The Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and Barcelona City Council, signed a general working protocol for the construction of a building that will house two health research institutes.
They are the Barcelona Institute for Biomedical Research (IIBB-CSIC) and the Barcelona Institute for Molecular Biology (IBMB-CSIC), currently located on the Hospital Clínic Barcelona campus and in the Barcelona Science Park, respectively. Both centers carry out active and productive scientific work of excellence in fields such as neuroscience or biology.
Acting Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, highlighted that this action is part of the Ciutadella del Coneixement project, which will strengthen Barcelona as one of the most modern biomedical centers in all of Europe.
Morant stated that it is a project for the future and progress and an ambitious alliance to be useful to citizens and people who suffer, for example, from cancer, Alzheimer’s, or other diseases that need treatment.
In this sense, he noted that the possibility of different research centers sharing the same space generates synergy and strengthens the urban innovation ecosystem that will add the capabilities of the national science and technology system to promote health research.
Moreover, he stressed that the new building, which is scheduled to accommodate more than 300 people and about 40 research groups, will improve the working conditions of CSIC’s research staff. Work is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Likewise, the Acting Minister stated that the Government of Spain in Barcelona supports the city to be a scientific force in Spain and Europe and that its work is based on the fabric and cooperation with other scientific agents in the city.
protocol
The new building is located on the plot of land belonging to the Ministry of Regional Policy on Dr. Trotta Street No. 20, which currently houses a building used for Mobile State Park, the historical archive, and other services for the state delegation.
Under the signed protocol, Barcelona City Council will implement all administrative procedures such as land reclassification, urban planning and building permits to implement the project.
For its part, CSIC will undertake the necessary economic, real estate and urban planning measures to proceed with the construction of the new building.
Ministry of Science and Innovation of Barcelona
The Barcelona Ministry of Science has several ongoing R&D and innovation projects, to which it has allocated 60% more resources than the previous government, representing an unprecedented investment in Barcelona.
Currently, the City of Barcelona focuses on 25% of the Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence that receive core funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation. In the field of innovation, technology companies in Barcelona raised €200 million between 2018 and 2022 for R&D and innovation projects funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI).
Scientific excellence of CSIC in Catalonia
CSIC has a very important presence of research institutes in Catalonia, especially in its capital and urban area, forming a high-level network of scientific excellence that contributes to Barcelona’s status as a scientific center of important national importance.
More than 1,600 people work in 21 CSIC institutes in Catalonia and nearly 800 research projects are developed.
Ciutadella del Coneximento
Ciutadella del Coneixement is a scientific and urban project that will transform Ciutadella Park and its surroundings into a leading node of knowledge, dissemination, research and innovation in Europe.
Work is currently underway on the new research complex in the old Mercat del Peix that provides the UPF campus with 3 new buildings, promoted by the Pompeu Fabra University, with the participation of three strategic partners: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), the Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Barcelona ( UB), with the support of Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia.
The Ciutadella del Coneixement also contemplates the creation of the Central Library of Barcelona, the strengthening of the axis of facilities of high heritage and scientific value formed by the Martorell Museum and the Castle of the Three Dragons (Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona), the greenhouse and the canopy, and the promotion and promotion of the scientific activity of the Zoo.
With this, we want to advance scientific knowledge and research on topics such as precision medicine, biodiversity and evolutionary biology, planetary well-being, molecular biology, diversity and evolution of the natural world, animal welfare and management of native fauna. .
Ciutadella del Coneixement is a project led by Barcelona City Council in collaboration with the Government of Catalonia, the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Universities, the Pompeu Fabra University, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the University of Barcelona, the Superior Council for Scientific Research, the Pascual Maragall Foundation, and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology.
