Center type: Research

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) is one of the world’s leading supercomputing centres, with around 1,400 employees, most of them researchers across four scientific departments: Computer Science, Life Sciences, Earth Sciences and Computational Applications for Science and Engineering.

BSC houses the European supercomputer MareNostrum 5, a state-of-the-art pre-exascale system with a peak performance of 314 petaflops, serving the international scientific community. It also integrates Spain’s first quantum computer — developed entirely with European technology — and is evolving toward a hybrid HPC, quantum and AI computing model.

Since its establishment in 2005, BSC has actively promoted high-performance computing in Spain and Europe as a key asset for scientific and engineering competitiveness. The centre manages the Red Española de Supercomputación (RES – Spanish Supercomputing Network), was a founding and hosting member of PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now a hosting entity for the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking), participating in all major European HPC initiatives together with other leading supercomputing centres.

BSC specializes in High Performance Computing and its mission is two-fold:

• To provide supercomputing infrastructure and services to European scientists;
• To generate advanced knowledge and technologies for transfer to industry and society.

Learn more about BSC at https://www.bsc.es/ (link is external)

The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) is an international biomedical research institute of excellence, created in December 2000. The mission of the CRG is to discover and advance knowledge for the benefit of society, public health and economic prosperity. The CRG believes that the medicine of the future depends on the groundbreaking science of today. This requires an interdisciplinary scientific team focused on understanding the complexity of life from the genome to the cell to a whole organism and its interaction with the environment, offering an integrated view of genetic diseases. CRG is an international institute, with 60% of the researchers being non-nationals.

Excellence and recognition awards

• In 2017 joined the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
• Since 2012 – “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” seal by the Ministry of Research, Development and Innovation of Spain
• In 2013: awarded with the “Human Resources Excellence in Research” seal by the European Commission.
• Awarded 20 European Research Council (ERC) grants

Ranking positioning

• Position 5 worldwide according to Mapping Scientific Excellence ranking 2018 (‘best journal rate’ indicator)

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is a research center which carries out excellent interdisciplinary research at the highest international level which, by conducting research at the frontiers of engineering and life sciences, helps to improve health and quality of life and generate wealth.

IBEC’s research groups investigate in the frontiers of engineering and life sciences and cooperate with industry and clinicians on the development of new systems for diagnosis or treatment. Beneficiaries of the IBEC include universities, research centers, the scientific community, the business sector that drives research in bioengineering, and society in general.

Excellence and recognition awards

• In 2017: joined the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
• In 2015: awarded with the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” seal by the Ministry of Research, Development and Innovation of Spain.
• In 2015: awarded with the “Human Resources Excellence in Research” seal by the European Commission.
• In 2014 and 2015: IBEC’s Communications and Outreach Unit awarded with funding for a year of outreach activities under FECYT’s call “Convocatoria de Ayudas para el fomento de la cultura científica, tecnológica y de la innovación 2014”.
• In 2014: accepted into FECYT’s Red de Unidades de Cultura Científica y de la Innovación (UCC+i), a network of centres accredited for their contribution to scientific culture.

Ranking positioning

The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) was founded in 2005 by the “Generalitat de Catalunya” and the University of Barcelona (UB) and is located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), and is a CERCA centre that forms part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST). The State Research Agency has awarded IRB Barcelona four consecutive Severo Ochoa” Centre of Excellence Accreditations (2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023). 

IRB Barcelona is organised around three major research challenges, namely Cancer Science, Aging and Metabolism, and Mechanisms of Disease, with the aim to decipher why diseases develop and find new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat them.

At IRB Barcelona, 400 outstanding scientists from diverse disciplines and technical support staff come together to develop knowledge that will ultimately allow society to overcome these challenges.

Their research results reach patients through technology transfer, which is accomplished by establishing collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry and the main hospitals. The institute is also committed to knowledge. To this end, they offer excellent training in biomedical sciences to young researchers, students and visitors, and maintain an open dialogue with citizens through a range of scientific communication and outreach activities.  

Learn more about IRB Barcelona at https://www.irbbarcelona.org/en (link is external).

The laboratory of Synthetic Perceptive Emotive Cognitive Systems (SPECS) is part of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), a research center whose purpose is to carry out interdisciplinary research at the highest international quality level which, by creating knowledge, helps to improve health and quality of life and generate wealth.

SPECS mission is to understand mind, brain and behavior through constructing synthetic perceptive, emotive and cognitive systems. SPECS performs interdisciplinary research in the domains of technology, cognitive science and humanities, and has a long-standing tradition in the domains of computational neuroscience, cognitive science and interactive systems. SPECS group is a multidisciplinary group founded in 2005 by the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) research professor Paul Verschure.

