Severo Ochoa Programme 2014-2018 Workshops

The ICN2 Severo Ochoa workshops bring together ICN2 researchers at all career stages to share progress in the various research lines funded under the “Nanodevices for Social Challenges” programme. They also include guest speakers from industry and the innovation chain. Held annually these workshops embody the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of life at the ICN2.

⬇️⬇️ NEW VIDEO ⬇️⬇️

With the programme coming to an end, we went big for the 2018 workshop, holding the ICN2 Severo Ochoa International Conference at the emblematic Palau de la Música in Barcelona. With speakers from both the local and international research communities, the event aimed to provide a snapshot of developments in all things nano, from biosensing and biomedicine to energy harvesting and storage to advances in information and communication technologies.

For a full review see our article on Severo Ochoa as a springboard to innovation.

This first video presentation sums up the sense of togetherness, mutual interest and support felt throughout these two days of talks.

Round table “From Lab to Fab”

This year the workshop included a round table discussion with the title “From Lab to Fab”. Chaired by ICN2 Business Development Officer, Nadia Pons, it was opened with a talk by Montserrat Vendrell, founder of Alta Life Sciences and former director of both BIST and BIOCAT.

Experiences were also shared by Pablo Cironi, director of knowledge and technology transfer at the Centre de Regulacó Genòmica, Xavier Obradors, director of the Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, and Katerina Zalamova, CEO of Crea·Idea·Lab.

“What comes after my degree?”

The second afternoon was kicked off with talks offering different perspectives on life after a PhD. The first presentation, Xavi Martí, co-owner of IGSresearch, spoke about bridging the gap between research and business.

Next Neus Bastús, senior researcher in the ICN2, spoke about the opportunities she was presented with, fought for and turned down over the course of her career so far.

Finally ICN2 People Development Officer Julio Gómez presented the ICN2 PhD Programme and commitment to transferable skills training with a view to better preparing doctorates for life after their PhD.

Poster sessions

In parallel to the talks, ICN2 Severo Ochoa researchers were encouraged to submit a poster outlining their recent findings and present them during the multiple Coffee&Poster sessions. A panel of ICN2 senior and visiting researchers judged the submissions, selecting three winners. Here we present the videos of the winning posters, as presented by their authors.

Elevator pitches

Day one of the 2017 workshop was brought to a close with an elevator pitch session, where a total of five PhD and postdoc researchers competed for the chance to receive training from investment professionals on how to spark the interest of potential investors. Presenting to a panel made up of guest speakers including Montserrat Vendrell, founder of Alta Life Sciences and former director of both BIST and BIOCAT, the pitches outlined the commercial opportunities of Severo Ochoa research lines in graphene, medical devices, solar cells and nanofabrication.