Impactful research projects win the 2026 Rómulo Garza Award

Artificial intelligence, bioprinting against cancer, autonomous robotics, and wind energy projects were honored at the 51st edition of the 2026 Rómulo Garza Research and Innovation Award presented by Tec de Monterrey and Xignux.

This award recognizes Tec research professors, as well as high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students who have developed socially impactful scientific solutions with the potential for technology transfer.

The Insignia Award is the most important prize but there are five other awards: Most Cited Articles, Recognition for High-Impact Research Leading to Entrepreneurship, and PrepaTec, Undergraduate, and Graduate Student Research Projects.

David Garza, President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group, said that this award serves as a reminder of how research is not an end in itself, but rather a means of generating wellbeing: “Let us continue to honor the legacy of Don Rómulo Garza by keeping the flame of passion for research and innovation alive,” he said.

“The Rómulo Garza Award serves as an incentive, a platform, and a clear indication of how much we value rigorous, socially impactful research,” said Eugenio Garza Herrera, Chairman of the Board of Xignux and Chairman of the Board of the Rómulo Garza Award, at the start of the ceremony.

Winners of the 2026 Rómulo Garza Research and Innovation Award

In the 51st edition of the awards, six awards were made in four categories that reflect the diversity of the Tec’s scientific ecosystem. This year’s winners are:

INSIGNIA Award

Dr. Raúl Monroy Borja from the State of Mexico campus

Recognition for scientific articles published in high-impact indexed journals

Viridiana Alejandra Tejada Ortigoza, Enrique Cuan Urquizo, Mariana Morales de la Peña, and Rubén Maldonado Rosas (Monterrey campus)

Entrepreneurship Category

Héctor Alán Aguirre Soto, Elnaz Hosseinzadeh, Mario Alejandro Fabián, and Ángel Celis Guzmán (Monterrey campus)

Innovative Graduate Research Projects

Carlos Fernando Ceballos González (Monterrey campus)

Innovative Undergraduate Research Projects

Ximena Herrera Medina (León campus)

Innovative High-School Research Projects

Hans Enrique Velarde Barrón (PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Lagüera)

Award for contributions to artificial intelligence

Dr. Raúl Monroy Borja was honored with the INSIGNIA Award for Research Professors, the highest honor bestowed by the Rómulo Garza Research and Innovation Award, for his career as a researcher at the School of Engineering and Sciences on the State of Mexico campus.

“I’m proud and delighted to be here. This recognition is not mine alone; it belongs to everyone who made the journey with me. We don’t get anywhere unaccompanied,” said the researcher upon receiving the award.

With over thirty years dedicated to the study of artificial intelligence, Monroy has focused his work on the detection of atypical events with applications in cybersecurity, biometrics, and machine learning automation. 

In recent years, he has promoted a change of approach in the development of intelligent systems: “Rather than giving the machine data to solve, we present it with a problem and have it generate a solution.”

He is currently a Level III National Researcher in the National System of Researchers (SNII), has published more than 120 scientific articles, and has led projects with national and international funding, thereby consolidating a career that has had an impact on both academia and industry.

“Awards like this help motivate us to continue building projects with ties to industry and society. Science is a collective, long-term endeavor,” said the award winner.

Conducting studies to optimize 3D printing of nutritious foods

Dr. Viridiana Alejandra Tejada Ortigoza, Dr. Enrique Cuan Urquizo, Dr. Mariana Morales de la Peña, and Rubén Maldonado Rosas were recognized in the category of Scientific Articles Published in High-impact Indexed Journals for their study Evaluation of Rheology and Printability of 3D Printing Nutritious Food with Complex Formulations.

The researchers analyzed one of the main challenges of applying additive manufacturing to food: ensuring that nutritionally complete formulations maintain their shape, stability, and properties after being 3D printed.

Their article evaluates the rheological behavior of complex mixtures including proteins, fibers, and other components to understand how they flow before and after printing, as well as their texture, structure, and nutritional value. The goal is to design personalized foods that can meet the specific needs of different populations.

“In 3D printing, no food is directly printable; we need to analyze how the material behaves and overcome a variety of challenges to achieve stable structures,” explained Maldonado Rosas.

The research was conducted by academics and students at Tec de Monterrey by consolidating a line of work that incorporates engineering, food science, and technological innovation.

Promoting additive manufacturing for medical applications

Dr. Héctor Alán Aguirre Soto, Dr. Elnaz Hosseinzadeh, Dr. Mario Alejandro Fabián, and Ángel Celis Guzmán were honored for developing Maedditiva, a startup that applies additive manufacturing to medicine and dentistry.

Maedditiva develops high-fidelity functional anatomical models that accurately replicate the properties of human organs and tissues. These solutions are used outside the human body for surgical planning, simulation, medical device testing, education, and clinical research.

