Images
IRB Barcelona director, Joan J. Guinovart, was awarded today the Federation of European Biochemical Societies' (FEBS) Diplome d'Honneur, in recognition of Guinovart's contributions to the advancement of science in Europe. "I am deeply grateful to FEBS for this honour, which holds particular meaning for me." Guinovart received the award during the inaugural ceremony of FEBS' annual congress, held this year in Vienna, Austria.
Joan J. Guinovart has been director of IRB Barcelona since its foundation, and is president of the Confederation of Spanish Scientific Societies (COSCE), an initiative launched in 2004 to promote scientific and technological development in Spain and which today comprises more than 60 scientific societies.
FEBS is one of the foremost scientific organizations in Europe with approximately 40,000 members in 43 countries. FEBS offers advanced courses, provides various types of fellowships, facilitates the exchange of information at an annual congress, and awards prizes and medals in recognition of scientific distinction.
Frank Gannon, director general of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and Willy Stalmans (from the University of Leuven, Belgium) were co-recipients of the Diplome d’Honneur. The distinction is offered every two years; past recipients of the award total 34.
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
