Catalonia now has two new Severo Ochoa centers of excellence: CRG and IFAE
Like last year, Catalonia is once again the autonomous community with the most centers selected, two out of the five. Each of them will receive €4 millions in the coming four years.
By Biocat
The Spanish Secretary of State for R&D&i has announced the five research centers accredited in the second round of the Severo Ochoa program, out of a total of 30 finalists, which will receive €4 millions per year over the coming four years:
- Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona is an international biomedical research institute, with more than 400 researchers, created in December 2000 through an initiative of the Government of Catalonia Department of Universities, Research and Society. Their facilities are located in the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB).
- Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE) of the Autonomous university of Barcelona was created in 1991. This center promotes and carries out both theoretical and experimental research on the frontiers of fundamental physics, mainly in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
- Doñana Biological Station belongs to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), carries out top-notch multidisciplinary research in biodiversity: how it is generated, maintained and deteriorates, in addition to the consequences of this loss and the possibilities to conserve and restore it.
- Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT) of the Autonomous University of Madrid-CSIC, carries out research of excellence in the field of theoretical physics, especially in elemental particle physics, astroparticles and cosmology. They also devote intense effort to transmitting knowledge to society through various programs to raise awareness.
- Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia-CSIC is a benchmark center in the area of catalysis, new materials (particularly zeolites) and photochemistry.
Like last year, Catalonia is the Spanish community with the most centers selected. While in the 2011 edition of the Severo Ochoa program there were four out of eight (as two of the ten spots were left vacant), this year it is two out of five. The CRG and the IFAE, thus, join the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona (IRB Barcelona), the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) and the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics.
The candidacies presented were evaluated by a Scientific Committee made up of 70 leading researchers in their field from 12 countries.
The Severo Ochoa program was created by former Minister of Science and Innovation Cristina Garmendia, and has been maintained by the current government through the Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness.
- Related news (26/7/2012)
- News on centers accredited in 2011 (5/10/2011)