ICIQ joins BIST
Six of the top research centres in Catalonia took a step forward in their collaboration by setting up The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST). The centres involved were: 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, directed by Dr. Montserrat Vendrell, is a scientific initiative that seeks to foster interdisciplinary research, to leverage its scientific impact, and to position itself among the leading European institutions.
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; 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 Prof. Andreu Mas-Colell.
The Barcelona Institute started 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.