Excellence and recognition awards

• In 2017: joined the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
• In 2015: awarded with the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” seal by the Ministry of Research, Development and Innovation of Spain.
• In 2015: awarded with the “Human Resources Excellence in Research” seal by the European Commission.
• In 2014 and 2015: IBEC’s Communications and Outreach Unit awarded with funding for a year of outreach activities under FECYT’s call “Convocatoria de Ayudas para el fomento de la cultura científica, tecnológica y de la innovación 2014”.
• In 2014: accepted into FECYT’s Red de Unidades de Cultura Científica y de la Innovación (UCC+i), a network of centres accredited for their contribution to scientific culture.
• In 2014: awarded with “Consolidated Research Group” by the Government of Catalonia.
• In 2014: awarded with “Excellence in Knowledge Transfer” to Paul Vershure by the UPF Social Committee for the development of the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS).
• In 2014: recognized with a European Research Council (ERC) advanced grant for the “CDAC – The role of consciousness in adaptive behaviour: A combined empirical, computational and robot-based approach” project.
• In 2012: awarded with “Finalist Award” by Pasion (Instituto de Empresa, Madrid) for the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS) research project.
• In 2012: “Social Media and Creativity” award of the Campus Milenio Event.

Ranking positioning

The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) is a public foundation dedicated to chemical research aimed at addressing global challenges such as the climate emergency and human health. Recognised with two Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence accreditations since 2014, the centre hosts 250 researchers distributed across 19 research groups focused on sustainable catalysis, renewable energies, and decarbonisation, as well as molecular medicine. These groups drive frontier research using both computational and experimental tools.

ICIQ scientists have secured a total of 26 projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC), and nine of them are ICREA professors (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies). Located in Tarragona, ICIQ works closely with industry to enhance its competitiveness, fostering the development of innovative applications and the training of qualified professionals. As a CERCA centre and a member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), ICIQ is committed to sustainable and equitable development, open science, and the social impact of research.

Learn more about ICIQ at https://iciq.org/ (link is external).

The Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE) is a consortium of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) created in 1991.
IFAE performs research in high-energy physics, astroparticle physics and cosmology, and develops technologies for the benefit of the whole society.
IFAE’s mission is to address fundamental physics questions by acting as a major partner and a leader in the scientific collaborations at the forefront of our field, while preparing for future technological breakthroughs.

From particles to the Cosmos

Inspired by the vision of performing excellent science looking towards the future, IFAE mission is to conduct research on the hottest topics in Fundamental Physics and, at the same time, to contribute to society by applying the acquired knowledge and insight in strategic sectors.

• 30+ years on the frontier of Fundamental Physics
• 150 people: researchers, engineers and support personnel
• 13 international collaborations in Experimental Physics

Learn more about IFAE at https://www.ifae.es/es/ (link is external).

The Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute – IDIBAPS) is a center for research of excellence that tackles high-prevalence, high-morbidity and high-mortality diseases. Founded in 1996, it is a public consortium whose members are the Catalan Government, the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, the University of Barcelona’s School of Medicine and the CSIC Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona.

It represents over 1,000 research professionals organized into around one hundred research groups. Its combination of basic and clinical research allows for a more effective transfer of the scientific advances obtained in the laboratory towards patients. With close to 1,100 articles published each year and an impact factor of over 6,000 points, it is Spain’s principal biomedical research center.

Excellence and recognition awards

IDIBAPS leads the ranking of ISCIII grants in Catalonia between 2000 – 2012

The Research Observatory of the Institute of Catalan Studies (OR-IEC) published in his blog a report analyzing data from biomedical research projects granted by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) in recent years. The data suggest that Catalonia has a great capacity to raise funds within Spain, and that the IDIBAPS plays a major role in this capacity.

According to the report, between 2000 and 2012, the ISCIII has awarded 9,020 research projects in Spain, 2,890 (32%) of which granted in Catalonia. Major health groups are the leaders of the ranking, with their participation in research institutes and/or foundations. The IDIBAPS – Hospital Clínic tandem was awarded with 671 projects.

Ranking positioning

ICFO is a research center of excellence with research lines that encompass diverse areas in which photonics plays a decisive role. The institute was founded in 2002 by the Government of Catalonia and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). These institutions are members of its Board of Trustees along with the Cellex and Mir-Puig Foundations, philanthropic entities that have played a critical role in its advancement since 2007.

Theoretical and experimental scientists come together at ICFO and are currently organized in 25 research teams working in 80 state-of-the-art research laboratories, with an emphasis on basic and applied themes relevant to medicine and biology, advanced imaging techniques, information technologies and a range of environmental sensors, tunable and ultra-fast lasers, quantum science, photovoltaics and the properties and applications of nano-materials such as graphene, among others.

ICFO proactively fosters entrepreneurial activities and spin-off creation.

Excellence and recognition awards

• ICFO Is a CERCA institute and part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) scientific community

• The institute has been awarded three consecutive accreditations of the Severo Ochoa national program for top research excellence

• “Human Resources Excellence in Research” seal by the European Commission.

• ICFOnians have been awarded 16 elite ICREA Professorships as well as 53 European Research Council grants to date
• To date, ICFO has helped create 13 start-up companies

Learn more about ICFO at https://www.icfo.eu/ (link is external).