The project started with academic research and has evolved into the commercialization of medical technology with the incorporation of scientific innovation that directly impacts patient care.

“It’s immensely gratifying to see how research projects, many of which were inspired by student theses, can become real solutions,” said Dr. Aguirre Soto.

The venture illustrates the connection between science, student training, and technology transfer, thereby strengthening the innovation ecosystem.

Developing bioprinted models to evaluate cancer treatments

Dr. Carlos Fernando Ceballos González was honored in the category of Innovative Graduate Research Projects for his work on the project Bioprinting of Spatially Organized Cancer Models Using Chaotic Flows.

The research focuses on the manufacture of highly invasive synthetic cancer models using bioprinting technology developed at Tec de Monterrey’s Álvarez-Trujillo Laboratory.

His work seeks to recreate complex microarchitectures that mimic the aggressive behavior of human tumors to evaluate the effectiveness of anticancer drugs before they are administered to patients.

The organizers commented that the project contributes to the advancement of personalized medicine by generating more accurate experimental platforms for the study of cancer treatments, incorporating biotechnology, engineering, and health sciences in an innovative approach with potential clinical impact.

Developing robotic system for safe navigation in human environments

Ximena Herrera Medina, a León campus graduate, was recognized for her project Optimizing Path Planning and Human Detection Using YOLO and an RRT Algorithm in Autonomous Robots in the category of Innovative Undergraduate Research Projects.

Her research proposes a solution to improve safe interaction between humans and robots in shared spaces by integrating the YOLOv8 computer vision model for real-time people detection and the RRT (Rapidly-exploring Random Tree) algorithm for dynamic trajectory planning.

“Human beings are exposed to many situations where they have to do dangerous things, which is what robotics is for: to give humans a better everyday life,” explained the award winner.

With applications in sectors such as healthcare, logistics, and industry, the system enables the robot to identify obstacles and modify its route autonomously and efficiently. Moreover, it implements a modular architecture with two smart cards (one dedicated to artificial vision and the other to guidance), which allows it to easily adapt to different environments.

“It’s a great achievement that we can see these applications in Mexico; it’s important and necessary,” added Herrera Medina.

Proposing magnetic gears to improve wind energy

Hans Enrique Velarde Barrón, a student at PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Lagüera, took the prize in the category of Innovative High-School Research Projects.

Velarde focused his research on comparing magnetic and mechanical gear systems to optimize efficiency and durability in air turbines.

His project, entitled Magnetic and Mechanical Gear Systems: Efficiency and Durability for a Wind Energy Conversion System, analyzes how magnetic gears could become a viable alternative to traditional systems used in wind energy generation.

Using CAD designs and 3D printing, the student evaluated the performance of both systems, seeking more sustainable solutions to current energy challenges.

“Concerns over pollution are currently pushing us to seek out renewable sources. My project’s goal is to help deal with this by using air turbines,” explained the award winner.

The young man emphasized that starting to do research at high school represents an opportunity to transform ideas into real solutions. No matter how far along we are on our journey, if we have an idea, we should not limit ourselves. We should get on with the research,” he said.

An award honoring Rómulo Garza’s legacy

The Rómulo Garza Research and Innovation Award was created in memory of businessman Rómulo Garza, a promoter of scientific research in Mexico, for the purpose of recognizing those, albeit from different disciplines, who seek solutions to the great challenges facing humanity.

“At the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group, we’re committed to applied education because this is the way to impact society. Research is a long-term commitment, and this award is an example of that. It represents many years of work by our researchers,” said Javier Guzmán, Vice President of Research.

“What we see today is not a coincidence, but the result of a strategy that, with the help of our partners, drives transformation through technology and applied education,” he added.

“The whole point of our collaboration with academia is to bridge social gaps by providing solutions through research, ideas, analysis, and proposals. We celebrate those who bring value to society,” said Ana Lilia Fernández Veloquio, Director of Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility.

With this award, which goes back over fifty years, Tecnológico de Monterrey, in conjunction with Xignux, recognizes the work of teachers, researchers, and high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students from Mexico who are driving innovative solutions to global challenges.

In this 51st edition, which took place during the TecScience Summit, projects and professional achievements in different categories were recognized. 

The winners received the Rómulo Garza award in the form of a sculpture and a cash prize assigned to each category in recognition of the impact and quality of their work.

This annual award has been given by Tecnológico de Monterrey and Xignux, a company of which Rómulo Garza was a director and founder, since 1974 and has become established as one of the most prestigious awards for research conducted at the Tec.

The ceremony was held in front of an audience and was also broadcast online. A recording of the event can be watched or rewatched at live.tec.mx.

YOU’LL ALSO WANT TO READ: