2024/09/09

CIC bioGUNE receives the Severo Ochoa Excellence Accreditation in an official ceremony in Madrid

CIC bioGUNE has been officially recognized as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, reaffirming its international scientific leadership and collaboration with the social and business environment. 

In a ceremony held at CaixaForum Madrid, the Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Diana Morant, emphasized the "transformative capacity" of the accredited centers and units to tackle the country's challenges through science.

On Thursday, September 5th, in an event held at CaixaForum Madrid, CIC bioGUNE – member of BRTA - was officially recognized as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, through the State Research Agency (AEI). This accreditation, the highest recognition awarded to research centers in Spain, certifies the international impact and scientific leadership of CIC bioGUNE, as well as its active collaboration with the social and business environment.

The Scientific Director of CIC bioGUNE, Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, accompanied by Mada Rodríguez, Head of Finance and Human Capital, and Itziar Gil de la Pisa, Project Manager, attended the event, which was chaired by the Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Diana Morant. During the ceremony, Morant highlighted the "transformative capacity" of the accredited centers and units to address the country's challenges through science, emphasizing their contribution to citizens' well-being, the development of an innovative industry, and the attraction of research talent.

CIC bioGUNE previously held the Severo Ochoa accreditation from 2017 to 2021, and its renewal reaffirms its position as one of the leading scientific institutions in the field of life sciences. This distinction, granted after a rigorous evaluation process conducted by a prestigious international scientific committee, recognizes centers with highly competitive research programs that rank among the best in the world in their respective scientific areas.

The four-million-euro grant accompanying the accreditation enables CIC bioGUNE to strengthen its applied and fundamental research, as well as its ability to train talent and enhance its visibility both nationally and internationally. In addition, this funding included the creation of 10 new four-year predoctoral contracts, contributing to the attraction and training of young researchers.

During the event, Minister Morant highlighted that the government has significantly increased funding for centers of research excellence in recent years, from 42 to 76 million euros annually, reflecting its commitment to science and research in Spain. Alongside CIC bioGUNE, other centers recognized in this call include the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, BCAM-Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and the Institute of Neurosciences, among others.

These centers of excellence not only stand out for their high level of competitiveness and relevance on the global scientific stage, but they also promote the training of human resources at an international level, establish collaborations with renowned institutions, and enhance the transfer of knowledge to society. The Severo Ochoa accreditation is a recognition of their ongoing efforts to generate cutting-edge knowledge and their ability to attract and retain top-tier scientific talent.

About CIC bioGUNE

The Centre for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, is a biomedical research organisation conducting cutting-edge research at the interface between structural, molecular and cell biology, with a particular focus on generating knowledge on the molecular bases of disease, for use in the development of new diagnostic methods and advanced therapies.

About BRTA

BRTA is an alliance of 4 collaborative research centres (CIC bioGUNE, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE y CIC energiGUNE) and 13 technology centres (Azterlan, Azti, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Leartiker, Lortek, Neiker, Tecnalia, Tekniker y Vicomtech) with the main objective of developing advanced technological solutions for the Basque corporate fabric.

With the support of the Basque Government, the SPRI Group and the Provincial Councils of the three territories, the alliance seeks to promote collaboration between the research centres, strengthen the conditions to generate and transfer knowledge to companies, contributing to their competitiveness and outspreading the Basque scientific-technological capacity abroad.

BRTA has a workforce of 3,500 professionals, executes 22% of the Basque Country's R&D investment, registers an annual turnover of more than 300 million euros and generates 100 European and international patents per year.

Spanish version