Joan J.Guinovart

IRB Barcelona Director (2005 - 2018)

2017: a spectacular year of achievements

In 2017, IRB Barcelona made some great achievements, bringing about significant scientific results and important institutional accomplishments.

As an example of one such accomplishment, at the end of the year, we were named for the first time beneficiary of a bequest, amounting to 1.5M €, made by a couple from Barcelona. In line with their wishes, this bequest will be used to fund projects on cancer and metastasis. Proud of this achievement and grateful for the trust placed in us, we will endeavour to make the best use of this donation.

Only by excelling in science, our raison d’être, can we rise to meet the expectations of society. In 2017, we continued to strengthen our position, and indeed achieved a great impact in the scientific community, with 188 scientific papers published, 93.1% of our articles falling in the first quartile and 77.7% in the first decile of scientific journals with the highest impact.

These outstanding achievements came about from the labour of our exceptional community, formed by talented professionals—who we strive to attract. Last year the scientific capacity of IRB Barcelona was boosted through the joining of Fran Supek, an outstanding young group leader, and Manuel Serrano, an internationally recognised scientist. Backed by ERC funding, they have chosen to pursue their careers in the stimulating and competitive environment provided by our Institute.

As a public research centre, IRB Barcelona is subjected to periodic appraisals by our Trustees and Evaluation Committees. In 2017, we achieved a maximum score in an evaluation conducted by the CERCA Institution. In this regard, the report stated that IRB Barcelona is performing science at an international level and that it has shown outstanding development in recent years.

Furthermore, in 2017, we continued to channel efforts into increasing our international presence through flagship European projects, maintaining our leadership in science and innovation, strengthening our position by fostering synergies with the other BIST centres, consolidating our Alumni network, and further exploring ways to build on our relationship with the public. Our wide and rich community kept on tackling challenges, overcoming obstacles and developing cutting-edge research of excellence, thus allowing IRB Barcelona to flourish.

Visit our Scientific Discoveries and Institutional Highlights to learn more about IRB Barcelona’s achievements in 2017.