Knowledge-generating Bodies Directory

El Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya (IREC) es una institución pública creada en 2009 por la Generalitat de Catalunya, la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), la Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) y el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Su misión es contribuir al desarrollo sostenible mediante la investigación y la innovación en el ámbito de la energía, promoviendo soluciones tecnológicas avanzadas para la transición energética. IREC se organiza en dos áreas de investigación aplicadas: Advanced Materials and Systems for Energy y Energy Efficiency in Systems, Buildings and Communities, abarcando disciplinas como almacenamiento de energía, energías renovables, eficiencia energética y gestión inteligente de la energía. La institución participa activamente en proyectos europeos y mantiene colaboraciones con empresas y universidades, fomentando la transferencia de conocimiento y la creación de spin-offs. IREC forma parte de la red de centros de investigación de la Generalitat de Catalunya (CERCA) y está comprometido con la formación de talento y la divulgación científica en el ámbito energético.

El Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau) es una fundación científica privada creada el 4 de junio de 1992, vinculada al Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau y a la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Su misión es promover la investigación básica, clínica, epidemiológica y de servicios sanitarios en el ámbito de las ciencias de la salud y la biomedicina, con el objetivo de contribuir a la mejora de la salud de la población. El instituto se organiza en diversas áreas de investigación, incluyendo enfermedades cardiovasculares, neurológicas, oncológicas y medicina traslacional. Además, participa activamente en proyectos de investigación nacionales e internacionales y ofrece formación en el ámbito de las ciencias de la salud. El IIB Sant Pau es reconocido como centro de investigación por la Generalitat de Catalunya y forma parte de la red CERCA de centros de investigación de Cataluña.

The IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute is a non-profit biomedical research center founded in 1995 by Dr Bonaventura Clotet supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation and the Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia located at the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital in Badalona its mission is to advance knowledge prevention and treatment of HIV infection and related diseases aiming to ultimately eradicate the AIDS pandemic IrsiCaixa is recognized as one of the leading infectious disease research centers globally and participates in international initiatives including the WHO HIV ResNet the NIH advisory group on resistance the EuroSIDA project the European AIDS Vaccine Initiative EAVI2020 and the International Expert Working Group on HIV Cure together with the Hospital Clínic and Hospital Provincial de Barcelona it leads the HIVACAT project developing therapeutic HIV vaccines and has achieved cases where individuals control the virus without antiretroviral treatment demonstrating immune system re-education.

The Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) is a non-profit biomedical research center created in 2015 through a collaboration between Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Hospital the University of Barcelona the Polytechnic University of Catalonia the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Foundation its mission is to generate excellent scientific and technological knowledge in pediatric health childhood oncology and mental health aiming to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents in 2022 IRSJD was recognized as a CERCA center by the Generalitat of Catalonia and reaccredited in 2025 with an excellent rating the institute manages over 500 active projects participates in more than 400 clinical trials and observational studies and collaborates closely with the Josep Carreras Foundation on a joint childhood leukemia research program valued at over 10 million euros.

The Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA) is a public research organization of the Generalitat of Catalonia attached to the Department of Agriculture Livestock Fisheries Food and Natural Environment founded by Law 23/1985 and modified by Law 4/2009 its mission is to modernize improve and boost the competitiveness of the agricultural food agroforestry aquaculture and fisheries sectors as well as related industries to provide safe and high-quality food to consumers enhance food security and improve public health and wellbeing IRTA operates 10 own centers and 7 consortium centers across 28 locations in Catalonia with a total of 650 employees including 238 researchers and in the entire cooperative system 1 251 people the scientific structure is organized into five main research areas Agro-food Industries Plant Production Animal Production Environment and Global Change and Agro-food Economics.

