On Thursday 18 June, IBEC held an event called “IBEC Alumni – 20 Years of Community” at the Barcelona Science Park. Around 100 people attended, including former members and staff of the institute. The event aimed to reconnect the alumni community, share career journeys, and showcase the talent nurtured at IBEC over the last 20 years.
On Thursday 18 June, the “IBEC Alumni – 20 Years of Community” event took place at the Antoni Caparrós Auditorium in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB). The event was organised to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). Around 100 people attended the event, including former and current members of the institute, who came together for an afternoon dedicated to reconnecting, sharing career paths, and strengthening the alumni community.
It began at 17:30 with the arrival of the participants, followed by an official welcome address from IBEC’s director, Manuel Salmerón. He highlighted the key role of the alumni community in reflecting the talent nurtured at the institute over the past two decades.
This was followed by a round-table discussion entitled ‘The IBEC Alumni Community: 20 Years of Career Paths’, moderated by Elisabeth Engel, IBEC’s principal investigator and deputy director of talent and training. Four former IBEC members, who are now pursuing careers in various fields within the biomedical and healthcare sector, took part in the discussion.
One of the speakers was Marcel Sorribas, a translational research and biomedical science researcher who worked as a Senior Scientist at Almirall R&D until January 2026 and was previously associated with IBEC as a biomimetic systems postdoctoral researcher. Also taking part was Alba Rubio, a medical affairs specialist at SIMED with experience in the pharmaceutical industry and strategic scientific communication. She has previously worked for companies such as Johnson & Johnson.
The panel also featured Jesús Ordoño, an R&D specialist at the start-up Osteobionix PS with experience in regenerative therapies, cardiovascular research, and neurodegenerative diseases, and Meritxell Serra, a global medical affairs professional at Novartis with experience in developing medical strategies and programmes to facilitate access to innovative treatments prior to their commercialisation.
During the session, the speakers discussed their career journeys from their time at IBEC to their current positions, emphasising the variety of career opportunities available and the influence that their experience at the institute has had on their professional development. They also discussed the challenges of transitioning from academic research to industry and the key skills required to adapt to different professional environments.
In the final segment, the participants offered advice to the next generation of researchers. Meritxell Serra emphasised the importance of understanding the roles and motivations involved in choosing positions in the pharmaceutical industry beyond financial considerations alone. For his part, Marcel Sorribas stressed the need to manage stress effectively throughout one’s research career, reminding the audience that excessive workloads and their physical effects should not be normalised.
After the round-table discussion, attendees could ask the speakers questions, demonstrating a high level of interest and engagement. The day concluded with a cocktail reception, which provided a relaxed atmosphere in which to continue conversations, strengthen ties and forge new connections within the community.
This event celebrated the journey undertaken by IBEC over its 20-year history, particularly the talent and professional diversity of its people, and reaffirmed the value of an active, connected alumni network with an impact across multiple fields.
