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Monday, 23 September 2024

ICN2 Celebrates 10 Years of Impact and Scientific Excellence

by Chema Arcos

At an event held in Barcelona's iconic La Pedrera building, ICN2 gathered its members and representatives from partner institutions. It was an excellent opportunity to celebrate the Institute's achievements and reaffirm its commitment to innovation and cutting-edge science.

On September 20, the ICN2 community gathered at La Pedrera in Barcelona to celebrate the institute's 10th anniversary. The event brought together representatives from various research centres, as well as educational, scientific and political institutions. Hosted by Cristina Freeman, it featured a series of talks and a roundtable discussion that showcased the impactful work accomplished over the past decade. ICN2’s contributions have solidified its reputation as a centre of scientific excellence and an international benchmark in nanoscience and nanotechnology, as evidenced by the three consecutive Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence accreditations. Additionally, the Institute has become a leader in innovation and knowledge transfer to society, covering fields such as biomedicine, materials science, quantum technologies, microelectronics, ICT and energy.

The event was opened by the Director of ICN2, CSIC Prof. Pablo Ordejón, who welcomed the participants and emphasised the importance of ICN2's three core values: collaboration, transformation and commitment. These principles have been essential in shaping the Institute into the centre of excellence it is today.

Throughout the morning, various personalities from the research community and political institutions connected to ICN2 gave presentations. These included Andreu Mas-Colell (President of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, BIST), Sylvia Daunert (member of the ICN2 Scientific Advisory Board), Miquel Salmerón (Chair of the ICN2 Scientific Advisory Board), Laia Pellejà (Director of CERCA), Javier Lafuente (Rector of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Carlos Closa (Vice-President of CSIC) and Núria Montserrat (Minister of Universities and Research Department of the Government of Catalunya). They all celebrated the achievements of ICN2 and stressed that it has become one of the leading centres in the Catalan and Spanish scientific landscape.

After the presentations, the event continued with the roundtable discussion "How ICN2 is solving societal challenges through nanoscience", moderated by renowned science communicator Pere Estupinyà. This session was attended by Carolina Aguilar (CEO of INBRAIN Neuroelectronics), Monserrat Vendrell (Co-founder and Partner of ALIATH), Pablo Pomposiello (Head of Business and Innovation at ICN2) and Daniel Maspoch (ICREA Research Professor and ICN2 Group Leader). The discussion focused on the importance of creating and consolidating bridges between the research and business worlds, essential to transforming projects and technologies into solutions that improve people's lives. In this context, ICN2's success in generating patents and spin-off companies, like InBrain or FutureChromes, was underlined.

In summary, this celebration emphasised the importance of nanoscience and nanotechnology for the benefit of society. It also showcased how ICN2 aims to remain a leader in the field, thanks to an exceptional team dedicated to advancing scientific frontiers. At ICN2, we raise a glass to another 10 years of success.