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is a non-profit research center established in 2010 through a collaboration between the "la Caixa" Foundation, academic institutions, and government bodies. Its mission is to improve global health and promote health equity through excellence in research and the translation and application of knowledge. ISGlobal's ultimate goal is to help close the gaps in health disparities between and within different regions of the world.The institute operates research programs in areas such as climate and health, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and urban health. It also offers training and education programs to build capacity in global health. ISGlobal is recognized as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, highlighting its leadership in global health research

The Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) is a leading research center in personalized cancer medicine, established in 2006. Located within the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, VHIO adopts a multidisciplinary and translational research model, organized into Preclinical & Translational, Clinical, and Core Technologies programs. Its research focuses on understanding the fundamental biology of human cancers, from cellular and molecular biology and genetics through to therapeutics. VHIO is recognized for its rapid translation of laboratory discoveries into early clinical trials, providing new opportunities for patients. It collaborates with international consortia and projects, contributing to advancements in cancer research.

The Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR) is a public-sector biomedical research institute established in 1994 operating within the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital one of the largest hospitals in Spain VHIR promotes and develops biomedical research innovation and teaching aiming to identify and implement new solutions to society's health problems The institute focuses on clinical and translational research with over 1 800 professionals working to understand diseases and improve treatments In 2022 VHIR managed 1 761 active clinical trials making the Vall d’Hebron Campus an international benchmark in clinical research The institute also emphasizes innovation aiming to transform research into new solutions to promote people's health and well-being and has been recognized for creating the most health-related spin-off companies among hospital research centers in Spain.

The Centre Tecnològic BETA is a research institute at the University of Vic–Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), established in 2014. It specializes in environmental technologies and sustainable rural development. The center's mission is to enhance the competitiveness and quality of life in rural societies through research and innovation. BETA Tech Center addresses key challenges in rural areas by focusing on areas such as environmental technologies, circular bioeconomy, applied ecology, soil and nutrient management, and sustainability optimization. It actively participates in national and international research projects and collaborates with public and private entities to promote sustainable practices and technological advancements in rural settings.

The Centre for Energy Environmental and Technological Research CIEMAT is a public research organisation under the Spanish Ministry of Science It bridges basic research and industrial application working in energy renewable sources fusion fission and fossil fuels environmental impact atmospheric pollution particle physics biomedicine scientific instrumentation computation and more It has ~1 300 staff and centres across Spain including the Solar Platform of Almería and the CEDER renewable energy centre in Soria.

IMDEA* Networks Institute is a research organization on data networks whose multinational team is engaged in cutting-edge fundamental science and technology. As an English-speaking institute located in Madrid, Spain, IMDEA Networks offers a unique opportunity for pioneering scientists to develop their research vision. IMDEA Networks has established itself internationally at the forefront in the development of future network principles and technologies. Our team of highly-reputed researchers is designing and creating today the networks of tomorrow.

The IMDEA Materials Institute, one of the seven Madrid Institutes for Advanced Studies (IMDEA), is a public research centre founded in 2007 by Madrid’s regional government. The goal of the Institute is to do research at the forefront of Material Science and Engineering, attracting talent from all around the globe, and collaborating with companies in an effort to transfer knowledge into valuable technology.

The Institute is organised into seventeen research groups, each of them participating in one or more broad research programmes. Being a medium size centre, researchers are encouraged to collaborate with other top research groups, leading to an open, collaborative environment, also drawing international scholars.

As a result of its growth, over 140 people do research at the Institute, including 17 group leaders, more than 40 post-doctoral scientists and 70 pre-doctoral students. The state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities enable the groups to do research at the forefront of Material Science and Engineering, currently publishing above 150 JCR journal articles per year.

Our continued effort to collaborate with companies has led us to sign more than 120 industrial projects. In them, we work with companies all over the world, helping to address their more complex technical challenges, transforming our know-how into better products, and tackling some of the most pressing problems in Material Science and Engineering.

In parallel, personnel that has left the Institute are now working in companies and universities inside and outside Spain, helping to improve society through a better understanding and usage of materials.

