These awards aim to finance and accredit research centres and units that demonstrate scientific impact and leadership at an international level and that collaborate with their social and business environment. ICFO and IRB Barcelona are the BIST centres that have renewed their accreditation, whereas ICIQ has recovered it.
The State Research Agency (AEI), dependent on the Ministry of Science and Innovation, has provisionally resolved the call for the 'Severo Ochoa' and 'María de Maeztu' Centres and Units of Excellence programme.
Among the 'Severo Ochoa' centres of excellence that have successfully renewed their accreditation are the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), both members of BIST, and also our neighbour, the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB). In addition, another member of BIST, the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), has recovered this distinction.
These awards aim to finance and accredit research centres and units, in any scientific area, that demonstrate scientific impact and leadership at an international level and that actively collaborate with their social and business environment. They distinguish organizational structures that are among the best in the world in their respective scientific areas, awarding each centre 'Severo Ochoa' with one million euros annually for four years, and each unit 'Maria de Maeztu' with 500,000 euros for the same period of time. In this year's call, ten centres of excellence 'Severo Ochoa' and six units of excellence 'Maria de Maeztu' have been selected out of a total of 55 applications. Check the info in the Ministry of Science and Innovation webpage to know the details of this call and all the awardees. Congratulations to all of them!