08 / 04 / 2026 | News
The Jury of the 2026 Casa Asia Awards has unanimously decided to confer the awards in its four categories on the following nominees, after evaluating all the proposals submitted and in accordance with the provisions set out in the rules:

In the category of Economy and Business, the Casa Asia Award is granted to Claudio Feijóo  for his outstanding contribution to building lasting bridges between the innovation, technology and entrepreneurship ecosystems of Spain and China, as well as for his decisive role in strengthening bilateral relations in the academic and business spheres. An engineer, professor and leading researcher in the socioeconomic impact of emerging technologies, Feijóo has promoted high-value projects in Asia, primarily through his position at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. These include more than forty joint research initiatives, international dual-degree programmes, shared research centres and the only incubation programme for Spanish start-ups in China.

In the category of Education and Science, the Casa Asia Award is granted to Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) in recognition of its key role in fostering scientific cooperation between Spain and Asia, particularly through its strategic alliance with the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Japan. As an internationally renowned institution in supercomputing and advanced research, the BSC has promoted exemplary collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence, the simulation of complex phenomena and modelling applied to major global challenges. Its work strengthens scientific ties between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region and positions Spain prominently in the field of science diplomacy and innovation.

In the category of Politics and Society, the Casa Asia Award is granted to Miriam Coronel-Ferrer in recognition of her exemplary leadership in peacebuilding and her decisive role in negotiating and signing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a historic milestone in the resolution of armed conflicts. The first woman in the world to sign a peace agreement with an armed group as chief negotiator, Coronel-Ferrer has consistently promoted the participation of women in international mediation and peace processes, establishing herself as a global reference in the defence of dialogue, inclusion and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

In the category of Culture, the Casa Asia Award is granted to Saeed Nouri for his contribution to independent and academic cinema, as well as for his documentary and research work, which has significantly contributed to the critical analysis and international projection of Iranian cinema. A director, producer and researcher trained in Iran and France, Nouri has developed a distinguished career focused on the study of transnational Iranian cinema. His works, including Women According to Men and, more recently, Tehran, An Unfinished History—premiered at the 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam and also screened at the 2025 Asian Film Festival Barcelona—reflect a career committed to cultural memory and historical reflection on Iranian cinema.

The jury for these awards was composed of José Pintor Aguilar, Director General of Casa Asia, together with the heads of the following areas: Economy and Business, Amadeo Jensana; Culture, Menene Gras Balaguer; Media Library, Oihana Montilla; Diversity and Interculturality, Gaëlle Patin-Laloy; Politics and Society, Yasmin Paricio; and Communication, Josep Casaus de la Fuente.

The Casa Asia Award was established in 2004. Its main objective is to recognise and promote the work of individuals, organisations and projects that have distinguished themselves in their respective fields or have contributed to fostering dialogue and relations between Spain and the Asia-Pacific region.

Previous recipients include the philosopher and thinker Raimon Panikkar, the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai, the Spanish NGO Development Coordination Platform, the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum, journalists Rosa M. Calaf and Miguel Frau Rovira, the Malaysian NGO Sisters in Islam, the sinologists Xulio Ríos and Dolors Folch, activist Fawzia Koofi (Afghanistan), the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Manga Barcelona–FICOMIC, Kairós Publishing House, the Centre for Asian and African Studies at El Colegio de México, the Spanish Museum of Abstract Art in Cuenca and the Association of Afghan Women in Spain (AMAE).

The Casa Asia Award consists of a sculpture, the symbol of the Casa Asia Awards, created by the artist Joan Esquerdo Ivars, together with an award certificate.

The 2026 Casa Asia Awards ceremony will take place during the last quarter of the year.

AWARDS RESOLUTION CASA ASIA 2026

Learn More about the Award Winners

Jury's Considerations

Claudio Feijóo stands out as a bridge between the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems of Spain and China, as well as for his significant contribution to strengthening bilateral relations in the technological and business sectors. As a leading academic and business figure in the technology sector, Feijóo has demonstrated an exceptional ability to lead high-impact international projects in Asia and Europe. His track record in research and in managing start-up-related initiatives positions him as a renowned expert in this field, capable of understanding and navigating the complexities of both markets.

Biography

Claudio Feijóo is a Telecommunications Engineer with a PhD in the same discipline, as well as a degree in Economics. He is currently a professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM). Between 2014 and 2020, his main responsibility was to establish cooperation agreements and launch joint research and innovation projects with the leading technological universities in Asia, during which time he was based in Shanghai, China. He also created the first—and only—incubation programme for Spanish entrepreneurs in China, XiJi Incubator (winner of the El Mundo University Internationalisation Award, 2020).

He currently coordinates, on behalf of the European Commission, the European expert group on digital technologies in China. He is a member of Spain's expert group on technology transfer and of the investment committee of the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), Spain's leading public deep-tech fund and one of the largest in Europe. He is also a member of the Advisory Board / Ideas Lab of the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA).

Between 2022 and 2025, he held the Jean Monnet Chair in Technological Diplomacy and Digital Sovereignty. From 2020 to 2024, he also served as Director of Entrepreneurship at UPM, leading training, launch and acceleration programmes for technology start-ups and spin-offs. UPM was ranked as Spain's leading university for innovation and entrepreneurship by El Confidencial in 2024, and in 2025 it topped the national ranking for spin-off creation (Mobile World Capital).

