At IRTA, we are celebrating. Our researcher Ujué Fresán (Carcastillo, Navarre, 1987) has been recognized as one of the five winners of the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” Research Awards in its 20th edition, for 2025-2026. This is one of the most significant international awards supporting female scientific talent.
The prize, valued at 15,000 euros, is awarded to IRTA to support and continue the research project that Fresán leads at our center, recognizing its excellence and transformative potential. and will allow us to continue advancing a strategic and leading research line in the field of food sustainability.
The project led by Ujué Fresán, called SALTA (SALubridad Total de los Alimentos), represents an innovative approach to integrating the impact of foods on both human health and the environment into a single metric.
At IRTA, we work to generate and transfer knowledge that addresses major global challenges, and Fresán’s research is a clear example. Her work focuses on the need to understand that food, health, and sustainability are part of the same system. In particular, the SALTA project will provide the scientific basis for a clear and easy-to-interpret labeling system, allowing citizens to make more informed consumption decisions and helping governments design coherent public policies toward a fairer and more sustainable food system.
With this approach, we contribute to advancing a healthier food model that is more respectful of the planet.
The jury for this edition of the award, made up of prominent figures from the scientific community, has selected five female researchers from across Spain as winners. Thus, our scientist shares recognition with projects in the fields of neuroscience, biomedical science, and nanotechnology—areas that have traditionally been more visible in this type of competition.
This fact once again highlights the growing importance of research in food sustainability and, in turn, the central role that IRTA plays.
The L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” program supports female researchers at consolidation stages, a particularly critical moment in any scientific career. In this regard, this recognition of Ujué Fresán, who is a Ramón y Cajal researcher, will undoubtedly help strengthen her research line and her standing as an international reference.
Furthermore, this award is also an opportunity to highlight female talent in science and contribute to reducing the gender gap in scientific leadership positions.
From IRTA, we want to reaffirm our commitment to excellence in research, with a real impact on society and aligned with the major global challenges. Recognitions like this encourage us to continue working to generate useful and transformative knowledge.
We would especially like to congratulate our colleague Ujué Fresán on this well-deserved award, which fills us with pride as an institution and reinforces IRTA’s role as a reference center in food and agricultural research.
