Last Friday, 4 November, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation published the provisional resolution of the call for accreditation and public aid for Severo Ochoa centres of excellence and María de Maeztu units of excellence. Four research institutes of the University of Barcelona, out of the nine that have been recognised throughout Spain, have obtained the María de Maeztu award, which will represent 8 million euros and 20 pre-doctoral contracts. They are the Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro), the Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTC), the Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety Research (INSA) and the Barcelona Institute of Analytic Philosophy (BIAP), the latter shared with the Pompeu Fabra University and the University of Girona.
The vice-rector for Research of the University of Barcelona, Jordi García Fernández, has assessed it positively: "Four of the nine María de Maeztu units of excellence that have been awarded in Spain are from the UB. This objective is possible thanks to the constant and tireless efforts of the teaching and research staff of the UB. This once again demonstrates the transversal nature of the research at the UB, which excels in all areas".
The Institute of Neurosciences is a leading institution in international research on neuroscience, being one of the few institutes in the world to study the brain at all levels. It includes research groups on neurobiology, neuropharmacology, pathophysiology, neurology, psychiatry, clinical psychology, neuropsychology and cognitive sciences, and it groups more than 450 researchers.
The Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry is a research institute of the University of Barcelona, established in 2007 as a continuation of the Centre for Research in Theoretical Chemistry (CeRQT), created in 1997. It is dedicated to research in the field of computational chemistry, both in terms of the development of computational methods and their application to the study of systems in different fields: energy-catalysis, magnetic and electronic nanodevices, and biochemical systems. It is made up of more than 90 researchers.
The Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety Research was created with the aim of responding to the demands and needs of today's society in research, training and service provision in sectors related to the agri-food industry. The researchers are experts in various specialities of nutrition, food analysis and control, food safety and the study of the social and economic repercussions of food.
The Barcelona Institute of Analytic Philosophy (BIAP) results from the collaboration between several university groups of analytic philosophy in Catalonia. The aim of BIAP is to strengthen the collaborative connections between the member research groups, and to host future joint research projects funded at national and international level.
This year, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the Spanish State Research Agency, has allocated 54 million euros to 18 research centres and units in Spain and has increased its allocation by 25% compared to the previous call.
The María de Maeztu units of excellence and the Severo Ochoa centres aim to promote the quality of the scientific research of those centres that stand out for the relevance or impact, internationally, of the research results obtained.
