Six top Catalan research centres constitute ‘The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology’ to pursue a joint scientific endeavour.

• CRG, ICIQ, ICN2,ICFO, IFAE and IRB Barcelona come together in this new institution.

• The Barcelona Institute emerges as one of the leading scientific institutes in Europe, ranking fourth in the number of ERC grants awarded per volume of researchers.

• Its Board of Trustees is formed by non-profits and renowned international scientists including Profs. Rolf Tarrach (Chair), Joan Massagué, and Ignacio Cirac, among others.

• The Barcelona Institute will promote joint research strategies, transfer of technology, and graduate programs.

Six of the top research centres in Catalonia have taken a step forward in their collaboration by setting up The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology. The centres involved are: the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG); the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ); the Catalan Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2); the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO); the High Energy Physics Institute (IFAE); and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). The Barcelona Institute is a scientific initiative that seeks to foster interdisciplinary research, to leverage its scientific impact, and to position itself among the leading European institutions.

“It is time for the Catalan research system to progress by consolidating collaboration between these centres, jointly operating in a new institution that will allow them to launch more transversal scientific projects and to achieve greater international competitiveness,” in the words of Prof. Rolf Tarrach, chair of the Barcelona Institute, who also chairs the European University Association (EUA).

Profs. Joan Massagué (Sloan Kettering Institute), Ignacio Cirac (Max Planck Institute), Miquel Salmeron (UC Berkeley) and Sergi Verdú (Princeton University) will serve on the Board of Trustees of The Barcelona Institute together with five large foundations : “la Caixa” Foundation, one of the top world foundations; the Banc Sabadell Foundation; the Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation; the Cellex Private Foundation; and Femcat Businessman Foundation. Likewise, the Government of Catalonia also belongs to the Board of Trustees, represented by Minister Prof. Andreu Mas-Colell.

The Barcelona Institute will start its activity in September prompting three major lines of work:

– The development of combined research from diverse disciplines and shared infrastructures,

– The development of a joint technology and knowledge transfer strategy,

– The launching of joint international multidisciplinary graduate programs.

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