycling in the automotive sector, affordable reconditioning services to extend the useful life of second-hand vehicles, participatory systems for monitoring and managing 4,000 hectares of ancient forests in Zambales, and tech platforms for bolstering circular, resilient agriculture in response to long droughts.

Each year, the CBI gathers students from different disciplines to address global challenges inspired by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in a combination of innovation, design and technology involving communities, companies and CERN experts. “The projects developed in this edition confirm the program’s mission of uniting science, creativity and technology to solve global challenges with a tangible social and environmental impact. This interdisciplinary, transnational collaboration shows that students can create feasible solutions for complex challenges affecting both well-established industries and vulnerable communities,” underlined the coordinators of the CBI program.

Projects that make an impact: from SEAT & CUPRA factories to the Zambales forests

High purity recycled plastics. The Future team proposes a large-scale electrostatic separation system to enhance the purity of materials such as PET and PP after shredding. This technology enables manufacturers to use more recycled plastics in their vehicles and advance towards their circular economy goals in keeping with future EU regulations.

Assisted dismantling and early recovery of plastic components. The Invictos team proposes an application based on 3D models of vehicles to help operators identify plastic parts whilst recording key dismantling times and metrics. This solution facilitates the recovery of components prior to shredding, thereby enabling higher-value materials to be generated, and operating and economic feasibility to be assessed and subsequently applied by SEAT & CUPRA.
    
Accessible tools for ancestral forest restoration. The Zambales community is working to restore its ancestral forest but lacks reliable tools to track its health and respond to growing environmental threats. To support their efforts, Team Tree developed a low-tech Forest Health Tracking System that combines solar-powered cameras with weekly Sentinel satellite imagery. The data is translated into simple, actionable insights through a mobile app and a 3D model. Designed specifically for ease of use, the system will strengthen monitoring, improve threat detection, and support long-term reforestation planning. By making forest information intuitive and accessible, this project empowers the Aeta community to protect and regenerate their land sustainably and independently.

Transparency for the second-hand vehicle market. The 46 Gear team proposes CarSight, a small encrypted device that stores the entire history of the owner’s vehicle. This solution delivers transparency for the used-car market, increases the resale value for drivers thanks to verifiable records, and gives manufacturers real usage and repair data that can help make better decisions about reconditioning and extending a vehicle’s useful life.

Access to long-lasting, affordable mobility. The SEAT & CUPRA Young team has developed a business model focused on mechanically reconditioned vehicles lasting up to ten years, intended for young buyers looking for reliable, affordable alternatives in the €10,000 to €15,000 range.

Ecological regeneration and community resilience in the Philippines (MAD Travel – Ateneo de Manila University)

Water harvesting and soil restoration. The Smarvest team has created the Smart Rain–Biochar Program, a community system combining the construction of lahar reservoirs to capture monsoon rainwater, the regeneration of soil using locally produced biochar, and the use of low-cost sensors to indicate the best irrigation times. A shared data platform connects families, local authorities and young people, thereby bolstering collaboration and providing a self-supporting model for ensuring agricultural resilience and territorial regeneration.

A global lab between Barcelona and CERN

The CBI program, developed by Fusion Point (Esade-UPC-IED) in conjunction with IdeaSquare, part of CERN’s Innovation Department, combines cutting-edge tech with experimental methodologies. In the course of the year, students took part in an initial AI-assisted Design Thinking sprint, an intensive week in Geneva (including the creation of a prototype, the Hex-a-thon, the ethical, collaborative experiment i2Planet) and a final phase of prototype validation and presentation preparation.

Taking part in this edition were 34 students including 14 nationalities: 11 from Esade, 14 from UPC, 9 from IED Barcelona and 3 local collaborators from Ateneo de Manila University, who provided interviews, field data and the cultural context essential for designing solutions that cater for life in the Philippines.