His professional experience includes positions at the European Commission (mobile content and applications, universal service) and at the Spanish Ministry of Industry (broadband deployment in rural areas, information society strategy). He has also worked on missions across all five continents for some of the world's leading international institutions.

Among the various international projects in which he has participated, he led AI4Gov, a European project on artificial intelligence for public services (European Digital Skills Award, 2023), and currently co-directs its two successor projects, AI4Gov-X and AI Skills Hub Academy, which extend its impact from artificial intelligence to data spaces, the digital transformation of the public sector, and the development of digital skills in businesses and vocational education and training.

He is also a frequent speaker at international seminars and postgraduate courses, as well as a guest editor of academic journals. He has published more than 300 books, articles and conference papers. In his two most recent books, he analyses, respectively, the role of technological innovation in international geostrategy, with a particular focus on China (China's Great Dream, KnowSquare Prize, 2023), and the past, present and future of society in the same country (The City Before the Sea, Tecnos, 2025).

Jury's Considerations

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) stands out for its significant contribution to scientific cooperation between Spain and Asia, particularly through its strategic collaboration with the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan. The extension of the collaboration agreement between the two institutions strengthens the exchange of researchers and the development of joint projects in supercomputing, artificial intelligence and the simulation of complex phenomena. This framework enables comparative studies and cross-optimisation between leading infrastructures, such as the BSC's MareNostrum and RIKEN's Fugaku supercomputer, driving advances in fields such as personalised medicine, materials science and climate modelling. The alliance is based on the technological and scientific complementarity of both centres, which share a commitment to cutting-edge research. Its combined impact extends beyond academia, generating solutions to global societal challenges and demonstrating the role of science diplomacy as a tool for strengthening international relations in an interconnected world. This collaboration establishes a lasting bridge between the innovation ecosystems of Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, through which the BSC consolidates its position as a key node in the global computational research network.

Brief Description of the Institution

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is Spain's leading supercomputing centre and an internationally renowned scientific institution. Founded in 2005, it combines the management of high-performance infrastructures such as the MareNostrum supercomputer with multidisciplinary research in advanced computing, artificial intelligence and data science. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, its activities are structured around four main areas: Computer Sciences, Life Sciences, Earth Sciences and Computer Applications. The centre is distinguished by its focus on cutting-edge research with social and technological impact, addressing challenges such as climate change, personalised medicine and the development of new materials. Through strategic collaborations with leading institutions in Europe, the Americas and Asia, the BSC not only advances the frontiers of knowledge but also strengthens Spain's position on the global map of advanced science and technology, while training highly qualified specialists in a field that is strategic for digital sovereignty.

Jury's Considerations

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer served on the UN Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers for three years, during which she supported mediation efforts in UN missions in countries including Afghanistan, the Maldives, Iraq and Georgia. Previously, she led the government panel that negotiated and signed the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. She continued in this role, overseeing the implementation of the CAB until the end of President Simeon Benigno Aquino III's term in June 2016.

An active advocate for peace in her country, she co-led the civil society-driven drafting of the National Action Plan (NAP) on UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The Philippine NAP was adopted by the government in March 2010. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer made history as chair of the government panel by becoming, in 2014, the first woman in the world to sign a peace agreement with an armed group as chief negotiator. This was also a significant achievement for women in the Philippines, as three of the government's signatories to the peace agreement were women. This experience inspired her to work to ensure that more women participate in and lead international peace processes.
Among the recent awards she has received are the 2024 Rotary Peace Award, presented in the Philippines; the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award, presented by the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation; and the 2015 Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for Advancing Women in Peace and Security, presented by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. She was included among the five Filipina women on the Forbes Asia 2024 Over 50 list in 50 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

Biography

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer is a founding member of Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators, a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group and a board member of Interpeace, based in Geneva. She also serves on the advisory boards of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders in New York, the Peace Treaty Initiative of the Institute for Integrated Transitions in Barcelona and the Negotiation Strategies Institute at Harvard University. Professor Ferrer has published several books and articles in academic journals on democratisation, civil society, human rights and peace processes in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
She was founding co-chair of the Non-State Actors Working Group of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines between 1999 and 2004. A retired professor of political science at the University of the Philippines (UP), she was director of the Third World Studies Center and coordinator of the UP Programme on Peace, Democratisation and Human Rights. She has also been a visiting professor at several Asian universities.

Jury's Considerations

Saeed Nouri has developed a distinguished career in independent and academic cinema, with productions that have been presented at numerous international festivals and documentary projects on Iranian cinema. He is the author of short films and documentaries that have been screened at more than thirty festivals worldwide, most notably Women According to Men (2019), a collage on the representation of women in Iranian cinema between 1932 and 1979, which was presented at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Nouri has produced numerous works of both fiction and documentary, and his film research—which includes interviews with Iranian filmmakers in exile and workshops in Iran and France—has contributed to the critical analysis of transnational Iranian cinema.

Biography

Saeed Nouri (1974) is an Iranian producer and director. He holds a degree in Film Studies from the Sooreh Institute and a master's degree in Film Directing from the Iran University of Art (Tehran). He continued his studies in France, earning a PhD in Film Studies from the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ). He combines his career as a film researcher with writing articles and participating in the Cannes Film Festival every year. His most recent work, Tehran, An Unfinished History (2025), premiered at the 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The film was also screened at the 2025 Asian Film Festival Barcelona.