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IMDEA Nanociencia is a private non profit Foundation created by initiative of the Comunidad de Madrid Goverment in November 2006, in order to shorten the distance between the research and society in the Madrid region and provide new capacity for research, technological development and innovation in the field of Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Molecular Design.

In 2007 the former Ministry of Education and Science of the Government of Spain decided to also fund part of the creation and equipment of an institute of Nanoscience in the Madrid autonomous region.

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, which has representatives of the national and regional administration, the Academic Institutions (Complutense, Autónoma and Politécnica Universities, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas), industries, members of the Scientific Advisory Council, and experts in societal implications of nanoscience and technology transfer.

The Foundation governs the IMDEA Nanociencia Institute, a new interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to the exploration of basic nanoscience and the development of applications of nanotechnology in connection with innovative industries. The IMDEA Nanociencia Institute is part of one of the strategic lines of the Campus of International Excellence (CEI) UAM+CSIC.

The overall aim of IMDEA Food is to undertake world class research into food, nutrition and health, and to identify nutritional strategies of economic and social value. Its founding mandate is to translate health and nutrition research into benefits for the economy of the Madrid Region and wider Spain, and into the wellbeing of the country's inhabitants.

Given the high rate of morbidity associated with chronic diseases - the onset and progress of which may be nutrition-associated - and faced with a food industry in Spain that shows strong international competition, Spanish society needs food R&D results.

Nutrition can be an effective tool in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease as different nutrients and food products have been shown to play vital roles in the body's molecular mechanisms. Knowledge of these processes, and the possibility of controlling them via what we eat, has opened up the field of personalised nutrition.

This seeks to invest dietary strategies aimed at improving health with the greatest effectiveness. This, however, can only be achieved when the genetic profile of individual persons, and the context in which they live (together dictating their physiological status), are taken into account. With this knowledge, precision, individualised nutritional interventions can be prescribed, a concept that in the coming years will form part of our everyday lives.

The Institute's activities are orientated towards studying the molecular mechanisms of the human body, the physiological effects of chronic disease, and how these are related to the nutrients we consume.  Nutritional strategies need to be designed and validated with precision nutrition in mind, and must therefore focus on individuals and their particular characteristics, i.e., their genetic profile and particular physiological status.

IMDEA Food organises its activities around three strategic axes:

• Axis 1. Science: Advancing scientific knowledge in the area of food and health, with a special focus on the prevention of chronic diseases.
• Axis 2. Business: Contributing towards the economic development and competitiveness of the food industry via the design and validation of nutritional strategies and food products of proven effectiveness in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.
• Axis 3. Society: Contributing towards the reduction of healthcare costs and improving the wellbeing of the population through the study of the relationship between diet and health, the execution of communication programmes, and via the dissemination of nutrition advice.

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The importance of software is continuously increasing. It is the enabling technology in many devices and services which are now an essential part of our lives, and thus software failures can imply high social and economic cost. Developing software of an appropriate level of reliability, security, and performance, and doing so in a cost-effective manner poses today very significant research challenges. Because of the ubiquity of software, solutions to these challenges can have a significant and pervasive expected impact on productivity and on the general competitiveness of the economy.

The main focus of the IMDEA Software Institute (the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Software Development Technologies) is to perform the research of excellence required to devise methods that will allow the cost-effective development of software products with sophisticated functionality and high quality, i.e., safe, reliable, and efficient. In order to achieve this goal the Institute is gathering a critical mass of world-wide, top class researchers and providing them with an ideal research environment.

The focus of the Institute includes all phases of the development cycle (analysis, design, implementations, validation and verification), including methods, languages, and mechanisms. Its distinguishing feature is the concentration on approaches that are rigorous and at the same time allow building practical tools.

The IMDEA Software Institute is part of IMDEA, the Madrid Institutes for Advanced Studies, a network of international research centers in the Madrid region for research of excellence in areas of high economic impact.‍