The Joint Electron Microscopy Centre at ALBA (JEMCA) is a strategic alliance between several institutions to offer state-of-the-art infrastructures for advanced electron microscopy, providing unique capabilities for life sciences and materials research. Located at the ALBA Synchrotron, it gathers equipment and personnel from the participating institutions into a shared platform. ICN2 contributes several key instruments, including a 300 kV monochromated (S)TEM with double aberration correction.

The In Situ Correlative Facility for Advanced Energy Materials (InCAEM) is a pioneering European research infrastructure designed to accelerate the development of materials for the energy transition. By combining advanced electron microscopy, synchrotron light and cutting-edge data processing, the platform allows researchers and industry experts to study materials in real operating conditions with unparalleled resolution and detail. InCAEM will reinforce Catalonia's and Spain's position as leaders in advanced materials research for sustainable energy technologies. The initiative was created under the coordination of ICN2, ALBA Synchrotron, ICMAB and the Scientific Information Port (IFAE-PIC) and is supported by funding from the Complementary Plans programme and NextGenerationEU. ICN2 is also responsible for the project’s scientific leadership. 

This research infrastructure will be part of the broader scientific and urban complex of the Ciutadella del Coneixement. It will advance precision medicine through interdisciplinary research and shared technological platforms. The facility will bring together research groups from ICN2 alongside other BIST centres in a collaborative environment designed to accelerate biomedical innovation and translate scientific discoveries into healthcare applications. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.

InnoFAB is a flagship semiconductor innovation infrastructure. It will establish a next-generation research and pre-production centre for advanced chips at Parc de l'Alba, strengthening Catalonia's and Spain's position within the European semiconductor ecosystem. Aligned with the European Chips Act and PERTE Chip, the facility will provide state-of-the-art clean-room capabilities for prototyping semiconductors based on advanced materials and accelerate knowledge transfer to industry. It will also foster a unique innovation environment for startups, SMEs and large companies. ICN2 has played a central role in the project's coordination and scientific leadership since its inception.

The Quantum Synergy Laboratory is a shared laboratory facility that provides a platform for synergy among groups and a common space for performing basic research in quantum materials and quantum communication, taking advantage of the combined expertise of ICN2 groups on controlling and converting information carried by electrons, photons, spins and phonons.

Equipment

The QSL is equipped with an attoDRY 2100 system for low-temperature measurements (down to 1.8 K) and with magnetic fields (9T/3T vector magnet). It allows for free-space optical (cryogenic microscope objectives and optical access included) and transport (DC and RF) measurements.

Projects

Present research at QSL combines the expertise in (quantum) transport from Physics and Engineering of Nanodevices group, (quantum) optics from Ultrafast Dynamics in Nanoscale Systems group, and (quantum) theory from Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience group. Project "OptoSpin" funded by MCIN “Plan Complementario de Comunicación Cuántica (PCCC)”.