Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government Reaffirm their Commitment to the Construction of the new BIST Building

by Jose M Arcos

This building will be integrated into the research complex of the former ‘Mercat del Peix’. It will serve as the hub for research groups from different BIST centres, including ICN2, IRB, IBEC and CRG.

A meeting was recently held between representatives of BIST (Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology), the Barcelona City Council, including the mayor, Jaume Collboni, and the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Joaquim Nadal. At this gathering, the political entities showed their commitment to the development of the works of the new BIST building, which will be located in the old 'Mercat del Peix' research complex.

For its part, the City Council has guaranteed the viability of the project in view of the upcoming political transition period with the formation of a new government in Catalonia.

The BIST building will be one of the key elements of the strategy known as "Ciutadella del Coneixement" and will be an ambitious project to house research groups from the different centres that are part of the BIST, including ICN2. Specifically, this hub will house more than 900 professionals focused on areas such as frontier science and precision medicine. The project will also include the construction of two other buildings to house the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (IBE, CSIC-UPF) and a new complex for the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF).