What do we do?

At ICN2 we are convinced that nanoscience and nanotechnology will have an even more outstanding impact in the coming years. We want to be influential and participate in leading this impact, by producing excellent science, proposing innovative solutions to global challenges based on scientific knowledge, and engaging with society in a dialogue about the benefits and potential risks of the new technological advances. We wish to be able to provide collaboration and expert advice to public and private institutions, and to be an actor that facilitates the adoption of the newly generated knowledge by the industry, the health sector, and the society at large.

We also aim to achieve it with high standards of equality and diversity, attention to detail in every step of the research career and to provide the best possible work environment to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the members of the ICN2 community. As you will find out in this report, all this is possible thanks to the expertise of the research and administration structures which combine their efforts within ICN2.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology take an extremely close look at the world around us. Understanding and learning to control the sometimes-unexpected behaviour of matter at this tiny scale has implications for all other sciences. ICN2 brings together chemists, physicists, biologists, materials scientists and engineers to discover and explore uncharted corners of the nanoworld, and work out how to turn the gained knowledge into life- and world- improving applications. Our researchers tackle this challenge from every side, with teams working on everything from the discovery, simulation, visualisation and experimental exploration of the properties and behaviours of materials at the nanoscale, to the design and fabrication of devices that take advantage of their unique characteristics.

Research is at the core of our reason to be, and thus it is explored with plenty of detail in other sections of this document. In this introduction we would like to focus on other aspects of our everyday activity that allow us to reach the desired levels of excellence.

Culture of entrepreneurship

The institute is fully committed to making real contributions to industry and society. This commitment is reflected in the institutional organisation, with a dedicated Business and Innovation Office, as well as in the training offered to the ICN2 researchers and in the entrepreneurial spirit of the research community. For this reason, ICN2 leads the way of technology transfer with a vigorous innovation program, with five products already in the market and 13 spin-off companies created since 2012, 9 of which are still active. ICN2 spinoff companies employed 75 people in 2021 and raised a cumulative 28 million euro since inception.

The ICN2 Business and Innovation Office creates opportunities and supports the ICN2 researchers in their contacts with industrial partnerships, knowledge protection and transference processes. Together with the Human Resources Department, its culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is spread all over the institution through a training plan that aims to prepare our researchers for the more diverse and imaginative public-private research collaborations of the future.

Equal opportunities

ICN2 declares its commitment to the establishment and development of policies that integrate equal treatment and opportunities, as well as the management of diversity in all areas, without directly or indirectly discriminating the difference, whether due to gender, religion, culture or other potentially discriminatory conditions. The institute is also committed to the promotion of measures to achieve real equality within our organization, establishing equal opportunities as a strategic principle of our Corporate and Human Resources policies.

In each one of the Human Resources policies and practices, such as selection, training, promotion, compensation, balancing of personal, family and work life, occupational risks and occupational health, we assume the principle of equal opportunities between women and men, as well as people of different cultures, nationalities, religions or other differential traits. Likewise, in relation to harassment, sexual harassment and harassment based on sex or gender, we are strongly committed to promote the working conditions necessary to avoid such situations, establish procedures for their prevention and respond to complaints or claims.

The principles set forth are implemented through the Equality of Opportunities and Diversity Management Plan, which guarantees and materializes our organization's commitment to equal opportunities and prevents any type of discrimination. The ICN2 Equal Opportunities Committee supports and follows up the actions defined in the plan.

Fostering talent

The ICN2 prides itself on being able to attract talented scientists, technicians and support personnel from around the world. Once at the institute, researchers can opt into the many training and professional development programmes available.

Its scientists are active participants in the regional, national, and international research scenes. Many of those who complete their PhD or postdoctoral research at the ICN2 move on to pursue their passion at centres the likes of Harvard University, Yale University, the Max Planck institutes, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). This in turn means that the ICN2 can keep on offering new positions to future nanoscientists.

Over the course of 2021 it had an average workforce of 306,64 members.