RSME BBVA Foundation Awards 2025: mathematics as a driver of knowledge
The 11th edition of the RSME BBVA Foundation Awards 2025 was held this week at the Palacio del Marqués de Salamanca in Madrid. The awards, jointly granted by the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society (RSME) and the BBVA Foundation, annually recognize excellence in research and continued contribution to the development of mathematics.
During the ceremony, the Vicent Caselles Awards, the José Luis Rubio de Francia Award and the RSME Medals, were presented, distinguishing different stages of the research career. Both the event and the speeches highlighted the value of basic research as a pillar of scientific and social progress.
Guillem Blanco (UPC), José Luis Rubio de Francia Award 2025
Barcelona-born mathematician Guillem Blanco Fernández, currently a professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), has received the José Luis Rubio de Francia Award award as part of the RSME BBVA Foundation Awards 2025. The recognition, aimed at researchers under 32, is endowed with a start-up grant of 35,000 euros to develop a three-year research project.
A graduate and PhD in Mathematics from the UPC, Blanco works in D-module theory and algebraic singularities. Among his achievements is the resolution of the Yano conjecture, published in Inventiones Mathematicae (2021).
“It is essential to research pure mathematics, as it is impossible to foresee which tools will be key for future technologies”, Blanco explains.
From Brussels, where he was a postdoctoral fellow at KU Leuven, he defends the need for a society educated in mathematical knowledge: “There are more and more mathematicians providing a critical and analytical perspective in projects across all fields.”
Catalan presence at the Vicent Caselles Awards and the jury
In addition to Blanco, other awardees with ties to Catalonia include Raúl Alonso Rodríguez (former student at the UPC) and Clara Torres Latorre (ICMAT, trained at the UB and the UPC).
The jury of the Vicent Caselles Awards included the participation of Professor Joan Elías i García, from the University of Barcelona, representing the Catalan mathematical community.
A gala that vindicates the importance of mathematics
In her speech, the president of the RSME, Victoria Otero, emphasized that mathematics “are at the heart of social welfare, the economy, and new technologies.”.
The director of the BBVA Foundation, Rafael Pardo, highlighted “the intrinsic value of mathematics and its role as a transformative driver of society.”.
Other awards of the 2025 RSME BBVA Foundation Prizes
The 2025 Vicent Caselles Awards recognized Izar Alonso (Rutgers University), Raúl Alonso (UC Dublin), Rubén Medina (UPNA), Juan Muñoz (Stony Brook University), Eduardo Tablate (CEU San Pablo), and Clara Torres (ICMAT).
Registrations for the School of History of Mathematics 2025 are now open 2025 RSME Medals were awarded to Ángel Ferrández (Univ. of Murcia), María del Carmen Batanero (Univ. of Granada), and Gabriel Navarro (Univ. of Valencia).
Source: RSME / BBVA Foundation / Own elaboration SCM.